Opinion ID: 1096199
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: did the youth court have exclusive jurisdiction to determine custody and visitation rights of an abused child when the order is in direct conflict with a divorce decree?

Text: The assumption of jurisdiction over a child by a juvenile court or, in our case, a Youth Court, frequently raises jurisdictional questions, since the statute which establishes such a court does not always clearly define the limitation which is thus imposed on the jurisdiction of another court. In this instance, Youth Court proceedings concerning possible child abuse were being conducted concurrently with the parent's divorce petition which was being heard in the Chancery Court of that same county. These two proceedings have resulted in conflicting orders with respect to custody of the minor child, D.L.D. The Mississippi Code does not specifically address the situation with which the Court is now faced. In fact, there exist statutes which grant both the Chancery Court and the Youth Court jurisdiction over the adjudication of minors. The Mississippi Constitution grants Chancery Courts full jurisdiction in matters involving minor's business. Miss. Const. Art. 6, § 159(d) (1890). However, the Constitution also allows the legislature to establish inferior courts whenever deemed expedient. Miss. Const. Art. 6, § 172 (1890). The Youth Court falls under this section of the Constitution creating inferior courts. A strict interpretation of the Constitution indicates that a Chancery Court decree would prevail over an order from an inferior court such as a Youth Court. After all, minor's business is expressly granted to Chancery Courts, and Youth Courts are created below Chancery Courts. Although the Chancery Court has jurisdiction over minors, the legislature has carved out an exception where abused children are concerned. The Youth Court division was created as a division of the Chancery Court in counties which do not have county or family courts, and the chancellor presides over such Youth Court proceedings. Miss. Code Ann. § 43-21-107(3) (Supp. 1991). Furthermore, the Youth Court has exclusive original jurisdiction in all proceedings concerning an abused child, and that jurisdiction continues until the child's twentieth birthday. Miss. Code Ann. § 43-21-151(1)-(2). Even though the Youth Court is a subsidiary of the Chancery Court, it specializes in abuse and neglect matters, in which it was granted exclusive jurisdiction. The use of the word full in defining the jurisdiction of the Chancery Court seems to be inclusive, while the language in the Youth Court statute is explicitly exclusive. There must also be considered the scope of divorce proceedings and the issues it concerns. When allegations of abuse are raised, the chancellor may continue proceedings until these allegations are investigated by the Department of Public Welfare. Miss. Code Ann. § 93-5-23 (Supp. 1991). However, the statute does not speak to what should occur if the allegations prove to be true and jurisdiction is in the Youth Court. Should not the chancellor await the Youth Court judge's order and structure the pending divorce decree to mirror that order? In issuing a temporary custody order granting custody of D.L.D. to Mrs. DeLee, the chancellor noted that this order would be subject to the findings of the Youth Court concerning the abuse allegations. It appears from this statement that the chancellor recognized the Youth Court's exclusive jurisdiction over the matter. It is important to note that this temporary custody order was never signed by the chancellor, therefore, the original Youth Court order granting Mrs. DeLee custody and severely limiting Mr. DeLee's visitation rights was still in effect. This Youth Court order conditioned the father's visitation on attending family counseling with the mother and the minor child in an attempt to foster a healthier environment for the child. It appears that during both proceedings, both judges were aware of the other pending proceedings. When the Youth Court petition was filed, the Youth Court judge instructed the parties to file appropriate petitions in the Chancery Court. A copy of the Youth Court file was given to the chancellor for an in camera review for use in the divorce proceeding. However, the chancellor totally ignored the findings of the Youth Court judge, as well as his order, when he awarded custody and visitation privileges which differed from that of Judge Hudson's order. Further, it is interesting to note that neither party raised the issue of res judicata with respect to the child custody being litigated in both courts. This problem of conflicting orders came about as a result of the original judge, Chancellor Jenkins, recusing himself due to prior representation of one of the parties. The petition for divorce, filed in 1986, was later assigned to Chancellor R.B. Reeves of the Fourth Chancery District. The Youth Court proceeding to determine whether D.L.D. was in fact an abused child, was assigned to Judge John N. Hudson of the Adams County Youth Court. Ordinarily, the same chancellor (Chancellor Jenkins in this case) would preside over both the divorce proceeding as well as the Youth Court proceeding, since there is no county or family court in Wilkinson County. Chancellor Jenkins created this unusual problem now before the Court when he assigned the two proceedings to different judges. Had he not split the proceedings, conflicting orders involving child custody would not have resulted. Although this Court has never addressed the precise issue at hand, it has addressed the constitutional issue of the Youth Court in relation to the Chancery Court. In the case of In Interest of T.L.C., 566 So.2d 691 (Miss. 1990), the Court held that the Youth Court system does not unconstitutionally usurp the power granted to the Chancery Court to adjudicate minor's business. The Court stated that: In a sense our Youth Courts are neither superior, equal to, or inferior to other inferior courts  they are special courts due to the special nature of their function. ... The social imperative for prompt disposition of matters affecting children is sufficiently within the police power ... that the legislature may streamline the appellate process as it has done in the present act. Id. at 696-97. In the companion case to T.L.C., the Chancery Court in Cortesi v. Cortesi, 566 So.2d 702 (Miss. 1990), stayed its ruling on the child custody until the abuse allegations were ruled upon by the Youth Court. This action by the Chancery Court tends to indicate that the court recognized the Youth Court's exclusive jurisdiction over child abuse proceedings. The case of Petition of Beggiani, 519 So.2d 1208 (Miss. 1988), addressed the priority of jurisdiction rule. In Beggiani, the Carroll County Youth Court acquired jurisdiction over two abused minor children, while the Hinds County Chancery Court allowed the minor children to be adopted by foster parents. The priority of jurisdiction rule states, In order that the rule may be applicable, which prevents interference by another court with the jurisdiction of the court first assuming it, the second action should be between the same parties, seeking on the one hand, and opposing on the other, the same remedy, and should relate to the same question.  Id. at 1210 (citing 21 C.J.S. Courts § 492, at 751 (1940)). We decided that the adoption proceedings were distinct and separate from prior custody determinations because they did not involve the same subject matter, and, therefore, the priority of jurisdiction rule did not apply. Id. at 1211. This Court upheld the adoption by the foster parents, but reversed the Youth Court determination that the best interest of the children would be with the grandmother. The priority of jurisdiction rule should not apply to the case sub judice because, like Beggiani, neither the same subject matter nor the rights of the same parties are being adjudicated in both courts. The divorce proceedings involve only Jacqueline Clark DeLee and Ruben DeLee as parties. Although not a party to the divorce proceeding, the best interests of the minor child are considered. In contrast, the minor child is the major party in the Youth Court proceeding. Unlike the divorce proceeding in Chancery Court, the Youth Court's sole issue is the treatment and welfare of the minor child. Other states, when faced with the same jurisdictional question involving conflicting orders, have upheld the juvenile courts' (Mississippi's Youth Court equivalent) assertion of jurisdiction. The California case of In re Anne P., 199 Cal. App.3d 183, 244 Cal. Rptr. 490 (Cal. App. 6th Dist. 1988), involved similar issues. In a divorce decree, joint custody was granted to the parents, with the child rotating households every two weeks. Upon the mother's belief that the father was sexually abusing the minor child, she petitioned the superior court for a change in custody. The judge found no evidence of sexual abuse, and awarded the father custody of the child. Following this trial, the mother again suspected sexual abuse on the part of the father and filed a petition in juvenile court alleging sexual abuse and harm to the child's emotional state. The juvenile court judge ruled that he could not hear the sexual abuse charges because they were already adjudicated in superior court, but could hear evidence concerning the child's emotional state since this issue had not previously been litigated. The juvenile judge determined that the child's emotional well being would best be served with placement in the mother's home. In affirming the juvenile court's assumption of jurisdiction, the appeals court stated: It has long been established that a superior court order awarding custody of minor children in a divorce action does not, in itself, deprive the juvenile court of jurisdiction to later litigate matters and issue orders affecting the custody of those children. ( In re William T., 172 Cal. App.3d 790, 797-798, 218 Cal. Rptr. 420 (1985); Marr v. Superior Court, 114 Cal. App.2d 527, 531-32, 250 P.2d 739 (1952); Dupes v. Superior Court, 176 Cal. 440, 441-42, 168 P. 888 (1917)). Moreover, when a juvenile court has adjudged an infant to be its ward then the orders of that court concerning the physical custody, control and care of its ward supersede for as long as necessary any existing orders of other courts made in custodial matters which conflict therewith. ( Marr v. Superior Court, 114 Cal. App.2d at 531, 250 P.2d 739). In re Anne P., 199 Cal. App.3d at 193, 244 Cal. Rptr. at 496. The California court stated that the policy behind this rule is that the state, acting through the juvenile court, under the theory of parens patriae, seeks to protect the child. The court pointed out that the juvenile court was proper in awarding custody to the mother, since the juvenile court proceeding did not involve identical issues. Id. 244 Cal. Rptr. at 497. The court added that: [t]he mere fact that the superior court, in an action for divorce, has made an order providing for the custody of the minor children of the litigants does not deprive the juvenile court of jurisdiction to dispose of such children in any manner it might deem best for their welfare. Id., 199 Cal. App.3d at 193, 244 Cal. Rptr. at 496 (quoting Svoboda v. Superior Court, 190 Cal. 727, 731-32, 214 P. 440 (1923)). The Court of Appeals of Indiana addressed the issue of conflicting jurisdiction between the superior court and juvenile court. P.B. v. T.D., 504 N.E.2d 1042 (Ind. App. 3rd Dist.), modified on other grounds, 507 N.E.2d 992 (Ind. App. 3rd Dist. 1987). Custody of two minor children was granted to the father, P.B., pursuant to a divorce decree by the Superior Court. Upon learning that the father was fondling his eight year old daughter, a petition was filed in the juvenile court; the court adjudicated the child as one in need of services and placed the minor child in the home of her stepmother. In upholding the juvenile court's decision, the appeals court relied on a statute which is strikingly similar to § 43-21-151 of the Mississippi Code, stating that: [O]nce adjudicated a child in need of services in a juvenile proceeding the juvenile court had jurisdiction to enter a dispositional decree awarding wardship to any person or shelter care facility ... Ind. Code Ann. § 31-6-4-15.4(4) (Burns Supp. 1986).... A juvenile court has exclusive jurisdiction... in ... proceedings in which a child, including a child of divorced parents, is alleged to be a child in need of services. Ind. Code Ann. § 31-6-2-1(a). The juvenile court retains that exclusive jurisdiction until the child in need of services reaches his twenty-first birthday unless the court discharges the child and his parent, guardian, or custodian at an earlier time. Therefore, no other Indiana court has jurisdiction to entertain any proceeding which in any way conflicts with the exclusive jurisdiction vested in the juvenile court by; the commencement of a `child in need' proceeding.  Id. at 1043 (quoting Guardianship of Bramblett v. Grant County Dept. of Public Welfare, 495 N.E.2d 798, 798-99 (Ind. App. 1986)) (emphasis added). Therefore, the appeals court held that the juvenile court had exclusive authority to render its decision concerning the child's custody, in contrast to an earlier superior court decree. See also, Houser v. Houser, 166 Kan. 45, 199 P.2d 497 (1948); Trent v. Bellamy, 164 Kan. 438, 190 P.2d 400 (1948). The order of the Youth Court of Wilkinson County is affirmed. YOUTH COURT ORDER AFFIRMED. HAWKINS, P.J., and PRATHER, ROBERTSON, SULLIVAN, PITTMAN and BANKS, JJ., concur. McRAE, J., dissents with separate written opinion joined by DAN M. LEE, P.J.