Opinion ID: 1838204
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: analysis of the proposed cause of action

Text: A cause of action for interference with a custodial parent-child relationship has its roots in English common law, descended from a writ giving the father an action for the abduction of his heir. See Pickle v. Page, 252 N.Y. 474, 169 N.E. 650, 651 (1930); W. Page Keeton et al., Prosser and Keeton on the Law of Torts § 124, at 924 (5th ed.1984); see also Murphy v. I.S.K. Con. of New England, Inc., 409 Mass. 842, 571 N.E.2d 340, 351 (1991). The writ was based in trespass, and the father's property interest in his heir was the legal theory supporting the writ. See Pickle, 169 N.E. at 651 (citing Barham v. Dennis, 78 Eng. Rep. 1001 (K.B.1600)); Keeton, supra § 124, at 924. The claim was eventually extended to the abduction of any child for whom the father could show lost services. See Pickle, 169 N.E. at 651; Keeton, supra § 124, at 924. With few exceptions, the mother could not bring the action because the mother had no property rights in the child. See Keeton, supra § 124, at 924. Since at least the mid-1800's, American courts have allowed parents to sue child kidnappers. See Rice v. Nickerson, 91 Mass. (9 Allen) 478 (1864); Magee v. Holland, 27 N.J.L. 86, 88 (N.J.Sup.Ct.1858); Clark v. Bayer, 32 Ohio St. 299, 301 (1877). By the turn of this century, American courts had discarded, as an outworn fiction, the requirement of loss of services as the foundation for the tort. Howell v. Howell, 162 N.C. 283, 78 S.E. 222, 224 (1913). As the Pickle court observed, [i]t would be a reproach to our legal system if, for the abduction of a child in arms, no remedy ran to its parent, although `for a parrot, a popinjay, a thrush' and even `for a dog' an ample remedy is furnished to their custodian for the loss of their possession. Pickle, 169 N.E. at 653 (quoting Barham, 78 Eng. Rep. at 1001, which refused to recognize a cause of action for abduction of a child other than an heir because the father had no property or interest in his non-heirs). Most often referred to as interference with child custody [4] or intentional abduction of a child or by some other version of such terms, [5] this cause of action has been the subject of recent scholarly discussion. However, as early as 1938, the tort was included in the American Law Institute's first Restatement of Torts. See Restatement of Torts, § 700 (1938). The most recent version, Restatement of Torts (Second) § 700 (1977), provides the common law cause of action with its contemporary definition: One who, with knowledge that the parent does not consent, abducts or otherwise compels or induces a minor child to leave a parent legally entitled to its custody or not to return to the parent after it has been left him, is subject to liability to the parent. In its twentieth-century form, the action may be brought by either parent, and loss of services is no longer always a predicate to recovery. See, e.g., Pickle, 169 N.E. at 652-53; Keeton, supra, § 124. This more modern view recognizes that the tort serves to protect the parent-child relationship. See Keeton, supra, § 124, at 924-25. The elements of the cause of action include that the plaintiff had superior custody rights to the child and that the defendant intentionally interfered with those rights. See Restatement (Second) of Torts, § 700 cmt. c. The Supreme Court of West Virginia recently elaborated on the elements by holding that a prima facie case for tortious interference requires a showing that: (1) the complaining parent has a right to establish or maintain a parental or custodial relationship with his/her minor child; (2) a party outside of the relationship between the complaining parent and his/her child intentionally interfered with the complaining parent's parental or custodial relationship with his/her child by removing or detaining the child from returning to the complaining parent, without that parent's consent, or by otherwise preventing the complaining parent from exercising his/her parental or custodial rights; (3) the outside party's intentional interference caused harm to the complaining parent's parental or custodial relationship with his/her child; and (4) damages resulted from such interference. Kessel v. Leavitt, 204 W.Va. 95, 511 S.E.2d 720, 765-66 (1998), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 119 S.Ct. 1035, 143 L.Ed.2d 43 (1999). Similarly, the Alabama Supreme Court has held that: To state a claim of intentional or malicious custodial interference, a plaintiff need only plead facts tending to show: (1) [S]ome active or affirmative effort by [the] defendant to detract the child from the parent's custody or service, (2) [that] the enticing or harboring [was] willful, [and] (3) [that the enticing or harboring was done] with notice or knowledge that the child had a parent whose rights were thereby invaded. Anonymous v. Anonymous, 672 So.2d 787, 790 (Ala.1995) (quoting 67A C.J.S. Parent & Child § 131 (1978)). It is a defense to the cause of action that the plaintiff did not have superior custodial rights, that the defendant took the child to prevent physical harm to the child, or that the defendant possessed a reasonable, good faith belief that the interference was proper. Kessel, 511 S.E.2d at 766. The majority of states considering the question have recognized a cause of action for intentional interference with the custodial parent-child relationship. [6] Courts have recognized this tort in a variety of circumstances, ranging from a parent suing the noncustodial parent or grandparent to a parent suing a hospital, religious organization, or the minor child's boyfriend. See, e.g., Anonymous, 672 So.2d at 788 (parents suing their daughter's boyfriend and his parents); D & D Fuller CATV Constr., Inc. v. Pace, 780 P.2d 520 (Colo. 1989) (mother suing grandparents for conspiring with father to conceal child's whereabouts); Shields v. Martin, 109 Idaho 132, 706 P.2d 21 (1985) (father suing mother and police department for abduction); Wood v. Wood, 338 N.W.2d 123 (Iowa 1983) (mother suing father); Spencer v. Terebelo, 373 So.2d 200 (La.Ct.App. 1979) (father suing mother); Murphy v. I.S.K. Con. of New England, Inc., 409 Mass. 842, 571 N.E.2d 340, 342 (1991) (minor and minor's mother suing religious organization); Kramer v. Leineweber, 642 S.W.2d 364 (Mo.Ct.App.1982) (mother suing father and grandmother); Plante v. Engel, 124 N.H. 213, 469 A.2d 1299 (1983) (father suing grandparents for aiding and abetting mother in interfering with custodial relationship); McGrady v. Rosenbaum, 62 Misc.2d 182, 308 N.Y.S.2d 181 (Sup.Ct.1970) (father suing mother and maternal grandparents), aff'd, 37 A.D.2d 917, 324 N.Y.S.2d 876 (1971); McBride v. Magnuson, 282 Or. 433, 578 P.2d 1259 (1978) (mother suing police officer); Bedard v. Notre Dame Hosp., 89 R.I. 195, 151 A.2d 690 (1959) (mother suing hospital); Silcott v. Oglesby, 721 S.W.2d 290 (Tex.1986) (father suing son's maternal grandfather); Kessel, 511 S.E.2d at 720 (father suing child's mother, and the mother's parents).