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The court may specifically terminate the parental rights of all parents and putative fathers regardless of whether they are personally present in court except as required in §25-5A-14. Any existing child support arrearages shall be addressed by the court in the order terminating parental rights.

Has been determined by a court by clear and convincing evidence to have subjected the child or another child to torture; sexual abuse; abandonment for at least 6 months; chronic physical, mental, or emotional injury; or chronic neglect, if the neglect was a serious threat to the safety of the child or another child.

If one parent abandons the child and does not visit the child or contribute financially to the child's upbringing for a period of at least six months, you may have grounds to seek a termination of parental rights.

South Dakota law presumes that custodial parents have a right to relocate with their minor children unless the children's welfare is at risk. This doesn't mean that the custodial parent has the right to move whenever they want, which is why the noncustodial parent has the right to object to a proposed move.

Reasons Why South Dakota is a Good Place to Live Kid-friendly: If having a good quality of life for your children is necessary to you, South Dakota ranks itself among the finest places to raise kids. Safe driving: South Dakota has consistently ranked among the safest states to drive in.

Every state has its own laws about the division of property during divorce. South Dakota is also an ?all-property? state. This means there is no separate property exception during the division of marital property. Judges can divide and distribute all property owned during the marriage to either spouse.

Subject to the court's right to award custody of the child to either parent, considering the best interest of the child as to its temporal, mental, and moral welfare the father and mother of any minor child born in wedlock are equally entitled to the child's custody, service, and earnings.

The term ?mother state? refers to the long-outdated maternal preference doctrine, which was the past tendency of the courts to favor a mother over a father in child custody cases. This doctrine has been abolished in Maryland since 1974 because it allowed a mother to be awarded custody solely because of her sex.

In South Dakota, doesn't the mother usually get custody of the child? No. Mothers and fathers are equally entitled to seek and be awarded custody of their child. South Dakota law does not favor or discriminate against parents based on gender.