| 1995 | |
| 10/30/95 | Carina's Abduction from Michigan |
| 12/22/95 | Order of Graz Court for Specific Visitation (12/24&12/27)
(no compliance) |
| Result: No access in 1995. | |
| 1996 rs | |
| 9/26/96 | First Petition for Access |
| Result: No access in 1996 while enforcement attempts made. | |
| 1997 rs | |
| 2/12/97 | Order that “expert” is to conduct investigation and make recommendation on access request |
| 2/24/97 | Monika Sylvester files response to access request |
| 3/26/97 | “Expert” opinion rendered on access request |
| 4/22/97 | Tom Sylvester files objection to “expert's” report |
| 4/29/97 | Order for supervised visitation at Institute for Family Learning for one hour each on 6/2/97, 6/4/97, and 6/6/97 |
| 10/21/97 | Order for supervised visitation at Institute for Family Learning for one hour each on 12/12/97, 12/13/97, and 12/14/97 |
| Result: Six hours court ordered access in 1997. | |
| 1998 rs | |
| 3/3/98 | Tom Sylvester files Application under Article 21 of the Hague Convention for access on April 10, 11, and 12, 1998 and June 27 through July 4, 1998 |
| 4/22/98 | Order denying Article 21 access request on basis of inapplicability of the Hague Convention |
| 5/25/98 | Court of Appeals reverses decision of trial court and remands denying specific request as to dates in April now moot. Austrian attorney claims that a court order for access on June 27 through July 4, 1998 was now no longer possible due to insufficient time for court review |
| 7/02/98 | New dates on access are submitted to the court for September 6-14, 1998 and December 20-31, 1998 |
| 7/22/98 | Monika Sylvester files objections to access request for remaining dates of September 6-14, 1998 and December 20-31, 1998 |
| 7/27/98 | Order for supervised visitation, 2 hours per day, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between dates requested |
| 8/13/98 | Monika appeals visitation decision above |
| 10/12/98 | Court of Appeals remands to expert again; all September dates are moot |
| 11/24/98 | Supreme Court denies appeal of Court of Appeals decision |
| Result: No court ordered access in 1998. | |
| 1999 rs | |
| 3/2/99 | U.S. Department of State delegation meets with Austrian government in Vienna to discuss access |
| 3/16/99 | Tom Sylvester submits to Austrian courts three proposals for access for the 1999 and 2000 calendar years |
| 4/15/99 | Tom Sylvester submits revised access proposal because April dates are now moot. |
| 4/27/99 | Monika Sylvester files objections |
| 6/24/99 | Tom Sylvester meets with Dr. Kraft concerning whether visits by the father are in the interest of the child |
| 7/23/99 | Tom Sylvester begins paying $1,000 U.S. per month to Monika Sylvester at her demand |
| 8/4/99 | Further opinion of “expert” |
| 9/4/99 | Tom Sylvester obtains approval from Monika Sylvester of three days of unordered visits in September |
| 10/28/99 | Order approving visits supervised by mother for 3 days from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.: 12/31/99, 1/1/00 and 1/2/00; 4/28/00, 4/29/00 and 4/30/00; 9/15/00, 9/16/00 and 9/17/00; and 12/29/00, 12/30/00 and 12/31/00. Other 1999 dates mooted. All other requested access dates were denied. |
| 11/11/99 | Tom Sylvester appeals above decision based on being granted only 1 of 41 days requested in 1999, and 11 of 78 days requested in 2000. Also, no visitation was granted unsupervised and there were no provisions for visitation in the United States |
| 11/22/99 | Court of Appeals denies appeal as to dates past and future |
| 12/27/99 | Tom Sylvester appeals to the Supreme Court |
| 12/28/99 | Austrian Court enters child support order retroactive to date of abduction. |
| Result: One day court ordered access in 1999. | |
| 2000 rs | |
| 1/18/00 | Tom Sylvester's appeal denied |
| 9/13/00 | Monika Sylvester files objections |
| 11/13/00 | New access petition with new schedule submitted to trial court |
| 12/18/00 | Hearing with judge on access request |
| 12/28/00 | Hearing with Judge Lautner—“Statement by Minister of Justice submitted re: Complaint to ECHR” |
| 12/29/00 | Dr. Kraft appointed “expert” again and given 8 weeks to expand on his opinion of 8/4/99 to determine whether request of 11/14/00 are in Carina's best interests |
| Result: Eleven days court ordered access in 2000. | |
| 2001 rs | |
| 1/5/01 | Tom Sylvester files formal objection to appointment of Dr. Kraft as “expert” |
| 5/21/01 | “Expert” report completed without interview of or input from Tom Sylvester |
| 7/17/01 | Order of interim access on September 14-16, 2001 |
| 9/12/01 | Request to Judge Lautner to change visitation due to September 11 attack in U.S.—denied by Judge Lautner |
| 9/14/01 | Formal request to President of the Court for different dates |
| 9/18/01 | New order entered for 2001 access |
| 10/5/01 | Supplemental opinion of “expert” |
| 12/3/01 | Order for access 12/29/01, 12/30/01 and 12/31/01 |
| Result: Six days court ordered access for 2001. | |
| 2002 rs | |
| 2/14/02 | Tom Sylvester provides a detailed access request schedule for the year to his attorney in Austria |
| 3/4/02 | Monika Sylvester's attorney calls Tom Sylvester's attorney in Austria to report that Monika Sylvester will allow access on March 22, 2002 in the afternoon, March 23, 2002 and March 24, 2002. |
| No further petitions for visitation were made through the courts. | |
| Result: No court ordered access in 2002. |
| 3/02/99 | Department of State Office of Children's Issues Director and other representatives from the Bureau of Consular Affairs and Office of the Legal Advisor met with officials of the Austrian Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice in Vienna to discuss the case. |
| 9/13/00 | U.S. Ambassador to Austria Hall, the U.S. Consul General in Vienna, Thomas Sylvester, and his U.S. attorney met in Vienna with the Austrian Minister of Justice Boehmdorfer, Minister of Justice official Schuetz, and counsel for Monika Sylvester in an attempt to mediate access issues. |
| 9/25/00 | Secretary of State Albright discussed the Sylvester matter by telephone with Austrian Chancellor Schuessel. |
| 11/08/00 | Secretary Albright and U.S. Ambassador to Austria Hall met with Austrian Foreign Minister Ferrero-Waldner in Washington D.C. and raise the Sylvester case. |
| 11/26/00 | Secretary Albright met with Austrian Foreign Minister Ferrero-Waldner and Austrian Chancellor Schuessel in Vienna and again raised the Sylvester case. |
| 3/22-28/01 | Department of State sent a delegation to participate in the Fourth Special Commission to review the operation of The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction at The Hague and raised the case with the Austrian delegation. |
| 6/28/02 | Secretary Powell contacted the Austrian Foreign Minister Ferrero-Waldner, expressing his dissatisfaction with the status quo in the Sylvester case and asking her to help find a solution. |
| 7/01/02 | U.S. Ambassador to Austria Brown met with Austrian Minister of Justice Boehmdorfer to discuss the Sylvester case. Ambassador Brown wrote and hand delivered a letter dated June 10, 2002 noting that the Sylvester case was creating an irritant to otherwise outstanding bilateral relations and asking for assistance in reaching a humane and just resolution. |
| 1/14/03 | Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Harty met with Austrian Ambassador Moser and discussed the Sylvester case, urging the Austrian government to develop proposals to expand and normalize Thomas Sylvester's access to his daughter. Ambassador Moser agreed to ask authorities in Vienna to help develop a workable access plan. |
| 3/21/03 | Personnel in U.S. Embassy Vienna met with officials of the Austrian Foreign Ministry to discuss the case per instructions from the Department of State to follow-up on the meeting in Washington D.C. between Assistant Secretary Harty and Austrian Ambassador Moser. U.S. Consul General in Vienna reviewed all of the efforts made to date to obtain broader effective access rights, especially the right to unsupervised visitation both in Austria and the U.S. and requested concrete suggestions from the Austrian side on how to achieve these goals. Austrian officials promised to look into the case further and provide a response to the U.S. Embassy and Washington. |
| 5/02/03 | Assistant Secretary Harty approved a diplomatic note to the Austrian Embassy in Washington D.C. forwarding a copy of the European Court of Human Rights' unanimous decision in the case of Sylvester v. Austria, insisting that Austria urgently take steps to expand Thomas Sylvester's access to Carina Sylvester. |
| 7/14/03 | Assistant Secretary Harty met with Austrian authorities in Vienna to discuss the matter of Carina Sylvester and urged the Austrian government to develop proposals to expand and normalize Thomas Sylvester's access to his daughter. |
| 7/16/03 | Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Jones discussed the Sylvester matter with Austrian Foreign Minister Ferrero-Waldner in Vienna and urged the Austrian government to develop proposals to expand and normalize Thomas Sylvester's access to his daughter. |
| 8/20/03 | Assistant Secretary Jones raised the case in a meeting with Austrian Ambassador Moser. |
| 8/25/03 | Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Grossman raised the Sylvester case in a meeting with Ambassador Moser. |
| 9/18/03 | Secretary of State Powell raised the case in a meeting with new Austrian Ambassador to the U.S. Nowotny. |
| 10/14/03 | State Department Legal Advisor Taft raised the case in a meeting with Ambassador Nowotny. |
| 10/29/03 | Assistant Secretary Jones raised the case in a meeting with Amb. Nowotny. |
| 11/13/03 | Under Secretary Grossman raised the case in a meeting with Austrian Foreign Ministry Secretary General Kyrle. |
| 12/04/04 | President of the United States George W. Bush raised the Sylvester case with new Austrian Ambassador to the United States Nowotny as she presented her credentials. |
| 1/16/04 | Assistant Secretary Harty met with Amb. Nowotny to discuss the case of Carina Sylvester and ways for Thomas Sylvester to expand access to his daughter. |
| 1/26/04 | U.S. Attorney General Ashcroft raised the Sylvester matter with the Austrian Minister of Justice while in Vienna. |
| 6/22/04 | Assistant Secretary Harty raised the case in a letter to Amb. Nowotny for renewed possibility of increased access for Thomas Sylvester to his daughter Carina. |