Title: Glandt v. Taylor

State: wyoming

Issuer: Wyoming Supreme Court

Document:

Glandt v. Taylor1996 WY 93920 P.2d 647Case Number: 95-221Decided: 06/27/1996Supreme Court of Wyoming
Robert 
William GLANDT,

 Appellant 
(Respondent),

v.

Sandra Sue 
TAYLOR,

 Appellee 
(Petitioner).

Appeal from the District 
Court of Platte County, Keith G. Kautz, J.

Maureen T. 
Donohoue, Lander, for Appellant.

William U. Hill, 
Attorney General; Michael L. Hubbard, Deputy Attorney General; and Cynthia L. 
Harnett, Assistant Attorney General, Cheyenne, for 
Appellee.

Before 
GOLDEN, C.J., and THOMAS, MACY, TAYLOR and LEHMAN, JJ.

TAYLOR, 
Justice.

[¶1]      The issue before 
us is whether the district court had jurisdiction to enter an order modifying a 
divorce decree issued in another jurisdiction. Concluding that the matter was 
not properly transferred, we reverse.

I. 
ISSUES

[¶2]      Appellant 
articulates the following issues:

A. Did the Eighth 
Judicial District Court within and for Platte County, Wyoming have jurisdiction 
to modify the child support provisions of the decree of divorce originally 
entered and subsequently modified by the Seventh Judicial District Court within 
and for Natrona County, Wyoming?

B. If the Eighth Judicial 
District Court within and for Platte County, Wyoming did not have jurisdiction 
to modify the child support provisions of the decree of divorce originally 
entered and subsequently modified by the Seventh Judicial District Court within 
and for Natrona County, Wyoming, was such jurisdiction created or conferred upon 
the Platte County District Court by consent, estoppel or waiver of the 
parties?

C. If the Eighth Judicial 
District Court within and for Platte County, Wyoming had jurisdiction to modify 
the child support provisions of the decree of divorce originally entered and 
subsequently modified by the Seventh Judicial District Court within and for 
Natrona County, Wyoming, is there a statutory basis in W.S., Section 
14-2-204(a)(iii) for the District Court of the Eighth Judicial District within 
and for Platte County, Wyoming to order that Appellant's child support 
obligation continue until "the parties' children reach the age of eighteen (18) 
years, or until they reach the age of twenty (20) Years if the child(ren) are 
attending high school or an equivalent program as a full-time 
participant"?

[¶3]      Appellee responds 
with this statement of the issues:

I.          
Was exclusive jurisdiction over all matters pertaining to this case 
properly transferred from the Seventh Judicial District to the Eighth Judicial 
District and has appellant failed to prove otherwise?

II.          
Did the Eighth Judicial District properly apply W.S. 14-2-204(a) in 
modifying the appellant's child support obligation and has appellant failed to 
prove otherwise?

II. 
FACTS

[¶4]      Robert Glandt 
(Robert) and Sandra Taylor (Sandra) were divorced in Natrona County, Wyoming in 
1980. The divorce decree was modified in 1987 and 1989 by the district court in 
Natrona County. In 1994, the district court in Natrona County transferred the 
case file to the district court in Platte County without notice to the parties. 
In 1995, the district court in Platte County issued and filed an order modifying 
Robert's child support obligations.

[¶5]      Robert challenged 
the jurisdiction of the district court in Platte County and filed a motion to 
dismiss. That motion was denied and Robert filed this 
appeal.

III. 
DISCUSSION

[¶6]      The original 
divorce decree was entered by the district court in Natrona County. That court 
is required, by statute, to retain jurisdiction over this matter. Wyo. Stat. § 
20-2-113(a) (1994). The district court in Natrona County had no authority to 
transfer jurisdiction of this matter to the district court in Platte County and 
that court had no authority to accept such a transfer of jurisdiction. Nicholaus 
v. Nicholaus, 756 P.2d 1338, 1342 (Wyo. 1988) (holding that jurisdiction to 
modify custody and support provisions in a divorce decree is exclusive in 
Wyoming). We note, however, that pursuant to W.R.C.P. 40.1(a)(3) and (b)(4), the 
district court in Natrona County could have transferred the case to Platte 
County and assigned a judge in Platte County to hear this case and exercise 
jurisdiction of the district court in Natrona County, provided that any order 
entered pursuant to such an arrangement was filed in Natrona County. That, of 
course, did not occur.

[¶7]      An order entered 
by a court lacking jurisdiction is void and is of no force and effect. MN v. CS, 
908 P.2d 414, 416 (Wyo. 1995). Therefore, the order entered by the district 
court in Platte County which modified the divorce decree filed in Natrona County 
cannot stand.

IV. 
CONCLUSION

[¶8]      This case is 
reversed and remanded for further proceedings consistent with this 
opinion.