Opinion ID: 794045
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The District Court's Evidentiary and Factual Rulings

Text: 22 Though the fundamental issue in this appeal is whether the District Court correctly determined Maria's habitual residence, Karkkainen also contends that the District Court erred in several evidentiary rulings and in its fact-finding. Because these rulings formed the basis for the District Court's holding that Maria was not wrongfully retained, we take them up before turning to the merits of Karkkainen's claim under Article 3 of the Convention. 1 23 We review the District Court's determinations concerning the admissibility of evidence for abuse of discretion. Forrest v. Beloit Corp., 424 F.3d 344, 349 (3d Cir.2005). To the extent an evidentiary issue turns on the interpretation of a Federal Rule of Evidence, rather than the mere application of the rule, our review is plenary. Id. 24 Karkkainen claims that the District Court abused its discretion by appointing an expert to evaluate Maria's level of maturity that lacked sufficient experience in parental alienation syndrome. Karkkainen argues that one of the central themes of her case was that Maria had been alienated from her mother by the Respondents and that the District Court therefore should not have considered Maria's desire to move to the United States permanently. As evidence of Maria's alienation, Karkkainen cites an instance in which Maria called her mother aunt. However, as the District Court noted, Karkkainen raised the claim of Maria's alienation only as a way to rebut the Respondents' affirmative defenses. Because the District Court ruled that the United States was Maria's habitual residence, Respondents' affirmative defenses were not at issue and any lack of knowledge on the part of the expert about parental alienation syndrome was irrelevant. 25 The District Court heard testimony from two witnesses that Karkkainen argues should not have testified. The custodian of records from The Ellis School testified as to whether the school relied on documents sent by Maria's Finnish teacher for her admission. Though Karkkainen contends that this testimony constituted unfair surprise, the records custodian was listed as a witness on the witness list. The District Court did not abuse its discretion in permitting her to testify as to factual matters about which she had personal knowledge. Karkkainen also argues that Maria should not have been permitted to testify. However, the District Court held, based on expert evidence, that Maria was mature enough to testify. Because Maria's perspective was central to the question of her habitual residence under the Hague Convention, see Feder, 63 F.3d at 224 (defining a child's habitual residence in terms of the child's perspective), it was clearly appropriate for the District Court to admit her testimony. 26 The District Court admitted testimony about whether Maria was well-settled. Karkkainen argues that the well-settled defense of Article 12 of the Hague Convention is inapplicable in this case and that the District Court should have rejected testimony as to this issue. The District Court reserved judgment on whether the well-settled defense applied and stated that it would consider the testimony only if the defense later became relevant. There is no evidence that the District Court used such testimony to reach its decision on habitual residence, the only subject of its holding. Likewise, we reject Karkkainen's claim that the District Court improperly permitted testimony regarding Maria's best interests. Karkkainen points to no specific instances in which the District Court permitted such testimony, and we have found none within the record. We also conclude that the District Court admitted hearsay testimony only under the exceptions of the Federal Rules and properly limited its use. Thus, we find no abuse of discretion on these points. 27 Finally, Karkkainen argues that the District Court erred in finding that the parties agreed to allow Maria to choose whether she would live in the United States indefinitely or return to Finland at the end of the summer of 2003. We must review this factual finding for clear error. Baxter, 423 F.3d at 367; Delvoye v. Lee, 329 F.3d 330, 332 (3d Cir.2003). We will not reverse as long as the District Court's account of the evidence is plausible in light of the record, even if convinced that we would have weighed the evidence differently. Anderson v. City of Bessemer, 470 U.S. 564, 574, 105 S.Ct. 1504, 84 L.Ed.2d 518 (1985). 28 The record supports the District Court's conclusion that the parties agreed when Maria left for the United States in June 2003 that she would choose where she would reside after the summer. At an interview at the American Embassy in Helsinki in September 2002, d'Itri explained to a consular officer that Maria would have the option of remaining in the United States after her visit in the summer of 2003. Karkkainen was present during the conversation and did not object to the proposed plan. Email exchanges and multiple discussions between the parties leading up to Maria's 2003 trip to the United States also suggested that Karkkainen agreed Maria was free to go to the United States indefinitely. In addition, Karkkainen aided the Respondents in their efforts to place Maria in The Ellis School for the Fall 2003 school semester and never contacted the school to indicate that she did not wish Maria to attend. Indeed, on the very day Maria left for the United States, she and her mother discussed the possibility that Maria would not return to Finland at the end of the summer. Taken together, this and other evidence in the record supports the District Court's finding that Karkkainen, the Respondents, and Maria all understood that Maria would have the choice of remaining in the United States and that she would not necessarily return to Finland in August 2003. 29 At the same time, there is evidence in the record that could support a different conclusion. For example, Karkkainen never expressly gave permission for Maria to attend school in the United States. Moreover, the Respondents stated in a January 2003 email that it was their understanding that Maria would return to Finland in August 2003. The fact that Maria had a round-trip ticket with which she could return to Finland on August 10, 2003 may also suggest that the parties did not intend Maria to remain in the United States indefinitely. Despite such evidence, we will not set aside the District Court's finding given our deferential clear error standard.