Opinion ID: 2064000
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: denial of visitation rights

Text: Walter asserts that there was not sufficient evidence to support the court's denial of visitation rights to him. As in custodial cases, the question of visitation should be resolved to promote the best interests of the child. Gardebring v. Rizzo, 269 N.W.2d 104 (N.D.1978). In his brief, Walter asserts that the only evidence introduced at trial on this issue was the self-serving declarations of Cheryl. This court's role is not to act as a trier of facts. Rather, it is to review the trial court's findings regarding visitation and determine whether or not such findings are clearly erroneous. Gardebring v. Rizzo, supra, 269 N.W.2d at 111. The evidence in the record is that Walter had no contact with Matthew in two and one-half years. Cheryl is now married to a man who has accepted Matthew and his sister into his home to raise as his own children. Additionally, Walter has vacillated between admitting and denying paternity of Matthew. The trial court's finding is as follows: It appears from the records that [Walter] has had no contact with this child since abut the time that he was born and was a very young child, I believe it was 1977, the last time. A lot of expense and litigation was necessary to establish that he was the father. We are now into his fourth, almost his fourth birthday and it would appear that if [Walter] had any paternal ambitions or paternal instincts, he would have made contact with this child long before this in view of the fact that there was very little doubt that he was the father. The testimony of [Cheryl] is that it would not be in the best interest of the child to allow visitation rights under these circumstances because of the fact that the child has [had] no community [communication] whatsoever with his father. There's been no contact made between [Walter] and the child since 1977. He has in fact denied that he was the father. He's made no support toward the child since about 1977. In view of the fact of the impending marriage of [Cheryl] and the possibility of adoption by her husband in view of the fact that this would establish a home for the child [Matthew], and for his sister..., this Court finds that it would be in the best interest of this child, [Matthew], that no visitation rights be given [Walter]. Now the Court does this reluctantly because I never want to be a Judge that denies the right of a parent to visit his children or her children but under the facts in this case and the fact that [Walter] did not appear in court to defend his rights, he's in default, I have nothing affirmatively showing it would be in the best interest of the children to allow visitation. All his past conduct has indicated that it would not be in the best interest of the child. And so following the law which is set out in 15 ALR 3rd beginning at page 887, this Court in its discretion and based on the preponderance of evidence and based on the major premise that the best interest of the child is to be considered, no visitation rights shall be given [Walter]. A parent has a basic fundamental right to his children, but this right is not absolute. Keator v. Keator, 276 N.W.2d 135, 138 (N.D.1979). We agree with the trial court that denial of visitation rights, even to the father of an illegitimate child, should only be done reluctantly. Denial of visitation rights should be an exception and not the rule, and the exception should be only when it is in the best interests of the child. Under the circumstances of this case, however, we cannot say that the trial court's denial of visitation rights to Walter was clearly erroneous. Had the father originally and consistently admitted paternity, kept in contact with the child, supported the child financially and otherwise, the trial court may very possibly have permitted visitation, but such is not the case here.