Title: Silverton v. Silverton

State: washington

Issuer: Washington Supreme Court

Document:

71 Wn.2d 276 (1967) 427 P.2d 1001 GAIL SILVERTON, Respondent, v. EUGENE SILVERTON, Appellant.[*] No. 38731. The Supreme Court of Washington, Department Two. May 25, 1967. Charles S. Wheeler, for appellant. Cyrus A. Dimmick, for respondent. FINLEY, C.J. This appeal is an aftermath of a divorce proceeding in which both the husband and wife sought and were granted a divorce. The custody of the only child, a minor, was given to the mother. Neither party questions the granting of the divorce. The appellant questions only the child custody award as ordered by the trial court. This challenge is on the ground the mother is not a fit and proper person to have the custody of the minor child. It would serve no purpose to detail the unpleasant circumstances involving, among other things, charges and counter-charges of infidelity on the part of each of the parties. *277 It is sufficient to say the record in this case reveals a situation somewhat approximating a mudslinging contest on the part of both parties with some direct hits as to each. [1-3] In Norman v. Norman, 27 Wn.2d 25, 176 P.2d 349 (1947), the court indicated that under some circumstances the infidelity of the mother is not necessarily determinative of her fitness to have the custody of minor children. The reasoning of the Norman decision seems to us to be controlling in the instant matter. In addition, however, in Chatwood v. Chatwood, 44 Wn.2d 233, 239-40, 266 P.2d 782 (1954), the court said: We are persuaded that the trial judge did the best he could and that he made an appropriate award of custody considering all of the circumstances involved. For this reason and on the authority of the decisions in Norman and Chatwood, referenced above, the trial court should be affirmed. It is so ordered. DONWORTH, ROSELLINI, and HAMILTON, JJ., and LANGENBACH, J. Pro Tem., concur. [*] Reported in 427 P.2d 1001.