Opinion ID: 1988137
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: CR 60.02(d) and (f)

Text: Upon such terms as are just, a court may set aside its judgment pursuant to CR 60.02(d) and (f), respectively, for fraud affecting the proceedings, or for any other reason of an extraordinary nature justifying relief. However, because this rule can affect the finality of judgments, it should be invoked only with extreme caution and under unusual circumstances. Cawood v. Cawood, 329 S.W.2d 569 (Ky. 1959). Appellee claims, through the affidavits supporting her motion to have the judgment of permanent custody to Appellants set aside, that her husband, Christopher, and his parents, Appellants, conspired to prevent her from making a defense. As such, she views this as an extrinsic fraud upon the court or an extraordinary reason, which requires that custody be determined de novo. The affidavits reveal serious allegations, including a threat to her life and continued physical abuse if she attempted to appear at the hearing on permanent custody. They also imply (as in her affidavit) or actually state (as in Christopher's affidavit) that Christopher and his parents worked together to prevent Rebecca from having any type of defense or from filing a response or from doing anything which would normally be done to protect herself in a custody case. Indeed, should a court find that the Appellee was beaten, denied transportation or access to a phone, and placed in fear for her life in order to keep her away from court, a finding of fraud in the proceedings might be mandated. However, these claims were vigorously disputed by the Appellants. In addition, the family court had the benefit of the record from the DNA proceedings and the two custody hearings, and doubtless could not forget that it had both parents arrested for appearing in court under the influence of alcohol. The question is, given what the judge had from the affidavits, the record, and what he knew from presiding in the case, did he have sufficient information to determine the facts and judge the credibility of the parties? The Court of Appeals believed that once Appellee raised questions about domestic violence and fraud, even though rebutted by the Appellants, the family court was obliged to take further testimonya full evidentiary hearing. Under the facts of this case, that was not required. The affidavits made it abundantly clear what acts of fraud were being alleged. The family court was well within its discretion to take the allegations on their face, and determine if further proof was necessary. The specificity of the fraud allegations in the affidavits could have been fleshed out by further testimony but would not be fundamentally changed by that testimony. Indeed, the only witnesses who could testify that Appellants and Christopher colluded to keep Appellee from defending herself were the Appellants and Christopher. Appellants had already submitted affidavits denying this. Christopher, who had moved to California, certainly was suspect in his motivation. The family court knew from the record and having presided that Christopher was bitter toward his parents because of the emergency custody motion. Appellee herself could only state that she believes there was fraud, as she was unable to make any claims that she witnessed the Appellants attempting to keep her from defending herself. One of the primary benefits of Family Court is that the same judge presides in all domestic court matters affecting that family. Because of this model, the family court had several contacts with all the parties, heard testimony and arguments during the earlier proceedings, and had available the entire record and exhibits relating to these parties. The court's decision not to take additional testimony was grounded in what it already knew from previous court proceedings, and as the trier of fact, it was certainly in the best position to judge the credibility of all the parties involved. Additionally, as a policy matter, the court's decision spared these families the turmoil that would be caused by accusatory testimony that would be redundant to the claims made, but would doubtlessly increase rancor and make it far more difficult to further any relationship between Appellee and her daughter in the future. However, there are additional reasons why the family court was correct in this case. First, Appellee never appealed the family court's permanent custody decision. CR 60.02 is neither a substitute for, nor a separate avenue of, appeal. Its purpose is only to raise issues which cannot be raised in other proceedings, and therefore a movant must show that she is entitled to extraordinary relief. McQueen v. Commonwealth, 948 S.W.2d 415 (Ky.1997). In this regard, the family court must look to the time and circumstances of the judgment the movant wishes to set aside. The present circumstances of the movant are not relevant unless the judgment is actually set aside and a de novo custody hearing is held. Instead, claims of fraud or for extraordinary relief must be based on factors that existed at the time of the judgment. In this case, the question is not whether Appellee was subjectively prevented from defending herself, but whether any defense she had could have been made at the time of the family court's final order granting permanent custody to the Appellants. There is evidence in the record that Appellee was not totally without resources at the time the family court entered the permanent custody order, and certainly she was entitled to protection from Christopher had she sought it. This Court acknowledges that often victims of domestic violence do not believe they can escape their abuser, but the legislature and the courts have made significant provisions to assist them. It is equally likely that her state of addiction caused her inaction. Both abuse and addiction are factors that are proper for a court to consider, but standing alone, they do not equal fraud or facts of an extraordinary nature sufficient under CR 60.02. But more importantly, Appellant failed to demonstrate she would have had a defense in the custody proceeding. There are two necessary grounds upon which the court may have been authorized to vacate the judgment, namely, (1) fraud and circumvention of the prevailing party which prevented a defense being presented, and (2) that the defendant had and has a meritorious defense to the action.  Rice v. Dowell, 322 S.W.2d 468 (Ky.1959) (emphasis added) (internal citations omitted). In addition to specific acts of fraud, a movant must both allege and prove ... the defense he could or would have interposed to defeat the rendition of the judgment had he not been prevented from doing so by the fraud. Dawson v. Clelland, 252 S.W.2d 694 (Ky.1952). The movant may not himself be negligent or the cause of his inaction and must make a prima facie showing that he has a valid defense. Overstreet v. Grinstead's Adm'r, 283 Ky. 73, 140 S.W.2d 836 (1940). Even if Appellee did establish that Christopher and his parents colluded to deny her a defense, she would still have to make a prima facie showing that she had a defense at the time of the custody proceeding that could have reasonably prevented the family court from granting permanent custody to the Appellants. Given the evidence in the record, there is little likelihood that the family court would have ruled otherwise. With her admissions at the time and the investigative proof offered by the Cabinet, what evidence would support denying permanent custody other than a sincerely expressed preference for temporary custody and suggestion of a possibility that she would eventually be able to parent, when she had exercised no visitation with her child? Certainly, it would have been within the family court's discretion to continue temporary custody rather than award permanent custody on that day, but it likewise had discretion to consider all it knew about her condition, her inability to parent, and the dangerous dynamic between her and Christopher, with whom she was still living at the time. It would not have been an abuse of discretion had the court done so after hearing her defense. Appellee's fatal mistake, however, is that she did not make a statement of any kind as to what her defense at the time would have been, let alone make a prima facie factual showing, in her motion and affidavits under CR 60.02. Having given the court no indication of a viable defense available to her at the time of the permanent custody hearing, her motion was defective on its face, and she was not entitled to a hearing, much less a full evidentiary hearing. The family court thus did not abuse its discretion in denying her CR 60.02 motion.