Title: In re Marriage of Coulter

State: illinois

Issuer: Illinois Supreme Court

Document:

2012 IL 113474
IN THE
SUPREME COURT
OF
THE STATE OF ILLINOIS
(Docket No. 113474)
In re MARRIAGE OF ROBERT LEE COULTER, Appellee, and
AMY ELEANOR TRINIDAD, Appellant.
Opinion filed September 20, 2012.
JUSTICE GARMAN delivered the judgment of the court, with
opinion.
Chief Justice Kilbride and Justices Freeman, Thomas, Karmeier,
Burke, and Theis concurred in the judgment and opinion.
OPINION
¶ 1
The parties are the divorced parents of three minor children. After
the mother, Amy Trinidad, informed the father, Robert Lee Coulter
(Lee), of her intention to move to California with the children as
permitted by their joint parenting agreement, he sought a preliminary
injunction barring her from removing the children from Illinois. Amy
thereafter filed a petition for temporary removal. After a hearing, the
circuit court of Will County denied the injunction. The appellate court
reversed and remanded. 2011 IL App (3d) 110424-U. This court
allowed Amy’s petition for leave to appeal pursuant to Supreme
Court Rule 315 (Ill. S. Ct. R. 315 (eff. Feb. 26, 2010)). For the
reasons that follow, we reverse the judgment of the appellate court.
¶ 2
BACKGROUND
¶ 3
The parties were divorced on May 8, 2008. They had previously
entered into a joint parenting agreement (JPA), which the circuit court
incorporated into the judgment of dissolution. The parties agreed to
joint custody, with Amy exercising primary residential custody. The
JPA expressly contemplated that Amy and the children would move
to California. Lee agreed to the removal, provided that certain
conditions were met. Specifically, the removal provision of the JPA
stated:
“Each party agrees that so long as Lee is a resident of
Illinois the children shall not be removed from the State of
Illinois for a period of twenty-four (24) months subsequent to
the entry of a Judgement herein. The parties further agree that
in the event the Mother wishes to remove the children to the
State of California, more particularly, Southern California or
Orange County, she shall provide the Father with her notice
of intent to do so. As stated hereinabove, no removal shall
take place in the first twenty-four (24) months[;] however,
during the next twelve (12) months, the parties agree to
mediate and/or discuss a removal to Southern California and
if the parties reach an agreement then the removal shall be
allowed.
If the parties do not reach an agreement between the
twenty-fourth and thirty-sixth month after the entry of a
Judgement herein then the Mother will be free to remove the
children and herself to Southern California without any
contest from the Father as to a removal. In the event the
parties do not work out an agreement between the twenty-
fourth and thirty-sixth month the mother is then allowed to
remove the children, the Father shall still have the right to
have the Court determine the parenting schedule even though
he has no further right to contest the issue of removal.
The provisions with respect to removal set forth
hereinabove pertain only to the Mother’s desire and/or intent
to remove the children to Southern California. [If] [t]he
Mother desires to remove the children to an out of state
location other than Southern California then these provisions
shall not apply and the Mother shall be subject to the statutory
provisions of Section 609 of the [Illinois Marriage and
Dissolution of Marriage Act].”
¶ 4
On May 3, 2010, five days short of the second anniversary of the
entry of the judgment of dissolution, Amy’s attorney gave Lee’s
attorney written notice of her intent to relocate to California in
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accordance with the terms of the JPA. The letter specifically
requested that Lee’s attorney respond to the notice. Lee neither
responded, either directly or through his attorney, nor initiated
mediation or discussion with Amy regarding the planned removal. 
¶ 5
On March 3, 2011, two months before the expiration of the 12-
month period for discussion or mediation, Lee filed an emergency
petition seeking to enjoin Amy from removing the children to
California. He alleged that Amy had not requested mediation. In
addition, he alleged that the removal provision in the JPA contained
“insufficient evidence to support a finding that removal is in the
children’s best interest” and that a substantial change in
circumstances had occurred such that he should be given sole custody
of the children.
¶ 6
Amy responded by filing a petition for temporary removal on May
4, 2011. In her petition, she noted that the removal was expressly
allowed by the JPA.
¶ 7
On June 13, 2011, the circuit court denied Lee’s petition for an
injunction. Although the court did not specifically state that it was
allowing Amy’s petition for temporary removal, it did state that it
would be necessary to modify the visitation schedule because the
children would be moving to California.
¶ 8
Amy filed a petition for permanent removal on July 20, 2011. 
¶ 9
Lee took an interlocutory appeal. The appellate court found that
the circuit court abused its discretion by denying the preliminary
injunction. The order noted the existence of the JPA, but did not
mention that the JPA had been incorporated into the judgment of
dissolution or consider whether that judgment should be given effect.
Rather, the appellate court stated that granting a preliminary
injunction would “preserve the status quo” and would “do no more
than prohibit respondent from an act which she is already lawfully
prevented from doing.” The court concluded that Lee had sufficiently
demonstrated the four elements required for preliminary injunctive
relief and remanded the matter to the circuit court.
¶ 10
On remand, the circuit court ordered Amy to return the children
to Illinois pursuant to the mandate of the appellate court. This court
entered a stay of that order and allowed Amy’s petition for leave to
appeal.
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¶ 11
ANALYSIS
¶ 12
Section 609(a) of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of
Marriage Act (the Act) provides:
“(a) The court may grant leave, before or after judgment,
to any party having custody of any minor child or children to
remove such child or children from Illinois whenever such
approval is in the best interests of such child or children. The
burden of proving that such removal is in the best interests of
such child or children is on the party seeking the removal.”
750 ILCS 5/609(a) (West 2010). 
¶ 13
The sole issue considered by the appellate court was whether, in
light of this provision, the circuit court abused its discretion when it
denied Lee’s request for a preliminary injunction to bar Amy from
removing their children from Illinois. Mohanty v. St. John Heart
Clinic, S.C., 225 Ill. 2d 52, 62-63 (2006) (stating that a decision to
grant or deny a preliminary injunction is reviewed for abuse of
discretion).
¶ 14
Amy argues that the appellate court was incorrect when it said
that she was “already lawfully prevented” from removing the children
from Illinois. She claims that the JPA, by virtue of its incorporation
into the judgment of dissolution, was a valid and enforceable court
order granting leave to remove. 
¶ 15
We agree with Amy that we must first determine whether the
judgment order that incorporated the JPA containing the removal
provision constitutes the leave of court required by section 609. 
¶ 16
Section 609(a) specifically allows the circuit court to grant leave
for removal at the time it enters the judgment of dissolution. In
addition, section 502 governs the incorporation of an agreement of
the parties into the judgment of dissolution:
“(a) To promote amicable settlement of disputes between
parties to a marriage attendant upon the dissolution of their
marriage, the parties may enter into a written or oral
agreement containing provisions for disposition of any
property owned by either of them, maintenance of either of
them and support, custody and visitation of their children.
(b) The terms of the agreement, except those providing for
the support, custody and visitation of children, are binding
upon the court unless it finds, after considering the economic
circumstances of the parties and any other relevant evidence
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produced by the parties, on their own motion or on request of
the court, that the agreement is unconscionable.
(c) If the court finds the agreement unconscionable, it may
request the parties to submit a revised agreement or upon
hearing, may make orders for the disposition of property,
maintenance, child support and other matters.
(d) Unless the agreement provides to the contrary, its
terms shall be set forth in the judgment, and the parties shall
be ordered to perform under such terms, or if the agreement
provides that its terms shall not be set forth in the judgment,
the judgment shall identify the agreement and state that the
court has approved its terms.
(e) Terms of the agreement set forth in the judgment are
enforceable by all remedies available for enforcement of a
judgment, including contempt, and are enforceable as contract
terms.
(f) Except for terms concerning the support, custody or
visitation of children, the judgment may expressly preclude or
limit modification of terms set forth in the judgment if the
agreement so provides. Otherwise, terms of an agreement set
forth in the judgment are automatically modified by
modification of the judgment.” 750 ILCS 5/502 (West 2010).
¶ 17
Under this provision, a JPA that is set forth in the judgment or is
incorporated by reference is enforceable as both an order of the court
and as a contract. A JPA that is not expressly incorporated in the
judgment, but is merely identified and approved, must be enforced as
a contract. (We note that this ability to treat the JPA as contract alone
allows parties to agree to a term that the court would not have
authority to order, for example, an agreement that the parents will pay
for a child’s postgraduate education.)
¶ 18
Thus, the precise question in this case is whether the parties’ JPA
contained language that, when incorporated into the judgment of
dissolution, granted Amy leave to remove the children to California
two years after entry of the judgment.
¶ 19
A JPA, like a marital settlement agreement (MSA), is a contract
between the parties and, as such, a court’s primary objective is to give
effect to the intent of the parties, which must be determined only by
the language of the agreement, absent an ambiguity. See Blum v.
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Koster, 235 Ill. 2d 21, 33 (2009). Therefore, the interpretation of a
JPA is a question of law, which we review de novo. See id. 
¶ 20
Under the JPA, Amy is permitted to remove the children to
California, but only to California, if she complies with two
requirements. First, she may not remove the children until 24 months
have elapsed from the entry of judgment. Second, she must give Lee
notice of her intent to do so. Amy fully complied with these
requirements.
¶ 21
Once notice is given, there are several alternative courses of
action. First, either party may request mediation or discussion
regarding the planned removal. If either party does so, the other party
agrees to participate. This provision suggests that the parties
appreciated that it would be necessary to work out the details of
visitation if and when Amy exercised her right of removal. However,
neither party requested mediation or discussion. Second, if the parties
reach an agreement, “removal shall be allowed.” In this case, no
agreement was reached. Third, absent an agreement, Amy is free to
remove the children to California and Lee waives the right to contest
removal. 
¶ 22
By incorporating the JPA into the judgment of dissolution, the
court accepted the parties’ plan for dealing with the removal question
and made it an enforceable order of the court. 750 ILCS 5/502(e)
(West 2010). Therefore, because Amy complied with the notice
requirement and did not refuse to participate in discussions and/or
mediation requested by Lee, she was free to remove the children to
California. She was not required to file a petition for modification of
custody under section 610 of the Act (750 ILCS 5/610 (West 2010))
and her motion for removal under section 609 was unnecessary,
because she already had leave to remove the children. 
¶ 23
Lee argues that despite the JPA, which expressly contemplates
removal, no court has yet made a determination as to whether
removal would be in the best interests of the children. He asserts that
this question must be resolved by the court before Amy can be
allowed to take the children to California. 
¶ 24
We disagree. The JPA that the parties presented to the circuit
court at the time of their divorce evinces their agreement that removal
would be in the best interests of the children, so long as they
remained in Illinois for at least two years following their parents’
divorce. At the very least, the JPA evinces Lee’s agreement that the
planned move would not be against their best interests.
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¶ 25
Although the court may, and indeed should, question the terms
that the parents have agreed to if there is any reason to believe that
the terms would adversely affect the children, the right of fit parents
to decide what is in their children’s best interests is of constitutional
magnitude. See Troxel v. Granville, 530 U.S. 57, 69 (2000) (plurality
op.) (referring to the traditional presumption that a fit parent will act
in the best interests of his or her child); Wickham v. Byrne, 199 Ill. 2d
309, 320 (2002) (citing Troxel for the traditional presumption). This
presumption is not weakened by the fact that the parents are
divorcing. Their considered opinion regarding the best interests of
their children, as reflected by their agreements regarding custody,
visitation, and removal, is entitled to great deference by the court. In
addition, nothing in the removal statute prevents the parties from
agreeing to removal at some time after the entry of judgment or the
court from issuing such an order. 
¶ 26
Lee’s reliance on In re Marriage of Boehmer, 371 Ill. App. 3d
1154 (2007), is misplaced. In that case, the parties’ JPA was
incorporated into the judgment of dissolution. Thereafter, the parties
entered into a separate written agreement purporting to allow the
mother to remove their children to Louisiana and setting out a new
visitation plan. That agreement was not presented to the court as an
agreed order. The father then filed an emergency petition to enjoin
removal and to modify custody. The court held that the written
agreement was insufficient evidence to support a finding that removal
was in the child’s best interests. Id. at 1160. 
¶ 27
Boehmer is distinguishable from the present case because the
court in that case had not previously entered an order allowing
removal. When the father filed his emergency petition, the court was
asked for the first time to make a determination as to the best interests
of the children. In addition, by that time, the father had repudiated the
parties’ side agreement so there was no agreement binding them to a
mutual assessment of best interests.
¶ 28
In the present case, the parties agreed to removal under certain
conditions and presented their agreement to the court as a signed JPA,
for incorporation into the judgment. The question of best interests of
the children was resolved by the parties and their resolution was given
proper deference by the court. 
¶ 29
This is in keeping with the strong public policy of Illinois to
encourage parties to resolve as many issues as possible by agreement
before resorting to litigation. See Carver v. Sheriff of La Salle
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County, 203 Ill. 2d 497, 518 (2003) (noting strong public policy
favoring peaceful settlement of claims); In re Guardianship of Babb,
162 Ill. 2d 153, 162 (1994); Rakowski v. Lucente, 104 Ill. 2d 317, 325
(1984). 
¶ 30
The Act itself demonstrates that this policy is at least as strong, if
not stronger, in the context of disputes between divorcing parents as
it is in other contexts. The Act specifically states that among its
purposes are to: “promote the amicable settlement of disputes that
have arisen between parties to a marriage”; “mitigate the potential
harm to the spouses and their children caused by the process of legal
dissolution of marriage”; and “secure the maximum involvement and
cooperation of both parents regarding the physical, mental, moral and
emotional well-being of the children during and after the litigation.”
750 ILCS 5/102(3), (4), (7) (West 2010). 
¶ 31
We also note that when divorcing spouses present a signed MSA
or JPA to the court, the document reflects a negotiated agreement.
Each party has agreed to certain terms in exchange for other terms, or
terms may be related to each other. For example, if divorcing parents
agree that one parent is to have primary residential custody, they may
also agree that he or she will retain possession of the marital home.
If the court were to alter the custody arrangement in such a case, it
would affect the parties’ agreement as to the division of property.
¶ 32
In the present case, Lee agreed to removal, which Amy was
clearly already anticipating, and she agreed to postpone her plans for
two years. We cannot know what trade-offs they made to reach this
agreement. Perhaps Amy agreed to joint custody in return for Lee’s
agreement to removal in two years. Perhaps both parties agreed that
the children would require time to adjust to their parents’ divorce.
What we do know is that the parties reached an agreement and that
they had their own reasons for agreeing to the removal provision. To
set aside that agreement now, merely because one party has had a
change of heart, would be to undermine the effectiveness of section
502 of the Act as an expression of public policy.
¶ 33
In sum, the parties’ JPA was incorporated into the judgment of
dissolution and was thereafter enforceable as an order of the court.
The agreement expressly granted Amy leave to remove the children
provided that she complied with certain requirements. She fully
complied. Lee’s express waiver of any objection to removal should
have been enforced by the circuit court and, thus, the court properly
denied his petition for a temporary restraining order.
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¶ 34
It was unnecessary for the appellate court to consider the elements
that must be shown by a party seeking a preliminary injunction
because Lee, having expressly waived the right to contest removal,
lacked the right to have the court determine that issue. 
¶ 35
However, Lee was not entirely without recourse. If circumstances
had changed so significantly since the judgment was entered that a
modification of custody would be appropriate, he was free to seek
modification of custody pursuant to section 610 of the Act. Under this
section, he has the burden of proving by:
“clear and convincing evidence, upon the basis of facts that
have arisen since the prior judgment or that were unknown to
the court at the time of entry of the prior judgment, that a
change has occurred in the circumstances of the child or his
custodian, or in the case of a joint custody arrangement that
a change has occurred in the circumstances of the child or
either or both parties having custody, and that the
modification is necessary to serve the best interest of the
child.” 750 ILCS 5/610(b) (West 2010). 
¶ 36
His petition to modify custody remains pending in the circuit
court where he will have the opportunity to meet his burden.
¶ 37
CONCLUSION
¶ 38
We hold that Lee’s petition for a preliminary injunction was
properly denied by the trial court based on Amy’s compliance with
the conditions of the JPA and on his agreement not to contest
removal. The judgment of the appellate court is therefore reversed
and the judgment of the circuit court is affirmed.
¶ 39
Appellate court judgment reversed.
¶ 40
Circuit court judgment affirmed.
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