UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT

________________ _________________ CALLUM JOSEPH LIVINGSTONE, Petitioner - Appellant/Cross - Appellee,

v. EMERALD MACKENZIE LIVINGSTONE, Respondent - Appellee/Cross - Appellant. Nos. 22-1308 & 22-1343 (D.C. No. 1:22-CV-00472-RM) (D. Colo.)

________________ _________________ ORDER AND JUDGMENT *

________________ _________________ Before BACHARACH , BALDOCK , and MURPHY , Circuit Judges.

________________ _________________ I. Introduction On April 22, 2021, Callum Livingstone , an Australian citizen, and Emerald Livingstone, a United States citizen, had an argument while residing in Cairns, Australia. The dispute led to the couple’s separation a nd resulted in two protective orders against Mr. Livingstone. Shortly ther eafter, Ms. Livingstone left Australia for the United States with the pair’s two youn g children. Mr. Livings tone brought this action pursuant to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child

* This order and judgment is not bi nding precedent, except under the doctrines of law of the case, res judica ta, and collateral estoppel. It may be cited, however, for its persuasive value consiste nt with Fed. R. App. P. 32.1 and 10th Cir. R. 32.1. FILED United States Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit 

### December 8, 2023 Christopher M. Wolpert Clerk of Court Appellate Case: 22-1308 Document: 010110965301 Date Filed: 12/08/2023 Page: 12 Abduction (the “Hague Convention”) to comp el the return of th e children for formal custody proceedings in Australia. The dist rict court determined Mr. Livingstone failed to establish, given the protective orders, a prima facie case of unlawful child abduction. Although this court concludes the district court erred, in part, in its reliance on the protective orders, we agre e Mr. Livingstone failed to show he possessed custody rights under Australian law as required to prevail under the Hague Convention. Thus, exercisi ng jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291, we affirm the district court’s judgment.
II. Background

a. The Hague Convention The Hague Convention seeks to preven t parents from abducting their children to avoid unfavorable custody decisions in the children’s country of habitual residence. Shealy v. Shealy , 295 F.3d 1117, 1121 (10th Cir. 2002). “Generally, [the Hague Convention] creates an internati onal legal mechanism requiring contracting states to promptly return children who have been wrongfully removed to, or wrongfully retained in, th eir jurisdiction, without d eciding anew the issue of custody.” Navani v. Shahani , 496 F.3d 1121, 1124 (10th Ci r. 2007). The International Child Abduction Remedies Act (“ICARA”) provides federal district courts with original jurisdiction over petitions seeki ng the return of child ren pursuant to the Hague Convention. 22 U.S.C. § 9003(a). On appeal, this court re views district court findings of fact for clear error and conclusions regard ing domestic, foreign, and international law de novo. Shealy , 295 F.3d at 1121. Appellate Case: 22-1308 Document: 010110965301 Date Filed: 12/08/2023 Page: 23 A prima facie case of wrongful remova l under the Hague Convention requires that a petitioner establish “(1) the child was habitually resident in a given state at the time of the removal or retention; (2) th e removal or retention was in breach of petitioner’s custody rights under the laws of that state; and (3) petitioner was exercising those rights at the tim e of removal or retention.” Ogawa v. Kang , 946 F.3d 1176, 1179 (10th Cir. 2020) (quotation omitted); see also Hague Convention art. 3. Here, it is undisputed the child ren were habitual residents of Australia at the time of removal. 1 This case, therefore, only implicates the second and third prongs of the prima facie case. A removal is not wrongful “m erely because a parent objects,” but rather if the petitioner de monstrates by a preponderance of the evidence that the removal violates a petitioner’s rights of cu stody according to the law of the country of habitual residence. Id . As to the exercise of those ri ghts, prong three, Circuits have generally concluded “[t]he st andard for finding that a pare nt was exercising [his or her] custody rights is a liberal one, and cour ts will . . . find exercise whenever a parent with de jure custody rights keeps, or seeks to keep, any sort of regular contact with his or her child.” Walker v. Walker , 701 F.3d 1110, 1121 (7th Cir. 2012) (quotation omitted); see also Bader v. Kramer , 484 F.3d 666, 671 (4th Cir. 2007);
Baxter v. Baxter , 423 F.3d 363, 37 0 (3d Cir. 2005); Sealed Appellant v. Sealed

1 The Livingstones’ firstborn, I.J.L., wa s a resident of Australia for over four years prior to his removal in 2021. Their second child, A.L.L., was born in Australia in 2019 and never lived elsewh ere prior to her removal. See generally Watts v. Watts , 935 F.3d 1138, 1142–43 (10th Cir. 2019) (habitual residence under the Hague Convention is determined by analyzing the child’s “acclim atization” to the country and the parents’ “las t shared intent”). Appellate Case: 22-1308 Document: 010110965301 Date Filed: 12/08/2023 Page: 34 Appellee , 394 F.3d 338, 344–45 (5th Cir. 2004); Friedrich v. Friedrich , 78 F.3d 1060, 1066 (6th Cir. 1996). Even if a removal is deemed unlawful, children are not required to return to the country of habitual residence if “one of the affirmative defenses or narrow exceptions set forth in th e Convention” applies. West v. Dobrev , 735 F.3d 921, 931 (10th Cir. 2013) (quota tion and emphasis omitted). These exceptions include returning a child to a “g rave risk” of physical or psychological harm. Hague Convention art. 13(b). 2 The grave risk exception require s a “severe . . . level of risk and danger” to the child and must be proven by clear and convincing evidence. Dobrev , 735 F.3d at 931 (quotation omitted).
b. Factual History Appellant and Father, Callum Livingstone, is a 36-year-old Australian citizen. Appellee, Cross-Appellant, and Mother, Emerald Livingstone, is a 34-year-old United States citizen. The pair began c ohabitating in Decembe r 2014 after a short period of dating. They wed in Las Vegas, Nevada in February 2015. From 2015 to 2017, the Livingstones primarily lived in Colorado, where Ms. Li vingstone’s parents reside. At the time of their separation in April 2021, the couple shared two children: a son, I.J.L., born in 2016 in Colorado; and a daughter, A.L.L., born in 2019 in Victoria, Australia.

2 Other exceptions not presented in this appeal include consent from the nonremoving party, settlement of the child ren, and preservation of human rights. See Hague Convention arts. 12, 13(a), 20; see also infra §§ II.c, III.c. Appellate Case: 22-1308 Document: 010110965301 Date Filed: 12/08/2023 Page: 45 The parties moved with I.J.L. to Austra lia on February 12, 2017. Upon arrival, and until Ms. Livingstone’s de parture with the children, the family lived a seminomadic lifestyle. They frequently moved, often staying with friends and family, camping, or residing in short-term rental s across eastern Australia. The parties dispute the nature and quality of their lifestyle. Mr. Livi ngstone characterizes these years as stable and adventur ous. By contrast, Ms. Livingst one describes the family’s accommodations as inconsiste nt and sporadically unsaf e. Generally, the record indicates the family struggled financially during these years. While staying at an Airbnb in Ca irns on April 22, 2021, Mr. and Ms. Livingstone quarreled. The record indicates the argument began as a dispute about money, but Ms. Livingstone as serts it was the result of m onths of Mr. Livingstone’s irritable and irresponsible beha vior towards the family. Mr . Livingstone contests this characterization, claiming he was a supportive father and husband until Ms. Livingstone’s departure. Acco rding to him, he was “completely blindsided by it all.” The day of the altercation, Ms. Livingst one made a report of domestic violence against Mr. Livingstone to local authoritie s. The resulting Queensland police report details verbally abusive and physically threatening behavior from Mr. Livingstone, but it does not describe any instances of physical violence between the parties or toward the children. Shortly after Ms. Living stone made her report, officers appeared at the family’s temporary residence and es corted Mr. Livingstone to the local police station for questioning. When he returned, Ms. Livingst one and the children were gone. Sometime in the following days, Mr. Li vingstone traveled back to where his Appellate Case: 22-1308 Document: 010110965301 Date Filed: 12/08/2023 Page: 56 family is based in Victoria expecting to fi nd the children, but neither the children nor Ms. Livingstone were there. After leavi ng Cairns, Ms. Livingstone contacted the local U.S. embassy, which gr anted A.L.L. U.S. citize nship and a passport. Ms. Livingstone then received permission from the Australian government, despite COVID-19 travel restrictions, to leave the country on account of the family’s emergency circumstances. She and the childre n were cleared to de part in early May and arrived in Colorado on or about May 7, 2021. They have resided in Colorado ever since. One week after the precipitating argumen t, on April 29, 2021, Mr. Livingstone was issued a Temporary Protective Order (t he “TPO”) by the Magistrates Court in Cairns, requiring he not “appro ach to within 100 metres of where [Emerald and the Children] live[], work[], or frequent[], except for the pur poses of having contact with children, but only as set out in writing between the parties or in compliance with an order under the Family Law Act or when contact with a child is authorised by representative of the Department of Comm unities.” The TPO was to stay in effect “until a further order is made.” On Ju ly 15, 2021, the TPO was replaced by an extended Protective Order (the “PO”), which is set to last for an additional period of five years until July 7, 2026. The language of the PO is s ubstantively the same as the Appellate Case: 22-1308 Document: 010110965301 Date Filed: 12/08/2023 Page: 67 TPO with the additional condition that Mr. Livingstone “must not locate, attempt to locate, or arrange for someone else to locate” Ms. Livingstone and the children. 3 Mr. Livingstone was present for th e issuance of the TPO and attended telephonically for the issu ance of the PO. The record does not indicate Mr. Livingstone objected or otherw ise resisted the imposition of either order. The record also does not show that Mr. Livingstone hi red an attorney or made any attempt to contact the Department of Communities to fac ilitate contact with the children prior to their removal. Although he unsuccessfully a ttempted to reach out to Ms. Livingstone through his family prior to her departure, he did not otherwise attempt to contact Ms. Livingstone or the children. Mr. Livingstone asserts he di d not learn Ms. Livingstone and the children left the country until June 18, 2021, when he received a Notice of Family Assistance Cancellation as a result of the children bei ng outside the country for six weeks.

c. Procedural History Mr. Livingstone filed his complaint in Colorado federal district court requesting relief under the Hague Conventi on and ICARA on February 24, 2022. In accordance with Article 11 of the Hague Conv ention, the district court initiated an expedited hearing schedule in which the pa rties (a) submitted pre-hearing briefs; (b)

3 As noted below, infra § III.a & n.5, the district court erred by relying on the post-removal PO in its second and thir d prong wrongful removal analysis. Accordingly, this court’s an alysis relies exclusively on the significant restrictions included in the TPO. As a consequence, it is not necessary to consider the potential impact posed by the additional clause included in the PO. Appellate Case: 22-1308 Document: 010110965301 Date Filed: 12/08/2023 Page: 78 presented testimony and tendered exhibits at an evidentiary hearing; and (c) offered post-hearing briefs. The witnes ses testifying at the evid entiary hearing included Mr. and Ms. Livingstone and their adult family members. At no point did the court hear testimony from an expert in Australian law, nor was evidence presented regarding the impact of protective orders on custody rights and their exer cise under Australian law. The district court issued its order in favor of Ms. Livingstone on August 26, 2022. It determined Mr. Livi ngstone failed to demonstrat e the second and third prima facie elements of wrongful removal under the Hague Convention. First, the court concluded Mr. Livingst one did not show what substan tial custody rights he retained in light of the restrictions included in the TPO and PO. Second, it determined Mr. Livingstone did not adequately demonstrat e he was exercising his custody rights at the time of the children’s removal. Although the district court f ound Mr. Livingstone did not actively abandon the children, it de termined he did not explain how he would be able to exercise any custody right under the limitations set by the protective orders. Generally, the district court expr essed frustration over the “absence of any attempt by the petitioner to address the practic al implications of the protection order” and Mr. Livingstone’s lack of explana tion of underlying Australian family law. Despite the district court resolving th e case on the ground that Mr. Livingstone failed to meet his prima facie burden, it pr oceeded to anal yze the affirmative defenses and exceptions available to Ms. Livings tone under the Hague Convention. These exceptions included grave risk; opposing part y consent; prolonged settlement in the new country; and preservation of human ri ghts. The district court rejected the Appellate Case: 22-1308 Document: 010110965301 Date Filed: 12/08/2023 Page: 89 application of any exception. Most critica lly for the purposes of Ms. Livingstone’s cross-appeal, the court concluded the grav e risk exception was re served for extreme harms, such as returning to a war- or fa mine-ridden region. These circumstances, it determined, were not pr esent in this case. 4
III. Analysis

a. Custody Rights As a preliminary matter, the district c ourt erred by weighing the effect of the PO in concluding Mr. Livings tone did not possess the necessary custody rights to prevail under the Hague Convention. “The C onvention is very clear that the law of the country in which the child was habitu ally resident govern s decisions as to whether custody rights existed at the time of removal .” Shealy , 295 F.3d at 1124 (emphasis added). Here, the district court concluded Mr . Livingstone did not carry his burden due to restrictions imposed in both the TPO and the PO. Whereas the TPO was issued prior to the child ren’s removal, the PO took effect two months after Ms. Livingstone left with the children. Given that the Ha gue Convention measures the existence of custody rights at the time of removal, it was imprope r for the district court to rely on the post-r emoval PO in its analysis. See id .; see also White v. White , 718 F.3d 300, 308 (4th Cir. 2013) (“[T]h e determination of whether removal is

4 As noted below, infra § III.c, this court concl udes Ms. Livingstone waived her argument on cross-appeal that the grave risk exception applies to these facts. In turn, we do not reach a conclusion as to wh ether the district c ourt’s characterization of what is necessary to establish grave risk under the Hague Convention is correct. Appellate Case: 22-1308 Document: 010110965301 Date Filed: 12/08/2023 Page: 910 wrongful is based on rights of custody at the time of removal.”). 5 Nonetheless, because it was in place when the removal occurred, the di strict court appropriately relied on the TPO when analyzing Mr. Li vingstone’s custody rights under Australian law. The Hague Convention requires petitione rs establish a child’s removal breaches his or her custody rights under the la w of the state of habitual residence. Hague Convention art. 3(a). To do so, the pe titioner must establish what those rights

are. Ogawa , 946 F.3d at 1182 (“[O]nly by understa nding the nature and extent of his rights under [habitual residence state] law can we evaluate whether the content of his rights is within the Convention’s definiti on of rights of custody.”). The Australian Family Law Act of 1975 (the “AFLA”) ou tlines that for purposes of the Hague Convention “each of the parents of a child should be regarded as having rights of custody in respect of the child unless the pa rent has no parental responsibility for the child because of any order of a cour t for the time being in force.” AFLA § 111B(4)(a). Other Circuits have echoed this presumption that Australian law affords joint custody of a child absent an inte rvening court order. See Sealed Appellant , 394 F.3d at 343 (Under the AFLA, “[i] n the absence of any orders of court, each Australian parent of a ch ild has custody rights as to the child.”); Feder v. Evans-Feder , 63 F.3d 217, 225 (3d Cir. 1995) (“U nder the [AFLA], in the absence of

5 Article 3 of the Hague Convention is cl ear that the exercise of custody rights under the third prong is also evaluated at the time of re moval. The district court’s reliance on the PO, therefore, was similarl y improper in its th ird prong analysis. See infra § III.b. Appellate Case: 22-1308 Document: 010110965301 Date Filed: 12/08/2023 Page: 1011 any orders of court, each parent is a joint guardian and a joint custodian of the child”). Here, we are presented with a TPO, wh ich constitutes a valid court order in Australia. Although the TPO is not a pare ntal order which expr essly contemplates parental responsibility, it appears to impact Mr. Li vingstone’s custody rights. See Hague Convention art. 5(a) (“‘rights of cu stody’ shall include rights relating to the care of the person of the child”); see also Evans-Feder , 63 F.3d at 225 (Under the AFLA, “custody rights involve essentially th e right to have a nd make decisions concerning daily care and c ontrol of the child.”). Under the terms of the order, Mr. Livingstone is not allowed to have contact with his ch ildren absent an additional court order arising under the AFLA or through special authorization from the Department of Communities. These restrict ions are severe and, depending on the application of Australian law, they coul d substantially affect Mr. Livingstone’s ability to care for his children. As a consequence, it falls squarely within his burden to establish the nature of his custody ri ghts under Australian law and to further establish the extent to which this court order impacts those rights. Mr. Livingstone argues the TPO does not affect his custody rights because it does not explicitly discuss custody. In support of this assertion, he urges this court to recognize the TPO allows him to contact hi s children pursuant to a separate court order. This clause, he argue s, should be read as an af firmative preservation of his custody rights under the Hague Convention. Mr. Livingstone’s arguments, however, are completely unsupported by any evidence or authority reflecting the state of Appellate Case: 22-1308 Document: 010110965301 Date Filed: 12/08/2023 Page: 1112 Australian law. Indeed, his only substantive clarification of Austra lian family law is that he is entitled to de jure custody rights. See AFLA § 111B(4)(a). Otherwise, Mr. Livingstone entirely fails to illustrate how similar pr otective orders may impact custody rights. Instead, he contends the TPO’s plain language does not affect his rights and requests this cour t to presume his rights ar e preserved. His appeal, therefore, urges this cour t to make unfounded conclu sions about the content and nature of another country’s law. See Ogawa , 946 F.3d at 1180–81. In effect, Mr. Livingstone’s argument lacks the basic ar ticulation of his ri ghts as required by Article 3 of the Hague Convention. Id . at 1180. Merely claiming “some rights . . . does not automatically mean that the cont ent of those rights amounts to rights of custody under the Convention.” Id at 1181. 6 Mr. Livingstone has declined several opportunities to clarify the nature and extent of his de jure custody rights in the context of applied protective orders. His trial and appellate briefing in cludes scant reference to or interpretation of Australian law. Further, he did not put forward expert testimony to help explain Australian law

6 Mr. Livingstone offers some limite d authority for the additional proposition that temporary court orders cannot impact permanent custody rights. See, e.g. , Rowe v. Vargason , No. CIV. 11-1966, 2011 WL 4529341, at *5 (D. Minn. Sept. 28, 2011) (ruling a “temporary” and “specific” inte rvention order did not terminate custody rights for the purposes of the Hague Co nvention). The case law he provides, however, does not illustrate how Australian law in terprets the effect of protective orders on custody rights. This inquiry is central to Mr. Li vingstone’s burden of proof and has not otherwise been addressed by any discussion of Australian law. See Ischiu v. Garcia , 274 F. Supp. 3d 339, 349 (D. Md. 2017) (ruling a temporary restraining order did not impact Hague Convention cust ody rights in part becau se a court within the country of habitual residen ce “explained that the [order] did not alter parental rights” under the state’s family law). Appellate Case: 22-1308 Document: 010110965301 Date Filed: 12/08/2023 Page: 1213 as is common practice in Hague Convention cases. See, e.g. , Radu v. Shon , 62 F.4th 1165, 1173 (9th Cir. 2023) (German law) ( noting Fed. R. Civ. P. 44.1 allows courts to consider several sources for determin ing foreign law, but “expert testimony accompanied by extracts from foreign lega l materials has been and will likely continue to be the most basic mode of proving foreign law” (quotation omitted)); Ogawa v. Kang , No. 2:18CV335DAK, 2018 WL 2376 338, at *1 (D. Utah May 24, 2018), aff’d 946 F.3d at 1177 (Japanese law); Ozaltin v. Ozaltin , 708 F.3d 355, 363 (2d Cir. 2013) (Turkish law); Yang v. Tsui , 499 F.3d 259, 27 5 (3d Cir. 2007) (Canadian law); Danaipour v. McLarey , 286 F.3d 1, 10 (1st Cir. 2002) (Swedish law). Given this complete l ack of guidance and our relu ctance to draw speculative conclusions about another coun try’s law, this court dete rmines Mr. Livingstone has failed to carry his burden to show he possessed custody rights as defined by the Hague Convention.
b. Exercise of Custody Rights To prove wrongful abduction, the Hague Convention requires a petitioner show he or she was actually exercising cust ody rights at the time of removal or would have been exercising those rights but for th e removal. Hague Convention art. 3(b). It is well-recognized that the standard for determining such exercise under the Hague Convention is quite liberal. See, e.g., Walker , 701 F.3d at 1121; supra § II.a. Nonetheless, Mr. Livingstone has failed to carry his burden to show what custody rights he possessed. Because he did not pres ent evidence of those rights, he could not show he exercised the rights. See Ogawa , 946 F.3d at 1183. Appellate Case: 22-1308 Document: 010110965301 Date Filed: 12/08/2023 Page: 1314 Mr. Livingstone’s arguments regarding exercise of his custody rights do not cure his failure to show he possessed cust ody rights in light of the TPO. Similar to his arguments arising under the second prong of the prima facie te st, his contentions concerning exercise lack explanation of how Australian law construes custody rights in relation to protective or ders. Mr. Livingstone argues he was exercising his custody rights by taking care of his children prio r to his quarrel with Ms. Livingstone. See Friedrich , 78 F.3d 1065 (“exercise” incl udes “whenever a parent with de jure custody rights keeps, or seeks to keep, any sort of regular contact with his or her child”). Regular caretaking is certainly an exercise of custody rights, but it does not contextualize the status of custody rights unde r a protective order. Further, the record indicates Mr. Livingstone did not take steps prior to th e children’s removal that could have clarified the legal status of his cust ody rights in light of the TPO. He did not object or attempt to block the issuance of the TPO, nor did he initiate any of the approved processes under the TPO to mainta in contact with th e children. In the absence of evidence and auth ority establishing his posse ssion of custody rights under the restrictions of the TPO, Mr. Livingstone similarly fails to show he was exercising any such rights at the time of the removal.

c. Cross-Appeal Although Ms. Livingstone’s docketing statement indicates she intended to cross-appeal the district c ourt’s order denying the app lication of the grave risk exception under Article 13(b) of the Hague Convention, no such argument has been presented to this court. See also 22 U.S.C. § 9003(e)(2)(A ). Ms. Livingstone’s Appellate Case: 22-1308 Document: 010110965301 Date Filed: 12/08/2023 Page: 1415 principal brief does not include any mention of her cross- appeal claim and fails to present any argument on the matter. See Fed. R. App. 28(a), 28.1(c)(2). Generally, “a party waives those arguments that its opening brief inadequately addresses,” and Ms. Livingstone’s cross-appeal is no exception. Harsco Corp. v.
Renner , 475 F.3d 1179, 1190 (10th Cir. 2007). It is insufficient to pr esent an issue for appeal “without advancing reasoned argument as to the grounds for appeal.” United States v. Edwards , 69 F.3d 419, 43 0 (10th Cir. 1995) (quotation omitted); see also Palmer v. Philpot , 291 F. App’x 206, 208 (10th Cir. 2008) (“Because [Appellant] has wholly failed to support any issue with argum ent, evidence, or cita tions to the record, and has failed to comply with Rule 28 of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, he has waived all issues on appeal.”) ( unpublished disposition c ited solely for its persuasive value). By not ar ticulating her grave risk argument in her briefing, Ms. Livingstone’s cross-appeal ha s failed to comply with Fed. R. App. P. 28 and 28.1, and therefore, her associ ated claims are waived. 7

7 In addition to her deficient cros s-appeal, this court recognizes Ms. Livingstone’s response brief la rgely restates the district court’s order and provides very little supporting argument. Contrary to Mr. Livingstone’s suggestion, however, this lack of detail in her brie f does not entirely waive her case. See Fed. R. App. P. 31(c) (explaining an appellee may move to dismiss if the appellant does not file a brief, but not vice versa); see also Boulware v. Baldwin , 545 F. App’x 725, 731 (10th Cir. 2013) (“Electing not to file an appellee’ s brief . . . does not concede the result of the appeal.”) (unpublished dispos ition cited solely for its pe rsuasive value). Unlike an appellant who fails to subm it adequate briefing, an appellee may choose to file no brief at all without forfeiting the case. Id . As always, “we may affirm on any basis supported by the record, even if it requi res ruling on arguments not reached by the district court or even pr esented to us on appeal.” Richison v. Ernest Grp., Inc. , 634 F.3d 1123, 1130 (10th Cir. 2011). Appellate Case: 22-1308 Document: 010110965301 Date Filed: 12/08/2023 Page: 1516 IV. Conclusion The judgment entered by the United States District Court for the District of Colorado is hereby affirmed

.
Entered for the Court
Michael R. Murphy Circuit Judge Appellate Case: 22-1308 Document: 010110965301 Date Filed: 12/08/2023 Page: 16