Pennsylvania father barred mother from daughters' school photos and tennis matches; court upheld her authority

A custody dispute can become particularly difficult when parents struggle to cooperate over their children's everyday activities and important milestones. In Pennsylvania, a father who objected to the mother's involvement in the children's school events and extracurricular activities challenged a custody order giving her sole decision-making authority over those activities.

The Pennsylvania Superior Court, in a November 12, 2026 memorandum decision available on Justia, upheld the arrangement, finding no abuse of discretion in the lower court's custody determination.The case involved John M Surma and Julie S Surma, who share two daughters. Although both parents retained shared physical and legal custody, the trial court gave the mother sole legal custody over the children's extracurricular activities.

The father appealed, arguing that the court had made errors in evaluating the evidence and determining the custody arrangements.Dispute over school events and children's activitiesThe custody proceedings had been ongoing since 2019, following the father's divorce and custody filings.