Martinez v. Cahue

WOOD, Chief Judge.

For the first seven years of A.M.’s life, he lived in Illinois with his mother, Jaded Mahelet Ruvalcaba Martinez. A.M.’s father, Peter Valdez Cahue, lived nearby, although he and Martinez never married. They entered into a private arrangement, never formalized through a court order, for custody and visitation rights. The events leading to the lawsuit before us arose when, in 2013, Martinez moved to Mexico and took A.M. with her. About a year later, Cahue persuaded Martinez to send A.M. to Illinois for a visit; he then refused to return A.M. to Mexico. Martinez petitioned for…