Case Title: STATE EX REL JENNINGS v DISTRICT

Citation: 

Docket Number: 

State: montana

Court: Montana Supreme Court

Date: 1978-08-21T00:00:00Z

Document:
No. 14328 IN THE SUPREME c m OF THE S T A T E OF MONTANA 1978 S T A T E ex rel., RIcHAFCl K. JENNXS, Relator, THE DISTRICT COUET OF THE THIRD JUDICIAL DISTRICT et al., Respondents. Counsel of Record: For Relator: Jack Scanlon argued, Anaconda, Montana For Respondents: Knight, Dahocd, mckay a d IWLean, Anaconda, Montana Conde Mackay argued, Anaconda, Wntana Suhnitted: July 21, 1978 j . Filed: && - -Y w M r . J u s t i c e John Conway Harrison delivered t h e Opinion of t h e Court. Relator, ~ i c h a r d K. Jennings, has applied t o t h i s Court f o r a w r i t of supervisory c o n t r o l t o be d i r e c t e d t o t h e D i s - t r i c t Court of t h e Third J u d i c i a l D i s t r i c t , Deer Lodge County, and t o Honorable Robert J. Boyd and Honorable Arnold Olsen. The application concerns j u r i s d i c t i o n over c h i l d custody proceedings i n i t i a t e d i n Montana by r e l a t o r ' s former w i f e , Sandra Jennings, as a response t o s i m i l a r proceedings brought by r e l a t o r i n Iowa. Richard and Sandra Jennings were married i n Iowa on J u l y 25, 1976. I t w a s Sandra Jennings' second marriage. Some two months l a t e r , they were separated. The husband, as p e t i t i o n e r , was granted a decree of d i s s o l u t i o n of marriage on February 24, 1977, t h r e e days a f t e r t h e b i r t h of t h e couple's daughter. The decree awarded custody of t h e c h i l d t o t h e wife. A t t h a t t i m e , she a l s o had custody of her son under a decree of d i s s o l u t i o n from her previous marriage. During t h e ensuing months, a number of problems arose with r e s p e c t t o t h e husband's v i s i t a t i o n r i g h t s and t h e p a r t i e s returned t o t h e Iowa c o u r t on two occasions f o r f u r t h e r c l a r i f i c a t i o n of these r i g h t s . O n October 3 , 1977, t h e wife moved t o Anaconda, Nontana, t o escape what she has termed t h e husband's "abuse and harassment". After she moved, t h e husband returned t o t h e Iowa c o u r t and received an order terminating h i s c h i l d support payments and granting him custody of t h e couple's daughter. A s h o r t t i m e l a t e r , t h e w i f e ' s f i r s t husband returned t o t h e Iowa c o u r t from h i s home i n Nebraska and received a s i m i l a r order with r e s p e c t t o t h e c h i l d of t h e w i f e ' s marriage t o him. The wife d i d n o t a t t e n d e i t h e r of t h e s e hearings. O n ~ p r i l 21, 1978, r e l a t o r f i l e d t h e Iowa order modi- fying custody with t h e Clerk of t h e D i s t r i c t Court, Deer Lodge County, Montana, s o t h a t it might be enforced i n t h i s s t a t e pursuant t o s e c t i o n 61-416, R.C.M. 1947 (Supp. 1977). O n t h e husband's motion, t h e Honorable Arnold Olsen, s i t t i n g i n t h e absence of Honorable Robert J. Boyd, issued an order giving f u l l f a i t h and c r e d i t t o t h e Iowa proceedings and d i r e c t i n g t h e wife t o surrender custody of t h e daughter t o t h e husband. The w i f e w a s never served with t h i s order. O n May 3, 1978, t h e wife petitioned t h e D i s t r i c t Court f o r a hearing challenging t h e j u r i s d i c t i o n of t h e Iowa d i s t r i c t c o u r t t o modify t h e decree of d i s s o l u t i o n as t o custody. That s a m e day, Judge Olsen again ordered t h e wife t o r e l i n q u i s h custody of her daughter. However, Judge Boyd, having returned t o t h e bench, issued a temporary r e s t r a i n i n g order prohibiting t h e husband from taking custody of t h e daughter u n t i l a hearing could be held concerning t h e matter. O n May 9, t h e wife petitioned the c o u r t t o modify t h e Iowa decree of d i s s o l u t i o n and r e t u r n l e g a l custody of her daughter t o her. That same day, counsel f o r r e l a t o r f i l e d a motion seeking f u l l f a i t h and c r e d i t f o r t h e Iowa order obtained by t h e w i f e ' s f i r s t husband with r e s p e c t t o t h e w i f e ' s son. The f i r s t husband l a t e r obtained custody of t h e son through habeas corpus proceedings i n the S t a t e of Washington where t h e wife had taken t h e son f o r medical treatment. On May 30, r e l a t o r moved t h a t t h e temporary r e s t r a i n i n g order be quashed, t h e p e t i t i o n f o r modification dismissed, and t h e April 21 order enforced. Judge Boyd denied t h e husband's motion and ordered him t o seek a w r i t of super- visory c o n t r o l i n t h i s Court t o determine t h e question of j u r i s d i c t i o n . W e hold t h a t supervisory c o n t r o l i s n o t a necessary remedy under these f a c t s t o determine t h e r e l i e f sought by r e l a t o r . This Court, i n S t a t e ex r e l . Woodahl v. D i s t r i c t Court (1975), 166 Mont. 31, 38, 530 P.2d 780, 785, held: " * * * when t h e f a c t s c l e a r l y show t h a t a p a r t y has no p l a i n , speedy o r adequate remedy a t law, and when t h e r e i s no r i g h t of appeal from a d i s t r i c t c o u r t ' s o r d e r , a w r i t of supervisory c o n t r o l may i s s u e s o t h a t t h e d e c i s i o n of t h e lower c o u r t may be reviewed by t h e Montana Supreme Court . " Further, t h i s Court, i n P e t i t i o n of Charles Waite, Jr. (1964), 143 Mont. 321, 322, 389 P.2d 407, 408, s t a t e d : " I t i s incumbent f u r t h e r upon p e t i t i o n e r s seeking o r i g i n a l j u r i s d i c t i o n i n t h i s c o u r t t o make a showing of t h e inadequacy o r unavail- a b i l i t y of any o t h e r remedy, e i t h e r i n t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t o r by way of appeal t o t h i s c o u r t . " Relator has a p l a i n and speedy remedy a t law a v a i l a b l e t o him by appeal from any a c t i o n of t h e D i s t r i c t Court. Therefore, t h e a p p l i c a t i o n of r e l a t o r is dismissed without p r e j u d i c e and t h i s matter i s remanded t o t h e D i s t r i c t Court of t h e Third J u d i c i a l D i s t r i c t f o r such f u r t h e r proceedings a s it may deem appropriate. W e Concur: %,-Jw WdWeq Chief J u s t i c e . - - .,>v,%"- 6 , ) ? I & < + , / J u s t i c e s L/ 0 L' I N T H E S U P R E M E COURT O F THE STATE O F MONTANA No. 14328 STATE ex rel., RICHARD K. JENNINGS, Relator, THE DISTRICT COURT O F T H E THIRD J U D I C I A L DISTRICT, e t a l . , Respondents. O R D E R Through inadvertence, t h e Opinion i n t h e above e n t i t l e d cause w a s signed by J u s t i c e Gene B. Daly i n s t e a d of t h e Honorable P e t e r G. Meloy, D i s t r i c t Judge, s i t t i n g f o r J u s t i c e Daly . W e hereby i s s u e a c o r r e c t i o n order s u b s t i t u t i n g Judge Meloy f o r J u s t i c e Daly. D A T E D t h i s lsd-, day of September, 1978. s - , a p 4 % 4 #Chief J u s t i c e trict Judge, concu J