Opinion ID: 2600598
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Child Custody Proceedings

Text: John Bunce (Dad) and Pamela Rae (Mom) were married on October 5, 1985, and during their marriage they had four children: Kelsey, Devon, Wyatt, and Josephine. In 1995, after the children were born, the family moved from the Bay Area in California to Idaho, but Dad commuted to San Francisco for work each week. On March 5, 1997, Dad and Mom separated, and Mom filed a divorce action in California. In September 1998, the parties entered into an agreement resolving custody of their children. Mom was given primary physical custody and Dad was given specified periods of time when he would have physical custody. The divorce decree in the California action was ultimately entered on January 8, 1999. In July 2000, Mom filed the California judgment in Idaho, seeking to establish it as an Idaho judgment pursuant to the Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act, Idaho Code §§ 10-1301 et seq., and she filed a motion to modify custody. She obtained an ex parte restraining order preventing Dad from exercising visitation with their daughter Josephine. After a hearing, the restraining order was quashed and the petition to modify custody was dismissed on the ground that the Idaho court lacked jurisdiction under the provisions of the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act, I.C. §§ 32-11-101 et seq., because of the California court's exclusive, continuing jurisdiction. Mom still refused to permit Dad to exercise visitation with Josephine, and Dad had to obtain an order from the California court in order to do so. In June 2002, Dad relocated to Blaine County, Idaho, the same county in which Mom resided with the children. The parties continued litigating custody issues in California. Pursuant to their stipulation, an Idaho attorney was appointed by the California court as a special master and was given authority over various custodial issues. Between January 9 and August 29, 2003, the California court entered six orders based upon reports from the special master attempting to resolve the parties' ongoing conflicts regarding custody and visitation. In July, 2003, Dad learned that Mom had moved back to California. On August 1, 2003, he filed a motion in Blaine County seeking an ex parte interim custody order to keep the children in Idaho. The court refused to grant the motion on the ground that California still had exclusive jurisdiction. Four days after Dad had enrolled the children in school in Blaine County, Mom surreptitiously took them to California and attempted to enroll them in school there. After some legal wrangling, the children were returned to Idaho. The special master issued a final report making recommendations for an order to resolve the remaining disputes between the parties. On October 8, 2003, the judge who had presided over the parties' divorce action in California entered an order relinquishing jurisdiction over the children. On October 23, 2003, Dad instituted the Idaho custody proceedings by filing a motion in the Idaho court to implement the visitation schedule recommended by the special master. One week later, Mom filed a motion seeking to implement her proposed visitation schedule, based upon her move to California. The Idaho custody proceedings were tried in August 2004. After closing arguments, the trial court on August 25, 2004, orally ruled that the children would reside primarily with Dad in Blaine County, Idaho. The court also asked the parties to submit their proposed visitation schedule and argument on child support before September 24, 2004. On August 28, 2004, the parties' sixteen-year-old daughter, Devon, was scheduled to fly back to Idaho. Mom had Devon rebooked on a flight to Los Angeles, where Mom picked her up and took her to Malibu. On September 1, 2004, through her counsel, Mom filed a motion asking the court to reconsider custody. She supported the motion with her affidavit in which she stated, She [Devon] refuses to return to Ketchum, Idaho. I refuse to force her to return to Ketchum, Idaho. On September 1, 2004, the court entered an order requiring Mom to return Devon to Dad's physical custody by 5:00 p.m. the following day. The order also provided that a separate order would follow the next day. The separate order entered on September 2, 2004, awarded sole physical and legal custody of the children to Dad pending further order of the court, denied Mom's motion to reconsider, and stated that it is absolutely clear to this Court that [Mom] will not abide by orders of this Court. The court noted that Mom's statement in her affidavit that she will not force Devon to return to Idaho was direct proof that she would refuse to follow the court's orders. Dad filed contempt proceedings against Mom, but later withdrew them because Mom intended to call Devon as a witness and Dad wanted to avoid any further trauma to her. On November 29, 2004, the court issued its memorandum decision in the custody proceedings. The parties' oldest daughter, Kelsey, was at that time enrolled in school in Colorado, and in less than five months she would attain the age of majority. She wanted to complete her schooling in Colorado. Dad approved, but Mom did not. The court found it would be in Kelsey's best interests to complete her schooling in Colorado. It ordered that both parties would continue to have joint custody of Kelsey, but they must honor her wishes regarding parental contact. With respect to Devon, Wyatt, and Josephine, the court awarded Dad their primary physical custody, with Mom having specified periods of visitation. On December 27, 2004, the court entered an order amending the child custody provisions of the divorce decree in accordance with the memorandum decision.