On August 19, 2025, District Court Judge Vincent Ochoa entered a written order temporarily allowing J.B. to retain primary physical custody of the child, while increasing S.M.'s parenting time and scheduling a bench trial for December 5. The Court also ordered the parents to continue to share temporary legal custody, jointly. Judge Ochoa also authorized each parent to request up to two random drug tests of the other, at the requesting parent's expense, and required advance notice of the child's medical appointments so both parents could participate in decisions. On May 30, Judge Ochoa entered a behavioral order requiring both parents to communicate through through Our Family Wizard. In a November 26 pretrial memorandum, attorney Brandon Leavitt briefed the Court, urging a joint-physical custody award with parents alternating weeks with their daughter. His client, the mother, acknowledged a history of drug abuse but stated that she had remained sober since September 1, 2019. She accused the father of withholding the child on multiple occasions, interfered with her parenting time, excluded her from medical decisions and undermining her relationship with the child. On December 1, Danielle Dawson briefed the Court on behalf of her client, the father, urging he retain primary physical custody with supervised visits for the mother. It emphasized his role as the child's longtime primary caregiver, cited the mother's past substance use and raised concerns about parenting and communication. The father accused the mother of restricting contact with relatives and had failed to communicate some decisions about the child's whereabouts and schooling. His memorandum acknowledged that neither parent had been judicially found to have abused or neglected the child. The parents also submitted differing proposals for holiday time, child support and attorney's fees. On December 4, less than a day before trial, Dawson moved to withdraw from the case. Judge Ochoa swiftly and summarily denied her request, finding that withdrawal would delay the trial and prejudice the parties. He ordered both parents and their attorneys to appear ready to proceed on December 5.

A custody dispute filed in February 2025 put two very different parenting plans before District Court Judge Vincent Ochoa. S.M., the Mother, sought physical and legal custody of the common minor child, jointly; and, a schedule in which the child would spend alternating weeks with each parent. J.B., the Father, opposed that arrangement, asking instead for sole custody with supervised visitation for Mother. Father's petition and Mother's answer offered competing accounts of the family’s history and what would best serve their child. Judge Ochoa entered a temporary order on April 16, awarding legal custody to the parents jointly; but, primary physical custody to Father, with mother’s parenting time to occur from Saturday at 3 p.m. until Monday at 3 p.m., weekly. The Court also ordered the parents to attempt mediation. Attorney Luke Busby, on behalf of Our Nevada Judges, Inc., filed a motion to unseal the entire court file. Separately, Judge Ochoa granted the media entity's request to provide comprehensive electronic coverage of the proceedings, the first hearing of which was scheduled to occur on May 7.