Opinion ID: 2361145
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Tom's Claim

Text: We first address Tom's claim that the trial court abused its discretion by failing to award him sole legal and physical parental rights and responsibilities. Tom does not challenge any of the court's findings, but instead argues that those findings do not support its decision to award physical rights and responsibilities to Ellen. Specifically, Tom points to several findings regarding Ellen's attempts to limit or eliminate Tom's contact with the child and to interfere with the father-child relationship. Based on these findings, the court concluded that, if awarded primary legal rights and responsibilities, Tom would be much more likely to support and foster the child's relationship with Ellen than Ellen would be to encourage the child's relationship with Tom. See 15 V.S.A. § 665(b)(5) (one factor court must examine is ability and disposition of each parent to foster a positive relationship and frequent and continuing contact with the other parent). The court also concluded that Tom is able and willing to provide the child with love, affection, and guidance; to ensure that her basic physical needs are met; and to meet her present and future developmental needs. See 15 V.S.A. § 665(b)(1)-(3) (court must consider these factors in making custody determination). In Tom's view, these findings and conclusions by the court mandated an award of sole parental rights and responsibilities to him. The court based its decision to award physical parental rights and responsibilities to Ellen on its conclusion that Ellen has been the child's primary care provider, clearly fulfill[ing] this role more than Tom, both before and after the separation. See 15 V.S.A. § 665(b)(6) (court shall consider quality of child's relationship with primary care provider, if appropriate, given child's age and development); Johnson v. Johnson, 163 Vt. 491, 494, 659 A.2d 1149, 1151 (1995) (absent evidence on likely effect of change of custodian, court should ordinarily find that child should remain with primary custodian if that parent is fit). The court found that Ellen was the central figure in [the child's] life, and that the depth of the emotional relationship between Tom and [the child] does not equal that between [the child] and Ellen. Despite Ellen's unfortunate efforts to disrupt the child's relationship with her father, the court was reluctant to break the close mother-daughter bond. We do not agree with Tom that, based on the court's findings, the court abused its discretion by failing to award sole parental rights and responsibilities to him. See de-Beaumont v. Goodrich, 162 Vt. 91, 103, 644 A.2d 843, 850 (1994) (trial court has broad discretion in custody matter; Supreme Court cannot set aside its decision because it would have reached different conclusion from facts); Myott v. Myott, 149 Vt. 573, 578, 547 A.2d 1336, 1339 (1988) (Supreme Court must affirm trial court's decision in custody matter unless that court's discretion was erroneously exercised, or was exercised upon unfounded considerations or to an extent clearly unreasonable in light of evidence). The court recognized and considered Ellen's attempts to exclude Tom from the child's life, but on balance concluded that Ellen's role as primary care provider and the need to preserve the resulting close, warm, nurturing, and consistent relationship between Ellen and her daughter outweighed the other concerns. Overall, the evidence supports the court's decision to grant sole physical parental rights and responsibilities to Ellen rather than Tom. See Bissonette v. Gambrel, 152 Vt. 67, 70, 564 A.2d 600, 601-02 (1989) (court did not err by awarding custody to mother, who was primary care provider, despite evidence that mother's animosity and rebuff of father made it difficult for father to participate in child's care). Tom also argues that, by awarding Ellen sole physical parental rights and responsibilities, the court sanctioned what he calls Ellen's deliberate scheme to exclude him from the child's life and establish herself as the primary care provider. The findings do not support Tom's claim that Ellen acquired her status as primary care provider by limiting, and for a period cutting off completely, contact between Tom and the child. The court specifically found that Ellen has been the primary care provider from the birth of the child; although she sought to become the sole care provider after the parties filed for divorce, she was the primary care provider even before the separation. Moreover, the court neither sanctioned nor ignored Ellen's misconduct, but stated that Ellen needed to change her attitude toward Tom and his relationship with the child. In making its decision, however, the court appropriately focused on the best interest of the child, not equity between the parties. Id., at 70, 564 A.2d at 602; see also Orr v. Orr, 122 Vt. 470, 473, 177 A.2d 233, 235 (1962) (welfare of child is paramount concern; opposing desires of hostile parents, insofar as they conflict with well-being of child, must yield). The court was not free to punish Ellen for her behavior or reward Tom for his, but instead had to be guided by the needs of the child. See Nickerson v. Nickerson, 158 Vt. 85, 90, 605 A.2d 1331, 1334 (1992) (attention should be focused on needs of child rather than actions of parents).