Opinion ID: 852448
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Deferring to Washington is Consistent with the UCCJL

Text: Father argues that dismissal contravenes the purposes of the UCCJL because it permits forum shopping. (Appellant's Br. at 9-17.) The stated purposes of the UCCJL include to: (1) avoid jurisdictional competition, (2) promote cooperation among courts of different states, (3) assure that custody litigation is commenced in the state with the closest connection to the child and his family, (4) discourage controversies over child custody, (5) deter abductions undertaken to obtain custody awards, (6) avoid re-litigation of custody decisions of other states, (7) facilitate the enforcement of custody decrees in other states, and (8) promote and expand the exchange of information and assistance concerning the same child between courts among states. Ind. Code Ann. § 31-17-3-1 (West 2006). To be sure, courts disfavor forum shopping for a host of reasons important to the bench, the bar, and the public. But the stated purposes of the UCCJL make it clear that its primary aim is to reduce court conflicts among states. Avoiding such conflicts is in the best interest of children involved in custody disputes because the shifting of children from state to state and the risk of unilateral abduction for the purposes of obtaining different custody orders has harmful effects on children's well-being. See id. Occasionally, the net result of the jurisdictional provisions of the UCCJL will permit some forum shopping, but such a result is tolerable if it means that the custody dispute will be litigated in the state most aligned with the child's best interest. In this case, the Indiana trial court determined that the Washington court was better situated to resolve the custody dispute and that dismissal was in the best interest of the child. As discussed above, the court complied with the statutory forum inconvenience analysis. The record shows that Mother had a legitimate purpose for moving to Washington apart from any ill motive or blatant attempt to forum shop. Mother only lived in Indiana for six months before initiating the divorce proceedings and moving back to Washington. Prior to moving to Indiana, Mother had always lived in Washington, where her relatives reside. (Appellant's App. at 85; Appellee's App. at 83.) At the time of Mother's move, neither party was employed in Indiana. (Appellee's App. at 91.) No evidence suggests that Mother moved to Washington to prevent Father from participating in the custody suit. Thus, our holding that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by dismissing the custody suit does not contravene the purposes of the UCCJL.