This is Part Two of our Law and Divorce in the Time of Coronavirus postings  . . . so, let’s talk the internet. And information. And misinformation. And posts by experts, non-experts, amateurs, people making assumptions and guesses, and those posting from another planet.

There is so much out there and more people looking at it than ever before. Because, of course, more people than ever have more time than ever to surf the web and social media.

Information about divorce in Colorado and all its permutations, especially parenting time/custody, is everywhere and all over the place. It’s natural, too many things have been up in the air, rumored and never enacted, enacted and redacted – if you saw our last post you know Halligan LLC was ordered closed, open, closed, and opened again over the course of four business days – in such a short amount of time to keep track off.

When it comes to child custody orders, the rules as we like to see them haven’t changed a bit: that is, follow the order; communicate with your ex (or almost ex); be reasonable; treat everyone with respect; use common sense when confronted by an unknown.

One more thing – don’t rely on the internet for answers to your specific questions. Regardless of the source. Your parenting order and the facts that led to it being issued by the court are uniquely your own. They do not apply to the online source that ‘looks pretty close’ to your circumstances. Rely on the internet to your own detriment.

That said, here’s some solid news: the COVID-19 shutdowns did not shut down any aspect of your parenting orders. They are in full force. The shutdown is not an unexpected school vacation. It’s a regular day being lived under irregular, unforeseen circumstances. It changes nothing.

You are not locked down from going to the grocery store, you are not locked down from any travel necessary to comply with court orders – like driving your children to their other parent’s house.

The long and short of it is this: you are responsible for adhering to the terms of your parenting time agreement/order; unapproved changes even in the midst of an unprecedented emergency will not be readily excused.

Ask your lawyer before you do anything. Anything.

If you are handling your divorce yourself – having filed pro se – hire an attorney to help with these kinds of concerns. The courts recommend this right now.