My question involves a marriage in the state of:California

A friend of mine has been considering divorce for some time. In October 2014, her husband quit his job in NC and moved to CA to work and stay with relatives without telling her and her family his intent. He told them they were to move out there when the lease expired. She would have filed for separation then, but finances did not allow it. When their apartment lease expired in June 2015 she and her kids went out to CA to try one last chance of reconciliation. That failed and within 2 weeks she began saving money to return to NC. In Jan 2016 he moved out to another relative's place, but has not filed for separation. He says if he files for divorce, he can force her to stay in CA as he does not want her to move back to NC.

One of her kids is not adjusting well to CA and having emotional problems due to the situation. She is home-schooling this year while she tries to raise money for legal fees and the eventual move back but is concerned about this threat. The husband is staying with relatives because he is not making enough money to support himself, much less his family. My question is, can a judge force her to stay in CA or can she move back to NC for the sake of her children?