In the Matter of Marriage of Hruby and Hruby

ORS 109.119 allows “[a]ny person * * * who has established emotional ties creating a child-parent relationship with a child” to intervene in, or to initiate, proceedings to determine child custody and related matters. The issue is whether natural parents have rights to the custody of their children that are superior to the custodial rights, if any, of persons satisfying the requirements of ORS 109.119 and, in particular, whether ORS 109.119 itself grants persons satisfying its requirements substantive custodial rights. 1 We hold that ORS 109.119 does not grant substantive custodial rights and…