John Pickney Morgan has filed a lawsuit against Feliciana Lopez Morgan in the First Circuit Court of Appeal, State of Louisiana, with the court case ID 2023 CU 0945. The case was heard on April 19, 2024, and pertains to a dispute over child custody and spousal support following their divorce.
The couple married on April 7, 2002, in Livingston Parish and lived in both Louisiana and the Philippines. They have two children who hold dual citizenship in the United States and the Philippines. In October 2020, John instituted this suit against Feliciana seeking a divorce and joint custody of the children. The lawyers involved in this case are Adam John Verret representing John Pickney Morgan and Jenel Guidry Secrease representing Feliciana Lopez Morgan.
The trial court modified the previously entered custody judgment to name Feliciana as the domiciliary parent despite her residing in the Philippines. It also denied John's cross motion to modify custody, held him in contempt for failing to make any spousal support payments, and denied his motion for a new trial or modification of spousal support.
John Pickney Morgan is seeking an order prohibiting Feliciana from taking the children outside of the United States while exercising custody. He alleges it would be impossible to force her to return them due to high risk of kidnapping, high crime rate, and rampant corruption in the Philippines. However, Feliciana countersued demanding joint custody of the children, partition of community property, and spousal support.