Marriage of Lamaria v. Ibrahim CA2/8

FACTS

Appellant Jolian Ramez Ibrahim (Husband) and respondent Helen Mamaril Lamaria (Wife) met in Wife‟s country of birth, the Philippines. They married there in 1994, and then relocated to Husband‟s country of birth, Kuwait, where he has extended family. In 2002, the couple moved to the United States and settled in California, where members of Wife‟s family live, including her sister. Husband and Wife have three minor children. Their daughter, the eldest, was born in 1996, and the two boys were born in 2000 and 2002, respectively. All of the family members are United States citizens. In 2002, the family settled in Pasadena, where Wife held a job as a nurse. Sometime in 2006, Husband received a job offer for work in Kuwait. According to Wife, Husband represented it was a temporary job that would last only for two years, and that it was a good opportunity for the children to learn Arabic and spend more time with their paternal cousins. Wife agreed to the temporary move. Husband moved back to Kuwait sometime during 2006 and Wife and the children followed in 2007. According to Husband, the move was always intended to be a permanent relocation back to Kuwait. In Kuwait, the family…