Court Opinion

ID: 9796433
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 03:57:19.950493+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:50:18.446494
License: Public Domain

CAPLINGER, J.,
dissenting: I respectfully disagree with the majority’s conclusion that the district court did not abuse its discretion in deciding primary residential custody in this case. I would remand this case to the district court based on the district court’s failure to fully and consistently apply the “best interests of the child” standard in determining residential custody. Further, remand is appropriate because the district court erroneously concluded it could not consider factors relating to k parent’s religious practices, even if those practices adversely impacted the child’s interests.
*261Propriety of Legal Standard Applied by the District Court
Initially, I disagree with the majority’s conclusion that despite the district court’s multiple references to an improper legal standard, the court’s custody determination may nevertheless be affirmed.
As Father points out in his response brief, in its written order awarding residential custody to Mother, the district court referred on several occasions to the recommendations of the limited case manager (LCM). In fact, the court ultimately adopted the recommendations of the LCM, “as set forth in the updated LCM report dated May 16, 2008.” This decision was incorrect for two reasons.
First, the LCM testified that Mother should be awarded residential custody because there was no compelling reason to change an arrangement that was working well for the child. Significantly, before considering the factors set forth in K.S.A. 60-1610(a)(3)(B), the district court referred to this the incorrect legal standard cited by the LCM. The court then compounded this error by noting that while Father challenged the LCM’s conclusions with evidence he contended demonstrated he was better suited to be the child’s primary residential custodian, “[m]ost, but not all, of these factors are tied to Mother’s religious practices.” As will be discussed below, this too, was an erroneous legal conclusion.
Further, in adopting this “no compelling reason” standard the court explicitly ignored the LCM’s testimony at trial in which the LCM changed his recommendation based upon Mother’s testimony regarding the use of blood products. As the district court noted, the LCM ultimately recommended that because both parents were appropriate residential custodians, Father should be awarded residential custody based upon Mother’s views founded upon her religious practice. Nevertheless, the district court again erroneously determined that it was “bound by precedent which prohibits consideration of this factor.”
The majority concludes that the district court’s references to this “no compelling reason” standard merely referred to the weight of *262the evidence in favor of maintaining the existing residency arrangement, not any legal standard itself. The error in the majority’s conclusion, however, is revealed in the district court’s concluding paragraph, in which the court emphatically states: “Once the court sifts through those factors which can he considered in a custody case, the Court reaches the same conclusion as the limited case managers written recommendation. There is no compelling reason to significantly change the arrangement that has existed all of [J.D.H.’s] life.”
Unlike the majority, I would not attempt to minimize the district court’s multiple references to the incorrect legal standard, particularly when the court initiated and concluded its analysis with these incorrect statements, clearly indicating its reliance on that standard. Instead, I would remand this case to the district court with instructions to consistently apply the “best interests of the child” standard to this initial custody determination.
Further, as discussed below, the district court’s application of the incorrect legal standard is irreversibly intertwined with its erroneous legal conclusion that a parent’s religious practices may not be considered in a custody determination regardless of their impact upon the best interests of the child.
Failure to Consider Evidence Relevant to “Best Interests of Child”
I also disagree with the majority’s conclusion regarding the extent to which one parent’s religious practices may be considered by the district court in determining primary residential custody, and I would find the district court erred in refusing to consider evidence of religious practices to the extent it pertained to the court’s determination of the best interests of the child.
Specifically, I cannot reconcile the majority’s analysis of our Supreme Court’s holding in Sinclair v. Sinclair, 204 Kan. 240, 461 P.2d 750 (1969), with the district court’s paramount obligation to consider the child’s best interests in making a custody determination.
The majority correctly recites Sinclair s synopsis of the court’s holding in Jackson v. Jackson, 181 Kan. 1, 309 P.2d 705 (1957): *263“The import of our holding in Jackson was that religious views alone afford no ground for depriving custody to a parent who is otherwise qualified.” (Emphasis added.) Sinclair, 204 Kan. at 244. The majority further recites Sinclair s recognition that Jackson emphasized that the “paramount consideration of the court in custody cases between parents is always the welfare and best interests of the children.” 204 Kan. at 244.
Despite this recognition of the trial court’s overriding obligation to determine the welfare and best interests of the child, the majority nevertheless restricts Sinclair s conclusion as follows: “Sinclair teaches that while religious views and practices alone may not be considered in a child custody case, Kansas courts may consider the parent’s utter disregard and indijference’ to children where religious beliefs precipitated’ that parent’s neglect of the children. [Citation omitted.]” (Emphasis added.) Finally, the majority concludes, “In summary, Kansas law provides that a parent’s religious beliefs and practices may not be considered by the trial court as a basis to deprive that parent of custody unless there is a showing of actual harm to the health and welfare of the child caused by those religious beliefs and practices.”
The majority then proceeds to analyze the evidence presented in this case with respect to Mother’s religious practices and to eventually conclude that Father failed to prove that any of Mother’s actions caused actual physical or emotional harm to the child.
I would hold that Sinclair means what it says — i.e., that “religious views alone afford no ground for depriving custody to a parent who is otherwise qualified.” 204 Kan. at 244. And while the evidence in Sinclair established that the mother’s religious beliefs “precipitated a course of action on her part of utter disregard and indifference to her children and their activities,” 204 Kan. at 244, the court in that case did not restrict the trial court’s consideration to such egregious circumstances. Instead, the court emphasized that the trial court’s “paramount consideration” in a custody case is always the welfare and best interests of the child. 204 Kan. at 244; see also Anhalt v. Fesler, 6 Kan. App. 2d 921, 923, 636 P.2d 224 (1981) (“Religion and church attendance, although factors to *264be considered, are not alone sufficient to determine the best interests of minor children.” [Emphasis added.]).
In this regard, it is important to remember that custody disputes involve two parents — two parents who each have a fundamental right to exercise the care, custody, and control of their child. By concluding that one parent’s religious practices may not be considered in a custody determination unless those practices are shown to cause actual physical or emotional harm to the child, the majority has gutted the straightforward “best interests” standard. Further, the majority has essentially judicially mandated a preference for one parent’s fundamental right to the free exercise of religion over another parent’s fundamental liberty interest in exercising the care, custody, and control of the child. This cannot be the import of our case law on this difficult issue.
Thus, I would hold that to the extent one or both parents’ religious views and practices impact upon the child’s best interests, they are admissible and should be considered, along with all other evidence, by the trial court in making a custody determination.
District Court’s Application of Applicable Factors
Although the district court made numerous statements regarding its inability to consider mother’s religious practices and strongly qualified its ultimate conclusion based upon this perceived prohibition, the majority nevertheless concludes the district court’s ultimate determination is sound. The majority reasons that the district court appropriately based its determination upon all of the facts presented to the court, including those the court explicitly found it could not consider.
A review of the district court’s numerous statements regarding its inability to consider evidence of the effect of Mother’s religious practices upon the child reveals that this case should be remanded to the district court with instructions to consider the best interests of the child in light of all of the evidence presented.
First, regarding Father’s assertion that Mother’s religious beliefs as they related to prohibition on celebratory events were disruptive to the child’s social development, the district court recognized that Father presented evidence concerning anxiety experienced by the *265child in connection with celebration of holidays. However, the court simply concluded: “Case law which is binding precedent on this Court prohibits consideration of matters directly associated with decisions a parent makes in an effort to put into practices the teachings of that parent’s faith.”
Regarding Father’s assertion that Mother’s religious beliefs would prevent her from approving a blood transfusion, the trial court stated that “it was clear to the court that Mother was not going to disavow the teaching of the Jehovah’s Witnesses on the use of blood products.” In a footnote, the court found that these views would require mother to “deny blood products to her son under any medical circumstances.” Further, the court recognized that the LCM acknowledged at trial that “given the fact that either parent would be an appropriate residential custodian, the fact the Mother would not approve of the use of blood products would cause him to favor Father as a residential custodian.”
Despite the district court’s obvious concern regarding Mother’s religious views prohibiting the use of blood products, the court concluded it was “bound by Kansas case law which prohibits consideration of the beliefs of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, even insofar as these beliefs impact decisions made as to the future medical care and treatment of the minor child.”
Regarding Father’s concerns regarding the detrimental effect of the child’s exposure to Jehovah’s Witnesses activities, including up to 5 hours at a time of door-to-door proselytizing, the district court again concluded: “Kansas case law prohibits the Court from considering these factors.” Nevertheless, the court then appeared to consider this factor in isolation and determine that it did not “appear to have any adverse impact” on the child.
Regarding Father’s complaints that mother’s religious teachings have resulted in the child’s alienation from his father, the district court commented: “This is a particularly thorny issue for the Court to wade through.” The court resolved what it termed a “jurisprudential quagmire” by concluding that religious beliefs: “no matter how unorthodox, are constitutionally protected.” Finally, the court stated, “The teachings of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, including those that teach non-Jehovah’s Witnesses will suffer annihilation, may *266not be considered by this Court in deciding custody issues.” Despite these pronouncements, the district court then discussed some of the evidence concerning this issue and ambiguously concluded it was unclear from the evidence whether the child’s concerns regarding his father’s potential demise were “coming from things he is taught at church, or whether they are coming from Mother.” In any event, believing it was unable to consider religious practices, the district court ultimately cautioned Mother to “respect the bond” between Father and child.
Significantly, the district court then proceeded to consider other acts of alienation committed by Mother as alleged by Father — acts unrelated to religious practice — and concluded: “Although the court has concerns, Father has not established alienation to such a degree that justifies a change in custody.”
Finally, the district court’s conclusory paragraphs highlight the court’s struggle with its perceived inability to consider religious practices and their effect upon the child. In its conclusion, the court initially states: “Once those factors related to religion are removed from this case, what is left is a very bright little boy who is well adjusted to his current living environment.” (Emphasis added.)
In the second concluding paragraph, the court again prefaces its remarks with the statement: “Once the court sifts through those factors which can be considered in a custody case, the Court reaches the same conclusion as the limited case manager’s recommendation [as set forth in its report of May 16, 2008].” Importantly, the court then notes in a footnote that at trial, LCM altered his recommendation to conclude residential custody should be awarded to Father based upon Mother’s testimony concerning tire use of blood products, but the court restated its belief that it was “bound by precedent which prohibits consideration of this factor.” The court then concludes: “As such, the limited case manager’s revised recommendation is of little use since it depends in no small part on consideration of factors which the Court constitutionally may not take into account.”
Despite the district court’s numerous statements regarding its inability to consider mother’s religious practices or their effect *267upon the child, as well as the court’s strong quahfication of its ultimate conclusion based upon this same prohibition, the majority nevertheless concludes the district court’s ultimate determination is sound. Further, the majority reasons that the district court appropriately based its determination upon all of the facts presented to die court, including those the district court explicitiy found it could not consider.
Unlike the majority, I would not attempt to dissect and then reconstruct the district court’s custody determination. Instead, I would simply recognize that the district court erred in two significant respects: (1) in ultimately considering whether there was a “compelling reason” to alter the status quo with respect to residential custody instead of applying the “best interests” standard; and (2) in ruling that Kansas law did not allow it to consider evidence relating to the effect of a parent’s religious practices in making its custody determination.
I would remand this case to the district court for consideration of all of the evidence relevant to the child’s best interests, including but not limited to the impact of either or both parents’ religious practices. In making this determination, the district court should be mindful not to consider any factor in isolation or permit either parent’s religious practices to be the sole deciding factor in the custody determination. Further, the court should be mindful that both parents have a fundamental right to exercise the care, custody, and control of their child, just as both parents have a fundamental right to exercise their respective religious beliefs. These rights must be protected, of course, but must be considered in light of the district court’s overriding concern — that is, the best interests of the child.