Opinion ID: 2831584
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Tie-Breaking Authority

Text: This court “will only reverse a trial court’s order regarding child custody upon a finding of manifest abuse of discretion.” Jordan v. Jordan, 14 A.3d 1136, 1146 (D.C. 2011) (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). Moreover, the trial court’s rulings “come to us with a presumption of correctness.” Hutchins v. Compton, 917 A.2d 680, 683 (D.C. 2007) (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). The exercise of judicial discretion, however, must be grounded “upon correct legal principles and must rest on a firm factual foundation.” Wilkins v. Ferguson, 928 A.2d 655, 666-67 (D.C. 2007) (quoting In re T.L., 959 A.2d 1087, 1090 (D.C. 2004)). Accordingly, “[w]e review a trial court’s legal determinations de novo but apply a clearly erroneous standard to its findings of fact.” Jordan, supra, 14 A.3d at 1146. On appeal, Downing argues that the trial court abused its discretion in modifying custody by taking away his tie-breaking authority and awarding it to the FTC. Downing makes two arguments in this regard. First, Downing argues that there was no material change in circumstances justifying the trial court’s decision to modify custody. Downing’s second claim, which we only briefly address, is 16 that the court abdicated its responsibility to decide “core issues” of legal custody, and instead conferred those rights onto the FTC.
We have explained that “the court can modify [custody arrangements] . . . if it finds (1) that there has been a change in circumstances which was not foreseen at the time the agreement was entered, and (2) that the change is both substantial and material to the welfare and best interest of the children.” Foster-Gross v. Puente, 656 A.2d 733, 737 (D.C. 1995);9 see also D.C. Code § 16-914 (f)(1). The burden 9 To determine the best interest of the child, the trial court looks to D.C. Code § 16-914 (a)(3), which states: In determining the care and custody of a child, the best interest of the child shall be the primary consideration. To determine the best interest of the child, the court shall consider all relevant factors, including, but not limited to: (A) the wishes of the child as to his or her custodian, where practicable; (B) the wishes of the child’s parent or parents as to the child’s custody; (C) the interaction and interrelationship of the child with his or her parent or parents, his or her siblings, and any other person who may emotionally or psychologically affect the child’s best interest; (D) the child’s adjustment to his or her home, school, and community; (E) the mental and physical health of all individuals involved; (F) evidence of an intrafamily offense . . . ; (G) the capacity of the parents to communicate and reach shared decisions (continued…) 17 of proof is on the party seeking the modification, and is by a preponderance of the evidence. See D.C. Code § 16-914 (f)(2). On this record, we conclude that Perry satisfied her burden of proof by a preponderance of the evidence that a substantial and material change in circumstances warranted the trial court’s removal of Downing’s tie-breaking authority and instead vesting that power in the FTC.
We must first determine whether there was an unforeseen material change in circumstances before deciding whether modification of the custody arrangement would be in the best interest of the children. See Foster-Gross, supra, 656 A.2d at 737. It is well-documented that Downing and Perry had a fractious relationship (…continued) affecting the child’s welfare; (H) the willingness of the parents to share custody; (I) the prior involvement of each parent in the child’s life; (J) the potential disruption of the child’s social and school life; (K) the geographic proximity of the parental homes as this relates to the practical considerations of the child’s residential schedule; (L) the demands of parental employment; (M) the age and number of children; (N) the sincerity of each parent’s request; (O) the parent’s ability to financially support a joint custody arrangement; (P) the impact on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or Program on Work, Employment, and Responsibilities, and medical assistance; and (Q) the benefit to the parents. 18 that affected their ability to make legal custody decisions for their children. Downing repeatedly sought full custody of the children, accusing Perry of sabotaging his relationship with the girls and unilaterally making decisions on their behalf, even though the parties had equal legal rights. In particular, the record reflects that Downing’s biggest concern and source of discord was Perry’s supposed circumvention of his consent in signing the children up for extracurricular activities. Consequently, in this context, the former Guardian ad litem, Desjardins, explained that the 2012 agreement, which gave Downing tiebreaking and therefore final decision-making authority, was an attempt on her part to reduce conflict and “relax” Downing, so that he would “feel more comfortable authorizing things [i.e., activities] for the children.” Downing corroborated this sentiment, claiming he initially felt “a great sense of relief.” Likewise, Perry testified that she expected that a neutral FTC would help her and Downing communicate better, thereby allowing Downing to “make decisions in the best interest of [the] children.” The expectations of the parties in entering the 2012 agreement, i.e., the FTC process in which Downing had tie-breaking authority would improve communications and increase the children’s extracurricular activities, were clearly not met. Notably, while it is undisputed that the girls previously attended both 19 GOTR and Girl Scouts, once Downing received tie-breaking authority, he suddenly disallowed both activities, which left the girls with — in Dr. Missar’s expert view — a “below average” number of activities. In fact, other than tutoring, it does not appear that the children were involved in any extracurricular activities at all. Downing precluded the girls from attending, despite Perry’s wish that they participate, and despite Dr. Missar’s recommendation that they participate on the basis that such activities would ensure “their consistency of participation with peers,” and was thus in their best interests.10 Downing’s refusal was unreasonable — he explained that he refused these activities, which he himself characterized as “great” or “good” activities, because Perry did not follow the “process” of asking for his consent first. Downing’s reason for disallowing these activities was more about his issues with Perry and his 10 Our dissenting colleague argues that there was no material change in circumstances here because the parties’ relationship had been contentious both before and after the 2012 agreement, and that Perry should have foreseen that by giving Downing tie-breaking authority he could reject her and the FTC’s recommendations on day-to-day legal custody matters. Post at 35-36. Yet, the dissent’s argument is explicitly belied by the record evidence, which shows that one of the primary and specific reasons the parties entered into the 2012 agreement was so that Downing would feel more comfortable in allowing the girls to participate in more extracurricular activities. See supra at 18. Not only did that not happen, the girls actually participated in fewer or no extracurricular activities following the agreement. Neither of the parties had foreseen this result when they entered into the 2012 agreement. 20 patterned negative response to her suggestions, and does not promote the best interests of the children. Further, the hope that the 2012 agreement would lead to better communication between Perry and Downing was also unrealized. Downing failed to ever use his tie-breaking authority in a manner inconsistent with his original position, and essentially acted as if he had de facto sole legal custody of the children. The trial court found that Perry had established by a preponderance of the evidence that there had been a material change in circumstances because Perry “had not anticipated [Downing’s] undisputed, consistent, rejection of each recommendation made by Dr. Missar regarding the minor children’s extracurricular activities.” See also Wilson v. Craig, 987 A.2d 1160, 1164 (D.C. 2010) (concluding that there was a material change in circumstances where the trial court found that the parties had entered into the agreement expecting a reduction in hostilities, but that the conflict had instead continued and escalated). The record supports the trial court’s findings and conclusion, and we discern no error. In Wilson v. Craig, we similarly concluded that the trial court did not err in finding an unforeseen material change in circumstances justifying a modification 21 in custody. In that case, the parties had entered into a custody arrangement hoping that it would moderate the child custody disagreements between the parents, improve the contentious relationship between the parents, and reduce hostility of the parents towards each other. Id. at 1164. In Wilson, we concluded that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in concluding that an unforeseen material change was established where the conflict between the parties had “escalated” since the execution of the agreement. Id. Similarly, in this case, the trial court did not err in concluding that Perry could not have foreseen that Downing would use his tiebreaking authority to exercise de facto sole legal custody over the children by precluding Perry from exercising her equal rights as a co-parent and by blocking even more of the children’s extracurricular activities than before.
Further, the record reflects that Downing’s rejection of the girls’ extracurricular activities had a material impact on the children’s well-being. In particular, Dr. Missar noted in his recommendation that the girls should participate in Girl Scouts because it was important for the girls to have “consistency of participation with peers.” The trial court also observed that the lack of 22 extracurricular activities plainly could have an adverse effect on the minor children’s mental and physical well-being. We are also mindful that this is a high-conflict child custody case, and the fact that Downing has never utilized his tie-breaking authority to make a decision contrary to his initial position. Such a result is not in the best interests of the children as it is tantamount to giving Downing de facto sole legal custody over the children. See, e.g., Jordan, supra, 14 A.3d at 1159 (concluding that a parent’s right to raise her children must be reconciled with the other parent’s same interest, and with the principle that a biological parent’s rights must ultimately give way before the children’s best interest); Prost v. Greene, 652 A.2d 621, 627 (D.C. 1995) (concluding that conduct by one parent that “interferes with the fulfillment of [the] children’s need for the guidance and love of the [other parent] may have a serious effect on the welfare of the children”) (emphasis added).11 11 The dissent argues that, unlike in Wilson v. Craig, where the conflict between the parents had escalated to such an extent as to cause the children to experience “psychological and emotional distress,” there was no comparable harm to M.D. and E.D. here based on Downing’s refusal for them to participate in extracurricular activities; our dissenting colleague points to the fact that, in many other respects, M.D. and E.D. were well-adjusted and happy. Post at 36-37. We disagree. The standard for modifying custody is not whether the children are necessarily “harmed” or are in eminent danger by the unforeseen change in circumstances, but simply whether the unforeseen change was “substantial and material to the welfare and best interest of the children.” Foster-Gross, supra, 656 (continued…) 23 The trial court analyzed whether tie-breaking authority should be taken away from Downing based on the “best interests of the child” statutory factors. See D.C. Code § 16-914 (a)(3); supra note 9. In concluding that the best interest of the children favored removing Downing’s tie-breaking authority, the trial court focused on the fractious nature of the parents’ relationship and Downing’s abuse of his tie-breaking authority. In particular, Downing’s “unreasonable” decision to exclude the girls from Girl Scouts and GOTR, which the court found was based more on his need for control than him seeking to enhance the children’s lives, and Downing’s use of the tie-breaking power to make “unilateral” decisions regarding legal custody matters. See generally D.C. Code § 16-914 (a)(3)(G) (“[T]he (…continued) A.2d at 737. As the trial court found, Downing’s consistent rejection of the girls’ participation in extracurricular activities (especially during such crucial formative years) constituted a substantial and material change in circumstances that negatively affected the girls’ best interest. Dr. Missar himself noted that such activities were important because they allowed the girls to have “consistency of participation with peers,” or in more plain-spoken language: it is important for teenage girls to participate in activities with their friends for social development. In our view, this is not inconsequential to the best interests of the children. Further, we emphasize that it is also important to look at this case as a whole, rather than simply focusing on Downing’s decision regarding Girl Scouts and GOTR. A pattern had developed demonstrating that Downing was using his tie-breaking authority as a form of de facto sole legal custody, even though both parties had equal rights. Further, there was evidence that Downing made decisions based more on his patterned negative response to Perry, sometimes in contravention to the children’s best interests. Consequently, M.D.’s and E.D.’s best interests were not being served by allowing Downing to continue to have tiebreaking authority. See supra at 22, 23. 24 capacity of the parents to communicate and reach shared decision affecting the child’s welfare[.]”). The court also considered Dr. Missar’s expert testimony that neither party should have tie-breaking authority in a high-conflict case such as this. See Wilson, supra, 987 A.2d at 1165 (stating that the judge’s findings were wellsupported by expert testimony and by first-hand observation of the demeanor of the parties and witnesses). Thus, in the trial court’s view, the parties would benefit from continued joint legal and physical custody of the minor children, but with the FTC having tie-breaking authority regarding legal custody matters, “[g]iven [Downing’s] past rigid exercise of his tie-breaking authority” which the court found was premised more on Downing’s patterned negative response of Perry’s suggestions, rather than making decisions in the children’s best interest. See generally D.C. Code § 16-914 (a)(3)(Q) (“[T]he benefit to the parents.”). Based on this record, we discern no abuse of discretion in the trial court’s determination that it was in the best interests of the children to remove Downing’s tie-breaking authority and vesting it in a neutral FTC. Downing counters that the trial court’s determination that he had failed to prove a change in circumstances for purposes of his motion for sole legal custody precluded the court from thereafter concluding that Perry, on the other hand, successfully proved a change in circumstances, supporting the court’s decision to 25 divest Downing of his tie-breaking authority. Downing argues that the trial court had observed the minor children to be “happy, well-adjusted socially, and . . . doing well in school.” We are unpersuaded by this argument. As the moving party for sole legal custody, it was Downing’s burden to prove that there was a material change in circumstances warranting giving him full legal custody of the children. See D.C. Code § 16-914 (f)(2). He failed to do that. His failure does not thereafter preclude Perry from proving that Downing’s behavior subsequent to the 2012 agreement constituted a different material change in circumstances warranting the removal of his tie-breaking authority. Here, the trial court concluded that Perry had indeed proved by a preponderance of the evidence that Downing’s tie-breaking authority was not in the children’s best interests because he had unreasonably used this authority to preclude his daughters from joining beneficial extracurricular activities to their mental and physical detriment. The record supports the trial court’s findings that Downing’s categorical rejection of all recommendations by the FTC after Downing was given tie-breaking authority constituted a material change in circumstances and not in the girls’ best interest. 26
We next briefly address Downing’s claim that the trial court’s order erroneously delegated all final decision-making authority over legal custody matters, including the “core issues” of visitation and custody, to the FTC. We conclude that this argument is without merit. In Jordan, we observed that, pursuant to Super. Ct. Dom. Rel. R. 53, the trial court is authorized “to delegate decision-making authority over day-to-day issues to [a] parenting coordinator [FTC].” 14 A.3d at 1156 (emphasis added). However, we clarified that the “court’s ability to delegate authority to a special master or parenting coordinator has limits.” Id. Specifically, “a trial court may not abdicate its responsibility to decide the core issues of custody and visitation[,]” because “[b]y statute, when custody of a child is disputed, the trial court must decide what type of custody arrangement is appropriate.” Id. (citing D.C. Code § 16-914 (a)(1)(A)) (emphasis added). Thus, in Jordan, we approved the trial court’s order which made clear that the parenting coordinator may “make decisions resolving day-to-day conflicts between the parties that do not affect the court’s exclusive jurisdiction to determine fundamental issues of custody and visitation.” Id. (emphasis in original). 27 Here, the trial court’s order states the following: FURTHER ORDERED, that the Family Treatment Coordinator shall have tie-breaking authority regarding legal custody matters on which the parties cannot reach an agreement; the 2012 Consent Custody Order is modified by deleting paragraphs 2.iv. and 2.v. and 2.vii and all other provisions of the Order shall remain in [e]ffect[.] The paragraphs of the 2012 order that the trial court deleted were essentially those that limited the FTC’s authority to making a recommendation on a dispute for Downing’s review and approval.12 Further, the trial court explicitly stated that “all other provisions of the [2012 agreement] shall remain in effect.” Paragraph 2.i. of the 2012 agreement, which remains in effect, clarifies that the FTC process will be utilized only where there is a dispute “regarding a legal custody decision which impacts the health, education, religion or general welfare, including extracurricular activities, of the children[,]” i.e., day-to-day matters. In 12 Paragraph 2.iv: “Once the FTC has made a recommendation, Mr. Downing will inform Ms. Perry within 48 hours of his decision.” Paragraph 2.v: “Both parties agree that the FTC will not be asked to make decisions or have any tie-breaking authority. The FTC will only make recommendations.” Paragraph 2.vii: “Within four weeks of execution of this Agreement, each party shall provide Jamie Desjardins with two names of potential FTCs. Ms. Desjardins shall then select the FTC.” 28 other words, although the trial court’s order modified custody by vesting the tiebreaking authority in the FTC, the FTC’s decision-making powers are still expressly governed by the preserved portions of the 2012 agreement, which make clear that it is limited to disputes regarding day-to-day matters involving the children, and not the “core issues of custody and visitation.” Jordan, supra, 14 A.3d at 1156.13