Case Title: Bowles v. Bowles

Citation: 254 Ind. 536, 261 N.E.2d 228

Docket Number: 1269S282

State: indiana

Court: Indiana Supreme Court

Date: 1970-08-20T00:00:00Z

Document:
254 Ind. 536 (1970)
261 N.E.2d 228
BOWLES
v.
BOWLES.
No. 1269S282.

Supreme Court of Indiana.
Filed August 20, 1970.
Albert W. Ewbank, of Indianapolis, Lynn O'Neill, of Logansport, for appellant.
Nelson J. Becker, of Logansport, for appellee.
HUNTER, C.J.
This is an appeal brought by appellant, Robert Bowles, Jr., pursuant to Ind. Ann. Stat. § 4-214 (1968 Repl.) which allows for appeals to this court from judgments which deal with the care and custody of minor children. More specifically appellant is appealing from the refusal of the Cass Circuit Court to modify a previous divorce judgment granting custody of his daughter, Sallie Ann Bowles, to his former wife, Ruth Ann Bowles (now Ruth Ann Kirby).
Appellant and appellee Ruth Ann Bowles were married on January 24, 1960. During the said marriage a daughter Sallie Ann was born on August 13, 1960. The parties separated shortly thereafter on November 29, 1960, and were divorced on April 28, 1961. Custody of Sallie Ann was granted to the *537 appellee by the Cass Circuit Court, which ordered appellant to pay $10.00 per week for her support. Appellant was granted visitation rights one day per week which he has taken advantage of up to the time of the present litigation.
Appellee has remarried twice since her divorce from appellant, first to one Kenneth Michael and next to her present husband, John J. Kirby. She has had one child by each of the two subsequent marriages and is presently living with John Kirby, her three children and two of his children at their home in Logansport, Indiana.
The present controversy between the parties arose upon appellant's filing on July 22, 1969, of a motion to modify the divorce decree between himself and appellee. Appellant alleged in the said motion that since there had occurred a change of conditions with respect to Sallie Ann Bowles since the date of entry of the divorce decree, that he is fit and entitled to obtain custody of her. The pertinent parts of appellant's motion are as follows:
A hearing was held on appellant's motion on July 25, 1969, at which a total of eleven witnesses appeared and testified, seven for the petitioner and four for the respondent. Thereafter on July 31, 1969, the Court entered the following judgment:
Appellant filed a motion for new trial alleging that the finding and judgment of the Court is contrary to law and is not sustained by sufficient evidence. It is from the overruling of this motion that appellant now appeals.
*539 It is a well-settled rule of law in Indiana that in order to justify the modification of a decree which provides for the custody of a child, there must be a change of conditions since the entering of the decree of such a decisive character as to make it necessary for the welfare and happiness of the child that the change be made. Adams v. Purtlebaugh (1951), 230 Ind. 269, 102 N.E.2d 499. There must be averred and proved a vital change of conditions, otherwise no change of custody can be made.
With respect to the nature of the evidence pertinent to the issue of a change of circumstances, this Court stated in Mikels v. Mikels (1967), 248 Ind. 585, 228 N.E.2d 20, that:
See also Brickley v. Brickley (1965), 247 Ind. 201, 210 N.E.2d 850, and Wible v. Wible (1964), 245 Ind. 235, 196 N.E.2d 571.
The only issue presented in this case is whether the judgment of the trial court continuing custody in the appellee, Ruth Ann Kirby, was proper, it being asserted that the evidence discloses a change of circumstances of such a decisive character to necessitate a change for the welfare and happiness of the child. Upon an examination of the evidence in this case we are constrained to hold that the judgment of the trial court is correct.
In the case at bar the asserted change of conditions involved an incident in which the minor child, Sallie Ann Bowles, was allegedly abused by her step-father, John J. Kirby. Ordinarily the cases dealing with modifications of child custody decrees have been based on changes of circumstances respecting the *540 custodian rather than the minor child. See e.g. Wible v. Wible, supra. Appellant herein bases his motion on the change in treatment of the child rather than on any new evidence relating to the condition of appellee. However we see no reason why such evidence should not be considered fully and why it could not serve as a basis for modifying a custody decree.
A summary of the evidence most favorable to the appellee follows: appellant picked up his daughter Sallie Ann on July 6, 1969, pursuant to his weekly visitation rights. He observed that the girl had numerous black and blue marks across her back and buttocks. Appellant immediately took Sallie Ann to the emergency room of Memorial Hospital at Logansport, Indiana, where she was examined by Dr. Richard Glendenning. The doctor testified at trial that the bruises were one to two days old requiring no treatment nor medical attention of any kind. Appellant's assertion in his motion that the injuries to the child required and necessitated that said child "have the care and attention of a physician and that she be treated at Memorial Hospital" is unsupported by the evidence.
The appellee testified that the "spanking" Sallie Ann received from her stepfather resulted from a disciplinary problem that had developed during the preceeding several weeks. Sallie Ann had been going uninvited into neighbors' homes and in particular, the home of a bachelor named "George". She had repeatedly failed to comply with her parents' instructions forbidding her to do so.
The appellee acknowledged that the particular "spanking" administered by Mr. Kirby was in this instance exceptionally severe, but she assured the Court that it was motivated by their desire that Sallie Ann grow up to be a better person. She further assured the Court that her daughter would not be spanked with a belt again.
It can be inferred from the evidence that the episode in question stemmed from Sallie Ann's conduct over a short period of time. Numerous witnesses testified that the Kirby *541 household was a clean and friendly one. There was testimony that the children were well-fed, well cared for and happy. Appellant himself testified that in seven years he had seen nothing in the way Sallie Ann was living or in the way she was treated to cause him to file a petition for a change of custody. The Kirby's baby sitter, Betty Lou Cotner, gave testimony as to the cleanliness and well-being of the children. She stated that she saw nothing to indicate that the children were ever mistreated or abused.
Several witnesses testified that Mr. Kirby was a quiet and good man and that the children, including Sallie Ann, liked him. Sallie Ann's performance at school, although not overwhelming, was sufficiently strong to negative, at least to some degree, the implication of harsh and abusive treatment at home.
Finally Sallie Ann herself testified on both direct and cross-examination that she would rather live with her mother than her father. She stated unequivocally that she did not want to leave her mother's home.
As was said by this court in the case of Gilchrist v. Gilchrist (1947), 225 Ind. 367, 75 N.E.2d 417:
The holding in Gilchrist is very appropos to the case at bar. We conclude that there is ample substantial evidence of probative value in the record to sustain the order and judgment of the trial court continuing the custody of Sallie Ann in appellee. The judgment therefore is not contrary to law and should be affirmed.
Judgment affirmed.
Arterburn, DeBruler, Givan and Jackson, JJ., concur.
NOTE.  Reported in 261 N.E.2d 228.