Title: MARRIAGE OF SCHULTZ v SCHULTZ
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: 14691
State: Montana
Issuer: Montana Supreme Court
Date: November 13, 1979

No. 14691 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA 1979 IN RE THE MARRIAGE OF LAURA SCHULTZ, Petitioner and Respondent, -vs- JOHNNIE SCHULTZ, Respondent and Appellant. Appeal from: District Court of the Thirteenth Judicial District, Honorable C. B. Sande, Judge presiding. Counsel of Record: For Appellant: Mouat and Martinson, Billings, Montana Craig D. Martinson argued, Billings, Montana For Respondent: Ralph Herriott argued, Billings, Montana Submitted: September 17, 1979 Decided: f4Q3\; 1 3 1 9 7 9 $ t " - . ' ' t- y-.-,- Filed : :: . , A O J , - - M r . J u s t i c e John Conway Harrison delivered t h e Opinion of t h e Court. Incidental t o a decree of marital d i s s o l u t i o n , t h e Yellowstone County D i s t r i c t Court awarded custody of t h r e e minor children t o t h e i r mother. The decree r e c i t e d t h a t both parents w e r e f i t and proper persons t o be granted custody b u t t h a t t h e b e s t i n t e r e s t s of t h e children d i c t a t e d maternal custody . Approximately a year and a half a f t e r t h e decree, t h e mother was s e r i o u s l y injured i n an automobile accident and confined t o a h o s p i t a l . The children w e r e cared f o r by a maternal aunt and grandmother. Some f i v e weeks a f t e r t h e accident, t h e mother died. Following her death, t h e f a t h e r requested custody of t h e children from t h e grandmother and aunt. The request was denied, and the f a t h e r f i l e d a motion f o r an order t o show cause why he should not be allowed immediate custody. Hours l a t e r , t h e maternal aunt and her husband f i l e d a p e t i t i o n f o r appointment a s guardians of the children. The D i s t r i c t Court, by ex p a r t e order, appointed t h e aunt and uncle temporary guardians and set a d a t e f o r hearing t h e p e t i t i o n . The f a t h e r then petitioned f o r a w r i t of habeas corpus, request- i n g immediate custody of t h e children. The guardianship and habeas corpus p e t i t i o n s w e r e consolidated by s t i p u l a t i o n and t h e matter was heard by t h e Yellowstone County ~ i s t r i c t Court, t h e Honorable C. B. Sande presiding without a jury. The hearing was termed "a f u l l hearing . . . on t h e matter of custody and a s t o whether o r n o t t h e minor children had been abused and are dependent and neglected." The D i s t r i c t Court found t h a t t h e children w e r e depen- dent and neglected and concluded t h e i r b e s t i n t e r e s t s would be served by granting custody t o t h e a u n t and uncle. The c o u r t entered an o r d e r t o t h a t e f f e c t , and t h e f a t h e r appeals. W e hold t h e D i s t r i c t Court w a s without j u r i s d i c t i o n t o a c t a s it did. Accordingly, its o r d e r i s vacated. Section 40-6-221, MCA, provides: ". . . I f e i t h e r p a r e n t be dead o r unable o r r e f u s e s t o take t h e custody o r has abandoned h i s o r her family, t h e o t h e r is e n t i t l e d t o - t h e custody, s e r v i c e s , and earnings of t h e c h i l d . " Under t h i s s e c t i o n , t h e f a t h e r automatically assumed t h e r i g h t t o custody of t h e c h i l d r e n a t t h e moment of t h e mother's death. I n Henderson v. Henderson (1977) , Mont. , 568 P.2d 177, 179, 34 St.Rep. 942, 944, t h i s Court a t t r i b u t e d g r e a t weight t o t h e p a r e n t a l r i g h t of custody and equated it with a c t u a l physical custody. W e do n o t d e p a r t from t h e r u l e i n t h i s decision. I n Henderson we s t a t e d : "If a nonparent ( a grandparent o r an a u n t o r an uncle, perhaps) wants t o acquire custody, he must commence proceedings under . . . t h e t y p i c a l J u v e n i l e Court Act." 568 P.2d a t 181, 34 St.Rep. a t 947, quoting Comment, 9 Uniform Laws Annotated, Marriage and Divorce Act, 8401, p. 504. I n Matter of Guardianship of Doney (1977), Mont . , 570 P.2d 575, 577, 34 St-Rep. 1107, 1109-1110, w e held: "A j u d i c i a l hearing and finding of dependency and neglect under [ T i t l e 4 1 , Chapter 3, MCA], o r j u d i c i a l f i n d i n g of w i l l f u l abandonment o r w i l l f u l nonsupport under s e c t i o n [40-8-111, MCA], a r e t h e exclusive means by which a n a t u r a l p a r e n t may be i n v o l u n t a r i l y deprived of custody of h i s children. I n t h e absence of such showing, t h e n a t u r a l p a r e n t i s l e g a l l y e n t i t l e d t o t h e custody of h i s minor children. Section [40-6-221, MCA] . " The reasoning i n Doney m e r i t s repeating: "Where a c h i l d has a l l e g e d l y been abused o r neglected by h i s n a t u r a l parent, t h e s t a t e has a c l e a r duty t o p r o t e c t t h e c h i l d by means of a j u d i c i a l hearing t o determine whe- t h e r t h e youth is i n f a c t abused o r neglected. There a r e , however, few invasions by t h e s t a t e i n t o t h e privacy of t h e i n d i v i d u a l t h a t a r e more extreme than t h a t of depriving a n a t u r a l p a r e n t of t h e custody of h i s c h i l d r e n . For t h i s reason, t h e l e g i s l a t u r e c a r e f u l l y enun- c i a t e d t h e procedures t h e s t a t e must follow and t h e f i n d i n g s which t h e c o u r t must make before custody of a c h i l d may l e g a l l y be taken from a n a t u r a l parent." 570 P.2d a t 577, 34 St.Rep. a t 1109. Unless t h e s t a t u t e i s followed, t h e c o u r t i s without j u r i s - d i c t i o n t o remove custody. I n Matter of Guardianship of Aschenbrenner (1979) , Mont. , 597 P.2d 1156, 1163- 1164, 36 St.Rep. 1282, 1290-1291. The procedures must be r i g o r o u s l y followed. I n re Guardianship of Evans (1978), Mont. , 587 P.2d 372, 376, 35 St.Rep. 1765, 1773. N o argument can be made t h a t t h e j u r i s d i c t i o n a l pre- r e q u i s i t e s were complied with. The county a t t o r n e y d i d n o t , a s required by s e c t i o n 41-3-401(1), MCA, f i l e t h e p e t i t i o n . The p e t i t i o n d i d n o t a l l e g e abuse, n e g l e c t o r dependency. Sections 41-3-401 (1) and 41-3-401 (9) ( a ) , MCA. The n a t u r a l f a t h e r of t h e c h i l d r e n who had l e g a l custody ( a s discussed above) w a s n o t personally served with a copy of t h e p e t i t i o n . Section 41-3-401(4), MCA. The Department of S o c i a l and Re- h a b i l i t a t i o n Services w a s n o t " c i t e d " t o t h e case. Section 41-3-401(8), MCA. The order of t h e c o u r t , entered i n t h e absence of j u r i s d i c t i o n , i s void. S t a t e v. D i s t r i c t Court (1926), 75 Mont. 147, 242 P. 959. I n view of t h e f a c t t h e D i s t r i c t Court found t h a t t h e c h i l d r e n w e r e abused and neglected, w e hereby r e q u e s t t h e Yellowstone County a t t o r n e y ' s o f f i c e t o consider an a c t i o n under t h e Dependency, Neglect, and Abuse s t a t u t e . T i t l e 4 1 , Section 3, Montana Code Annotated. U n t i l f u r t h e r order of t h e D i s t r i c t Court, t h e c h i l d r e n a r e t o remain with t h e i r a u n t and uncle. 7 We concur: Chief J u s t i c e I ' J u s t i c e s 1 J