Opinion ID: 2731235
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Modification of Jackson’s Rights of Contact

Text: [¶21] A court may modify a parental rights order upon the petition of either parent. 19-A M.R.S. § 1657(1)(A) (2013). However, the petitioning parent must demonstrate that a substantial change in circumstances has occurred since the previous decree and that the modification is in the best interests of the children as determined through an analysis of the factors in 19-A M.R.S. § 1653(3) (2013). See Brasier v. Preble, 2013 ME 109, ¶ 12, 82 A.3d 841; Sloan, 2012 ME 72, ¶ 38, 43 A.3d 978; Neudek v. Neudek, 2011 ME 66, ¶ 10, 21 A.3d 88. “The court must consider as primary the safety and well-being of the child when evaluating the best interest of the child . . . .” Gordon, 2013 ME 113, ¶ 18, 82 A.3d 1221. [¶22] To determine whether a substantial change has occurred, the court must ask (1) whether there has occurred a change in circumstances that has a sufficiently substantial effect on the children’s best interests to justify a modification of the prior order, and (2) if so, how the court should modify the custody arrangement in furtherance of the children’s best interests. Douglas v. Douglas, 2012 ME 67, ¶ 14, 43 A.3d 965; Smith v. Padolko, 2008 ME 56, ¶ 11, 11 955 A.2d 740. The purpose of the substantiality requirement “is to prevent disappointed parents from bringing repeated motions to modify divorce decrees” and ‘“shopping’ for a judge who will revise the order.” Coppersmith v. Coppersmith, 2001 ME 165, ¶ 2, 786 A.2d 602; see also Neudek, 2011 ME 66, ¶¶ 10-12, 21 A.3d 88. [¶23] We review a trial court’s decision on a motion to modify a divorce judgment for an abuse of discretion or errors of law. Sloan, 2012 ME 72, ¶ 26, 43 A.3d 978; Douglas, 2012 ME 67, ¶ 13, 43 A.3d 965. A trial court is afforded broad discretion to determine the custodial arrangements for a minor child, and the determination of the weight to be given to each factor, see 19-A M.R.S. § 1653(3), is left to “the sound discretion of the [trial] court” after careful consideration, Akers v. Akers, 2012 ME 75, ¶ 3, 44 A.3d 311; see also Jarvis v. Jarvis, 2003 ME 53, ¶ 29, 832 A.2d 775. [¶24] In this case, the trial court did not abuse its discretion by implicitly finding that the skunk bite and driver’s permit incidents, and what they reflected about Jackson’s capacity to act in the best interests of the children, constituted a substantial change in circumstances. See Sloan, 2012 ME 72, ¶ 21, 43 A.3d 978 (stating that the trial court implicitly found a substantial change in circumstances). Although the parties have a significant history of conflict over matters involving the care and safety of their children, the events of the summer of 2013 rose above 12 the level of their previous quarrels and justified the court’s reevaluation of Jackson’s rights of contact with the youngest child. [¶25] The skunk incident indisputably had a substantial effect on the youngest child’s safety and well-being, see 19-A M.R.S. § 1653(3)(N), (S), and, by itself, was significant enough to justify a modification Jackson’s rights of contact. Likewise, it is reasonable to infer from Jackson’s address of his seventeen-year-old child’s request to attend driver’s education that Jackson was not only disregarding the best interests of that child, who was struggling with substance abuse issues, see 19-A M.R.S. § 1653(3)(F), (I), (J), but also doing so in the face of the custodial parent’s specific wishes. Under these circumstances, the court did not err or abuse its discretion in concluding that a substantial change in circumstances had occurred. See Sloan, 2012 ME 72, ¶ 26, 43 A.3d 978; Douglas, 2012 ME 67, ¶ 18, 43 A.3d 965. [¶26] Additionally, the court made sufficient findings and undertook a sufficient analysis of those findings with regard to the children’s best interests to support the elimination of overnight visitation with the youngest child. See Bulkley v. Bulkley, 2013 ME 101, ¶ 14, 82 A.3d 116 (stating that a court need not “robotically address every statutory [19-A M.R.S. § 1653(3)] factor . . . so long as it is otherwise evident that the court has evaluated the evidence with the best interest factors in mind”) (noting Nadeau v. Nadeau, 2008 ME 147, ¶ 35, 957 A.2d 13 108); Sargent v. Braun, 2006 ME 96, ¶ 5, 902 A.2d 839. The court plainly took into account the youngest child’s safety, well-being, and age when modifying Jackson’s visitation. See 19-A M.R.S. § 1653(3)(A), (N), (S). The trial court ensured that the youngest child would be returned to the more responsible parent, MacLeod, every night until the child is of an age where she is capable of addressing her own medical needs.