Opinion ID: 2347875
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Impact of an Extra-State Determination upon Civil Contempt

Text: The purpose of the contempt order was to induce the bringing of the child before the court so that an immediate change of physical custody could be made, if warranted. Prevention of that assertion of power by the court warranted its civil contempt order against the husband. A difficult question is the effect which could be given to a determination by the New York court while the contempt order was in effect in view of the fact that the mother had appeared in that proceeding in which it appears that custody was changed and was awarded to the father. The courts below did not consider this issue because it arose after their determinations. We recognize that full faith and credit of custody decrees as a matter of good conflict of laws must be matched by current circumstances as to what is good for the child. The welfare of the child is always the overriding consideration. For this reason, probably the majority of courts have not felt themselves bound by full faith and credit, even in the absence of changed conditions, to enforce without question of provisions of a custody decree rendered in another State. Conflict of Laws, Restatement 2d, § 79 p. 239. Whether a contempt order should remain in effect after subsequently contested litigation causes a possibly inconsistent situation could be resolved after a factual determination by the hearing court. Among other things, its review can include determinations of the substantive question as to what is best for the child or whether a Pennsylvania court procedurally should make a determination on the merits as to a controversy between a Florida mother and a New York father.