Foretich Ends Custody Fight for Daughter in New Zealand

WASHINGTON —  Dr. Eric Foretich said Friday he was abandoning his custody fight for his daughter after a judge in New Zealand ruled that the 8-year-old girl must remain with her mother in that country.

The legal battle over the custody of Hilary Foretich brought nationwide attention after her mother, Dr. Elizabeth Morgan, served 25 months in jail for contempt of court because she refused to disclose the girl’s whereabouts.

Hilary was found earlier this year with her grandparents in New Zealand.

Morgan has accused Foretich of sexually abusing the girl. He has denied the allegations, which have never been substantiated in court. Foretich said he had been told that a New Zealand family court judge had ruled that Hilary must remain with her mother in Christchurch, New Zealand.

New Zealand Family Court Judge P. D. Mahoney ruled that Morgan must keep Hilary in New Zealand, must report about the girl’s progress to the court every six months and refrain from discussing the case publicly.

Foretich, who is an oral surgeon in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, said he considered it “meaningless” to continue the custody fight. He ruled out any attempt to visit the girl until she is older and, he said, no longer influenced by her mother.

Foretich said he did not want to subject the girl to further publicity and added: “Frankly, I’m tired of the publicity myself. I guess I’ll have to learn to live with it. . . .”