In the case of Masters v. Sutton, the Virginia Court of Appeals, in an unpublished opinion, ruled that the trial court did not err in granting a motion for modification of child custody and visitation filed by mother. Mother filed her motion after remarrying and accepting a job in Pennsylvania. Father counter-filed seeking a change in custody. The child was nine years old. The trial court found that, although both parties had loving and strong relationships with the child, mother had been the child’s primary caretaker throughout the child’s nine-year life and she was better able to assess the needs of the child. In addition, the court found that father had mental health issues, employment issues, and an upcoming possible change in residence that prevented him from providing the child with stability and structure. Furthermore, mother’s relocation was not motivated by a desire to reduce father’s time with the child. Moreover, mother was relocating to an area that was less than three hours’ drive from father’s residence.