CLEVELAND, Tenn. — A Bradley County divorce and custody battle has caught the attention of a national advocate for children’s rights, who calls the case one of the most extreme examples of the “absurdity” of family law he’s ever seen.

“We’re two years in, it’s the day before Thanksgiving, and there’s still no resolution. These folks are in as unstable a position today as they were when they started this,” Michael McCormick, executive director of the American Coalition for Fathers and Children, said Wednesday.

During a news conference at the Bradley County Courthouse, Mr. McCormick spoke on behalf of the father in the case.

Despite a local court rule mandating that divorce and custody cases be completed within one year, court records indicate that Jeremy Hopkins and Elisabeth MacBride Hopkins filed for divorce 22 months ago and have no ruling on their daughter’s custody.

There’s no actual order even assigning custody in the case, one of Mr. Hopkins’ attorneys said. He said the mother has moved the 3-year-old out of state and keeps her away from her father about 85 percent of the time.

Mr. Hopkins declined to discuss other details about the divorce, but said his daughter is the victim and the family court system has failed her.

“I’m speaking out for her,” Mr. Hopkins said after the news conference.

Mr. McCormick said the case highlights how fathers often become marginalized in custody battles. He said much of the nation’s family law focuses almost exclusively on mothers’ rights.

The attorney also is supporting actor Alec Baldwin’s custody battle with ex-wife Kim Basinger and appeared with Mr. Baldwin on CNN’s “Larry King Live” on Wednesday night.

Attorney Stanley Charles Thorne, who is consulting with Mr. Hopkins over possible violations of his constitutional rights, said the mother has filed false evidence in the case with no repercussions.

A motion filed Monday by Mrs. Hopkins’ attorney, Randy Sellers, stated that the father had agreed to return the child to the Atlanta airport on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Mr. Hopkins said there was never such an agreement, according to his response filed in court.

Mrs. Hopkins and her attorney could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

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