Some California parents may have heard that a federal judge has ordered a DJ to be extradited to France to attend a child custody hearing. Angie Vu, who has been described as “Asia’s sexiest DJ,” was arrested by U.S. marshals in New York when she allegedly attempted to flee the country with her 9-year-old daughter in November 2015.
A French court granted custody of Vu’s daughter to the biological father, and the child was supposed to be in his care. The federal judge said there was “ample evidence” Vu knew she was violating a French family court order when she tried to take the child to China using one-way tickets at John F. Kennedy International Airport. From China, she planned to travel to her home country of Vietnam. However, she was taken into custody and has been in jail for the last seven months.
French authorities have charged Vu with child abduction, but the DJ’s lawyer claimed the father illegally obtained custody of the child in France and French authorities have no probable cause in the case. She also argued that Vu was only traveling to Vietnam to pursue her parental rights and was not abducting her daughter. Prosecutors countered that Vu “deliberately failed to return” the child to her father in France. Vu has the right to appeal the extradition order.
International child custody disputes can be extremely complex and protracted. Parents facing these types of battles may be best served by discussing their situation with a family law attorney. Legal counsel could held navigate complicated jurisdiction issues and help arrange a custody or visitation agreement that is in the best interests of the child.