Opinion ID: 884358
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Did the District Court abuse its discretion when it awarded custody because Michelle moved to Billings to further her education?

Text: Michelle argues that the District Court penalized her for her decision to attend college. She claims that the court erred when it assumed that she could not both attend college and raise a small child successfully, and that there is no evidence that she would be unable to fulfill roles as both a student and parent. After a thorough review of the record, we conclude that the evidence does not support Michelle's claim. The court stated that it gave significant weight to the adjustment [Michelle] must make to further her education. It complimented Michelle for her efforts to attend college and explained that they were not negative consequences. The record does not indicate that the court intended to punish Michelle for her decision to attend college. The court did not state that she could not raise a small child successfully while attending college. Rather, the standard was what custody arrangement is in Aaron's best interest. As we held previously in this opinion, the court exercised its discretion and considered Aaron's best interests by applying the statutory criteria for modifying custody contained at § 40-4-212, MCA. We hold that the District Court did not abuse its discretion when it modified custody because Michelle moved to Billings to attend college. Affirmed. HUNT, REGNIER, LEAPHART and TRIEWEILER, JJ., concur.