Court Opinion

ID: 9784293
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-30 20:41:41.437154+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:35:52.341155
License: Public Domain

Paddock, J.,
dissenting: I respectfully dissent.
The majority found that the trial court, without benefit of substantial evidence, presumed that the requirements of K.S.A. 38-129 were satisfied. The majority recognized that the trial court’s findings based on a mere presumption would require reversal according to this court’s decision in Santaniello v. Santaniello, 18 Kan. App. 2d 112, 850 P.2d 269 (1992).
Notwithstanding, the majority has affirmed the trial court by means of creating an exception to the requirements of K.S.A. 38-129 and specifically the “substantial relationship” requirement.
I disagree with this approach for several reasons. First, unless there is a constitutional defect in the statute, which is not claimed here, the drafting of statutory exceptions should be left to legislative wisdom and not that of this court. Second, the trial court did not find that the mother denied the grandparents visitation without compelling reasons. However, the majority, by formulating the exception, is reaching that conclusion. Finally, and more importantly, affirming the trial court would permit grandparent visitation without there being substantial evidence that visitation is in the child’s best interests. In fact, there was evidence to the contrary. The mother testified that the grandfather physically abused his son by beating him with the butt of a gun. The mother also testified that because the child was very shy she might not take well to her grandparents, who are essentially strangers to her.
In formulating an exception to the statute, the majority is encouraged by the decision in In re Hough, 590 N.W.2d 556 (Iowa App. 1999), which is cited as having similar facts to the instant case. However, Hough is dissimilar on the facts in several particulars. First, Iowa Code § 598.35(7) (1997) establishes a grandparent’s right to seek visitation where “[a] parent of the child unreasonably refuses to allow visitation by the grandparent or *300unreasonably restricts] visitation.” Additionally, the Iowa trial court found that the grandparents had been unreasonably denied visitation because nothing in the record indicated the child would be harmed by contact with the grandparents. Finally, the Iowa court’s finding that the grandparents had established a substantial relationship with the child was supported to some extent by the fact that the child and his mother had lived with the grandparents for 3 weeks after the child’s birth.
I would follow Santaniello and reverse the trial court.