Opinion ID: 1838692
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Dissolution Proceedings

Text: The husband contends that although jurisdiction existed in the Florida trial court, the trial court improperly exercised jurisdiction over the divorce because a prior divorce action was pending in New York. The husband argues the Florida trial court should have stayed the dissolution proceedings pending before it based on the principle of comity and that the refusal to do so in the present case was an abuse of discretion. The husband also argues the district court's conclusion that there is no impediment to the Florida court proceeding in a dissolution action when the petitioner meets the Florida residence requirements, not withstanding the pendency of prior divorce proceedings in another state, 548 So.2d at 268, is erroneous and conflicts with decisions of other district courts of appeal. In Bedingfield v. Bedingfield, 417 So.2d 1047 (Fla. 4th DCA 1982), the husband and wife lived in Georgia during the entirety of their marriage. They had two children. The wife filed for divorce in Georgia. The Georgia trial court, after a hearing on the issue of temporary custody, made an oral ruling giving the husband liberal visitation rights. Before the court could enter its written order, the wife filed a voluntary dismissal and fled the state, taking the children with her. The Georgia Supreme Court held that the husband should be granted leave to file a counterpetition for divorce in the original action. Sometime later, the husband located the wife and children in Florida and filed a pleading in the Florida circuit court for enforcement of the foreign order, return of the children to the home state, and other relief. The wife responded by filing a counterpetition for divorce and child custody. The trial court denied the husband's motion to dismiss the wife's counterpetition. On appeal, with regard to the trial court's refusal to dismiss or stay the dissolution proceedings, the Fourth District Court of Appeal held the trial court's ruling was erroneous because it violated the principle of priority. The district court reasoned that: In general, where courts within one sovereignty have concurrent jurisdiction, the court which first exercises its jurisdiction acquires exclusive jurisdiction to proceed with that case. This is called the principle of priority. Admittedly, this principle is not applicable between sovereign jurisdictions as a matter of duty. As a matter of comity, however, a court of one state may, in its discretion, stay a proceeding pending before it on the grounds that a case involving the same subject matter and parties is pending in the court of another state. ... . ... We believe that justice requires the principle of priority to apply and govern the result on the motion to stay. Here, it seems clear that the pending Georgia divorce action, which of necessity will determine the children's custody, is the proper forum for the resolution of the entire case. To fail to stay the wife's Florida divorce action will only cause unnecessary and duplicitous lawsuits. It would be oppressive to both parties. 417 So.2d at 1050 (citation omitted). We agree with the district court's reasoning in Bedingfield. This does not mean that a trial court must always stay proceedings when prior proceedings involving the same issues and parties are pending before a court in another state, but only that ordinarily this should be the result. There may well be circumstances under which the denial of a stay could be justified upon a showing of the prospects for undue delay in the disposition of a prior action. Schwartz v. DeLoach, 453 So.2d 454, 455 (Fla. 2d DCA 1984). There may be additional factors or circumstances which would also warrant a denial of stay by the trial court. In conclusion, we approve that portion of the district court decision below which holds that the Florida trial court should have declined to exercise jurisdiction over the custody issue and reverses the award of custody. We quash that portion of the district court decision which holds that there was no impediment to the Florida trial court exercising jurisdiction over the dissolution action. We remand to the district court and direct that the final decree of divorce be set aside and that the trial court stay proceedings pending resolution of the New York action. It is so ordered. SHAW, C.J., and OVERTON, McDONALD, GRIMES and KOGAN, JJ., concur. BARKETT, J., dissenting with an opinion.