Opinion ID: 1825816
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Conflict with McLendon

Text: Laura argued in her petition for a writ of certiorari that the affirmance by the Court of Civil Appeals of the trial court's ruling conflicts with McLendon, supra, which states: `Where a parent has transferred to another [whether it be a non-parent or the other parent], the custody of h[er] infant child by fair agreement, which has been acted upon by such other person to the manifest interest and welfare of the child, the parent will not be permitted to reclaim the custody of the child, unless [s]he can show that a change of the custody will materially promote h[er] child's welfare.' .... `. . . [T]he party seeking modification [must] prove to the court's satisfaction that material changes affecting the child's welfare since the most recent decree demonstrate that custody should be disturbed to promote the child's best interests. The positive good brought about by the modification must more than offset the inherently disruptive effect caused by uprooting the child. Frequent disruptions are to be condemned.' 455 So.2d at 865. Based on McLendon, it was William's burden at the custody hearing to show that a change in custody would materially promote the child's welfare, would be in her best interests, and would offset the effect of uprooting her from Laura and Brian's home in Indiana. Justice Parker's dissenting opinion presents what he contends are the facts involved in this case. In presenting those facts, however, Justice Parker views the evidence most favorably to Laura, the party who did not prevail after the ore tenus hearing in the trial court. Viewing the evidence from that perspective, however, is not appropriate. See Ex parte Dan River, Inc., 794 So.2d 386, 394 (Ala.2000) (We are bound to accept the tendencies of the evidence most favorable to the winner of a judgment based on evidence ore tenus. ). See also Ex parte Pielach, 681 So.2d 154, 154-55 (Ala.1996): The appellate courts are not allowed to substitute their own judgment for that of the trial court if the trial court's decision is supported by reasonable inferences to be drawn from the evidence. Ex parte Kent Corp., 641 So.2d 242 (Ala. 1994). The reason for giving such deference to the trial judge's findings based on disputed evidence in ore tenus proceedings is that the trial judge has the benefit of observing the witnesses' manner and demeanor and has the better opportunity to pass upon the credibility of their testimony. We set out below the trial court's findings adverse to Laura, and we then summarize the evidence presented in her favor. In its order granting William's petition for modification, the trial court stated: This Court finds from the evidence that the present husband of the Mother, Brian Snider, has engaged in a concerted pattern of behavior intended to control, both physically and emotionally, and isolate the Mother, and as a direct consequence, the parties' minor child,. . . who is presently six years of age, having been born on November 12, 1996. This Court finds that the conduct of Brian Snider, as it directly relates to and affects this child, is extremely detrimental, both physically and emotionally, to the child; and further finds that the Mother has participated in, condoned, and/or, at the very least, acquiesced to the actions of her husband. The evidence presented to this Court in the trial of this case included the following facts: (a) The child was encouraged to call Brian Snider `Papa.' [1] (b) Brian Snider hit the child in the head with his hand in an attempt to discipline the child for saying something that he felt was wrong. The child was only five years old at the time. Even though Brian Snider acknowledges that his doing so was totally inappropriate, the testimony of the Mother was that he was `out of control' at the time, and that she did not do anything about it. When confronted by the Father about his striking the child in the head, Brian Snider refused to assure the Father that it would not happen again. (c) Brian Snider whipped the parties' child when she told the Mother and Brian Snider that she had watched a PG-13 movie, `Miss Congeniality,' with the Father and others while she was visiting with her Father. This Court finds the actions of Brian Snider in doing so to be unconscionable. (d) The Mother and Brian Snider relocated their residence, and the residence of the parties' child, to a very rural area in the State of Indiana, even though neither of the parties had any family, nor established business, in the State of Indiana. In doing so, the Mother and Brian Snider isolated and removed this child from the large and loving family support system that she had previously enjoyed in the State of Alabama, which consisted not only of the Mother's family, and the Father, but the family of Brian Snider as well, with whom the child also enjoyed a close and loving relationship. As admitted by the Mother in her testimony, the move to Indiana was of `no benefit to the child.' (e) The Mother and Brian Snider have told this child that her Father and maternal grandfather are `going to hell,' knowing that the people referred to are loved and cared for very much by the child. (f) Brian Snider has alienated every member of the Mother's family, with whom the child and the Mother enjoyed a close and loving relationship prior to her marriage to Brian Snider. By doing so, her family support system was eliminated; and Brian Snider succeeded in becoming the only source of support available to the Mother, making her thereby completely dependent on him and him alone. (g) The alienation of the Mother and the child from her family is so complete that the Mother testified that she did not think that it was positive for the parties' child to have contact with her family, except under her direct supervision and only for a short time interval; and that she is not willing to foster a good relationship between the child and the members of her family. The Court notes from the testimony that the family from whom the Mother and child are now alienated provided her not only a place to live, but for the support and care of the parties' child following the separation of these parties; and had at all times prior to her marriage to Brian Snider, enjoyed a close, loving relationship with the child. (h) Brian Snider, on one occasion, chastised the child for going with her grandparents to the theater to see the Disney movie `Finding Nemo.' On another occasion, he and the Mother forcibly removed the child from the physical custody of the Mother's sister during the Father's period of visitation, simply because the Mother's sister had been allowed by the Father to take the child to the birthday party of her maternal grandmother. (i) Even though the Mother had only dated Brian Snider for two months prior to their marriage, within six months of their marriage, Brian Snider and the Mother approached the Father and requested that he allow Brian Snider to adopt [the child]. The Father adamantly refused to do so. (j) Brian Snider has actively interfered with the communications between the Father and the Mother, and the decisions to be made by them concerning their child, to the point that the exercise of visitation by the Father with the child could only be accomplished with undue and unnecessary pressure and hardship. (k) The Mother testified that the relationship of the parties' child, ... with Brian Snider is more important than her relationship with the Father, because Brian Snider `spends more time with her.' ( l ) Brian Snider testified that the parties' child, ... is `caught in the middle,' and is getting `mixed signals' as a result of the differences between the parties' households. However, the actions of Brian Snider, and the rigid and controlling manner in which he has dealt with the parties' child, has greatly exacerbated the emotional pressures put on this child as a result of those differences. (m) The Mother has indicated that she is submissive to Brian Snider, which is certainly her decision to make; but further asserted that `[the child] is under his (Brian Snider's) control, too.' (n) The actions of Brian Snider resulted in a significant and detrimental change in the personality and behavior of the child, which this Court finds to have been a direct result of his conduct towards her. The Court finds that since she has been placed in the pendente lite custody of the Father, the child is now happy and well adjusted, and is being well cared for by the Father in his household. (o) Brian Snider and the Mother made demands on the Father for him to conform his household to adhere to their demands, including the child wearing long clothing, no mixed swimming by the child with members of the opposite sex, and even to the extent of not allowing the Father to place the child in summer care at the local YMCA. When the Father refused on one occasion to accede to her demands, the Mother brought law enforcement officers to the Father's home to get the child. (p) This Court finds the Father to have a calm and non-aggressive personality; and that he did not exhibit any hostility towards the Mother or Brian Snider in his testimony, but rather exhibited a genuine concern for the health and welfare of his child. The Court also found the members of the Mother's family, who testified in support of the Father in this case, to be loving, and without hostility towards the Mother. We have reviewed the entire transcript of the final custody proceeding. No useful purpose would be served here by further elaboration of the ample evidence supporting the trial court's findings. Of course, as is usually the case in these types of proceedings, the evidence is not wholly one-sided. We note that Laura testified that she and the child play games together, that they go horseback riding, and that they used to go ice skating. [2] Laura also testified that she is a competent homeschool teacher, and that the child has progressed under her teaching. She further testified that since she and Brian married, the child has visited Yellowstone National Park, Mount Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty, Washington, D.C., and Nepal. All of this travel was associated with the ministry work in which Laura and Brian are involved, although Laura testified that she plans to decrease her travel now that the child is older. [3] Laura also testified that, after she and William were divorced, William took advantage only of approximately half of his allotted visitation time with the child. She also testified that William is a racist. Brian testified that William attacked him on one occasion, unprovoked, although William testified that Brian provoked the attack by repeatedly poking him in the chest. There was additional testimony indicating that William drinks regularly, although not to the point of intoxication, and that he has roughly $24,500 in unsecured credit-card debt. Lastly, there was testimony indicating that William's mother, who sometimes cares for the child, has bipolar disorder, although with medication she keeps her symptoms under control. The trial court referred to Brian Snider's control over the child as having the effect of isolating the child from her natural father and from her extended family, all of whom, according to the trial court, were loving providers and part of the child's support system. Brian's control of the child effectively excluded William's views regarding the upbringing of his daughter and led to the isolation of the child from all other members of her family, including Laura's own father and stepmother who, as previously noted, testified in favor of William, their former son-in-law, in this proceeding. The trial court found, and the record shows, that Brian spanked the child for watching a movie that was rated PG-13 [4] while she was visiting her father. However, the trial court cited the incident not because the court believes that children should not be punished for watching what some parents might consider inappropriate movies, but because Brian punished the child for doing something that her natural father gave her express permission to do. The trial court found this conduct to be unconscionable and, therefore, against the child's best interests. The existence of conflicts in the evidence at the hearing, standing alone, does not warrant reversal, because the trial court's findings of fact, along with the custody determination itself, are afforded a presumption of correctness. And this Court cannot conclude based on the record before us that the trial court's transfer of custody to William was plainly and palpably wrong. Ex parte Fann, 810 So.2d at 633. Therefore, the Court of Civil Appeals' affirmance of the trial court's judgment does not, as Laura contends, conflict with McLendon.