Baz v. Patterson

Plaintiff filed a lawsuit under the International Child Abduction Remedies Act seeking to compel the defendant, a U.S. citizen, to return their six-year-old son from Illinois to Germany. The district court found that the child’s habitual residence was in Germany and that retention in Illinois violated the plaintiff’s rights of custody under German law and granted the plaintiff’s petition. The Seventh Circuit stayed the trial court's order pending appeal and affirmed, finding that the district court properly exercised its jurisdiction under the ICARA that the record supported its decision. (LEE, concurring and HAMILTON, dissenting)