Judge to Rule on Morgan Passport

A judge said Tuesday that he would rule within two days on a request to release the passport of Dr. Elizabeth Morgan to enable her to travel to New Zealand to fight a custody lawsuit filed by her former husband.

Morgan was jailed in 1987 for more than two years for failing to reveal the whereabouts of her daughter, Hilary, who is now 7. Her passport request was taken under advisement by District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Herbert Dixon after a hearing.

Morgan’s attorney, Steven Sachs, said Morgan has fulfilled “every obligation” since her passport was turned over to court authorities in 1987. But John Lenahan, representing Morgan’s former husband and the girl’s father, Dr. Eric A. Foretich, argued that returning the passport would only give Morgan “an opportunity to further defy” the previous contempt of court order.

Morgan refused to turn over Hilary for supervised visits with Foretich, saying he sexually abused the girl. He denied the charges.

The girl, who has been living with her maternal grandparents in Christchurch, New Zealand, had been the subject of a 2 1/2-year search by her father. Officials found her there last week.