Child custody disputes can not only be quite emotional, but in some cases, rather complicated, particularly where one of the parents is a citizen of another country.

On Monday, a federal judge signed an order dismissing a case between a couple involved in an international child custody battle that lasted nearly a decade. The case-which came to an end because the child became too old to continue being covered by an international law concerning child abduction across borders-was brought by the child's British father against his American mother after she fled Chile and came to Texas.

As sources describe, the abduction took place after a Chilean court had prohibited either parent from taking the child out of the country without the other's consent.

The suit itself, sought to determine whether the federal courts can intervene in international child custody disputes and to determine the scope of the international law on child abduction, as well as whether a court order for a right of custody coming from another country is enforceable in the United States.

The international law involved in the suit was the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, which gives parents a right of custody and a right of access. These ensure that the laws of one country are respected in other countries.

Prior to the end of the suit, it was determined that the father had a right of custody and could force the boy's return to Chile. In the end, however, Texas law was a large factor in determining what should be done with the child. The boy apparently did not want to live with his father, and the case ended with him still in the custody of his mother, in Texas.

Cases like this are surely complicated and emotional, but even an "ordinary" child custody case can be a taxing experience. Having an experienced advocate throughout such an ordeal is immensely helpful.

Source: CNN, "Child at center of high court fight over custody gets closure," Bill Mears, February 14, 2012.