Court Opinion

ID: 9522790
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 02:32:19.616743+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:03:56.010671
License: Public Domain

*111Dooley, J.,
¶ 18. dissenting. The majority’s holding in this case sends two unfortunate messages to litigants and family courts in future parental rights proceedings. First, a parent who attempts to cooperate in a custody transition may lose his or her custody rights because of the cooperation, and therefore parents must contest custody at every stage of the proceeding to preserve their rights. Second, the trial court’s discretion to determine the best interests of the child is limited to decisions involving the immediate short-term needs of the child and cannot include changes to respond to future anticipated needs, and therefore courts should expect more litigation of parental rights and parent-child contact as children grow. I think this decision will be a major impediment to needed flexibility in fashioning child custody and visitation awards, and we will regret that we imposed these limitations.
¶ 19. In this case, father elected not to contest mother’s request to retain primary rights and responsibilities until their child is old enough to attend kindergarten. Instead, he proposed an alternative that would give him liberal contact in the short term and primary rights and responsibilities in the long term. The trial court concluded that father’s proposal was in the best interests of the child, but the majority now rejects the order as unlawful. Not only does the majority’s rejection of the court’s decision penalize father for his effort to be amicable and cooperative, it also removes the trial court’s broad discretion in the area of child custody. Because I believe the trial court acted within its discretion in fashioning a parental rights and responsibilities order that was in the best interests of the child, I dissent.
¶ 20. I begin with the substance of the court’s order. The family court concluded that it was in the child’s best interests to have a meaningful relationship with both parents and accomplished this by awarding mother parental rights with liberal contact for father and then granting father parental rights once the child begins school. The court based its decision on extensive findings, including an analysis of the statutory best interest factors. 15 V.S.A. § 665. The court found that the parties’ child is well adjusted and has an excellent relationship with both of his parents. On most factors, the court found that the parents were equally able to parent and nurture their son. The court found, however, that two factors in particular favored father. On the parties’ relative abilities to meet the child’s present and future developmental needs, the court found that “[t]he one significant factor which *112favors [father] on this issue is [mother’s] evident predisposition to limit [father’s] role in [the child’s] life.” The court noted that mother was the child’s primary caregiver, but found this was outweighed by father’s superior ability “to foster a positive relationship and frequent and continuing contact with the other parent.” 15 V.S.A. § 665(b)(5). The court found that it was important for the child to have ongoing contact with both parents and concluded that father could better ensure that the child maintains a relationship with both parents.
¶21. While the majority briefly recounts the facts, I believe it is important to underscore that the trial court’s findings are supported by extensive evidence. Beginning even before the child was born, mother sought to limit father’s parental rights to his son. The court found that mother refused to have father’s name put on the birth certificate. In addition, mother left the state on three occasions, once when she was eight months pregnant, once in September 2005, and finally in February 2006 when she left permanently. The trial court found that mother desired to negate father’s parental rights by moving the child out of Vermont. When mother left for the final time on February 9, 2006, she did not tell father where she was going or that she was leaving with their child. The court found that mother’s actions were “calculated to minimize [father’s] ability to have meaningful and comfortable contact with his son.” Even after father filed for parentage, mother continued to be uncooperative in allowing father to see his son. Mother at first refused to acknowledge father’s paternity, but eventually mother stipulated that father was the child’s biological father. The parties agreed on a temporary order for parental rights and contact, which granted mother primary parental rights and responsibilities and gave father contact every other weekend, starting at 7:00 p.m. on Friday evening. The agreement also allowed father to have a weekday visit from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. When father sought to have the weekday visit on Fridays to allow him to pick up his son at a more reasonable hour and arrive home in time to have dinner and go to bed, mother refused.4
*113¶ 22. In reaching its decision, the court also had the benefit of a forensic evaluation completed prior to the final hearing. The evaluator recommended that mother have primary legal and physical responsibilities until the start of kindergarten, with gradually increased contact for father as the child grows. The evaluator did not make a recommendation as to what should happen after the child starts kindergarten.
¶ 23. At trial, father testified that he was in general agreement with the evaluator’s recommendation and did not contest mother continuing parental rights in the short-term as long as he was granted contact with the child from Wednesday evening through Sunday evening every other week, and primary rights and responsibilities once the child starts kindergarten. Father proposed that mother could have contact every weekend. Father explained that his work schedule would allow him to be home in the morning before school, take the child to school and to pick him up at the end of the day. In answer to why he was not contesting mother initially continuing parental rights, father stated:
this is a tough thing, this is not easy, and I want as little hard feelings to come out of this hearing as possible, so if I need to give a little bit now to, to help maintain the peace, I think, I think that should be done. I want us to get along.
¶ 24. Mother testified that she agreed with the evaluator’s recommendation to gradually increase father’s time with son. Mother opposed father’s proposal to transfer custody once the child begins school because she felt it would involve too much travel time for the child to visit her every weekend. Mother, however, did not object to father’s request based on an assertion that such an order would violate the law. In fact, mother requested that the court look forward and incorporate how parental rights and parent-child contact should change as the child gets older and starts school.
¶25. Given these facts, the court concluded that it was in the child’s best interests to design a transitional parental rights order. The court found that once the child starts kindergarten the current contact schedule would be impractical because the parties live too far apart to shuttle the child to and from the same school. *114Recognizing that this event will require diminishing parent-child contact for the noncustodial parent, the court concluded that it was in the child’s best interests for father to have primary-physical and legal responsibility and for mother to have liberal parent-child contact. The main reason for this was mother’s demonstrated inability to foster a positive relationship with father. As explained above, the court recognized mother’s status as primary caregiver, but found that the other factors weighed more heavily in father’s favor. See Habecker v. Giard, 2003 VT 18, ¶ 14, 175 Vt. 489, 820 A.2d 215 (mem.) (affirming trial court’s finding that the father’s ability to put children’s needs ahead of his own and to foster positive relationship with the mother outweighed the mother’s status as primary care provider). Because the court considered all of the statutory factors and its findings are supported by credible evidence, I would affirm. Instead, the majority concludes that the transfer is an automatic change provision that is unlawful and adopts a rule which rejects any future transfer of custody because this will be, as a matter of law, “not in the best interests of children.” Ante, ¶ 15.
¶ 26. First and foremost, this is a classic application of the adage: “let no good deed go unpunished.” As the family court reported, “Mother argues that changing custody before [the child] starts kindergarten would be a “violent dislocation’ that is not in [the child’s] best interest.” Father responded to mother’s “violent dislocation” argument by proposing a compromise that left the child in the mother’s primary custody until the child started kindergarten. While the court was not necessarily bound by father’s concession, it properly honored it as a voluntary settlement offer. See Harris v. Harris, 149 Vt. 410, 420, 546 A.2d 208, 215 (1988) (“We have a strong policy in favor of voluntary settlement of contested custody matters.”). Thereafter, mother did not object on the basis she now asserts — that it is beyond the court’s discretion to order a future transfer as a matter of law. See Sundstrom v. Sundstrom, 2004 VT 106, ¶ 21, 177 Vt. 577, 865 A.2d 358 (mem.) (“[T]o preserve an issue for appeal, a party must present the issue with specificity and clarity in a manner which gives the trial court a fair opportunity to rule on it.” (quotation omitted)). Not only did mother not claim such a compromise was unlawful, she essentially sought the compromise by objecting strenuously to any custody change before the child entered school. Had she objected to the transfer on the point now raised on *115appeal, father would have had the opportunity to devise an alternative schedule and the court could have considered the parties’ proposals with her objection in mind.
¶ 27. The majority ignores mother’s lack of preservation and the invited error, and blindsides father for proposing the compromise in the first instance. As I have observed before, it is in the child’s worst interests to be subjected to continuous litigation over custody, which is the real result here. Cloutier v. Blowers, 172 Vt. 450, 457-58, 783 A.2d 961, 967 (2001) (Dooley J., dissenting). We are inflicting an injustice on the child under the guise of protecting the child’s best interests, and ignoring preservation requirements to do so. At the same time, we are encouraging parents to fight and never compromise.
¶28. Putting aside the unique circumstances of this case that make the majority’s application of a new rule inappropriate, I also believe that for general reasons the majority’s bright-line rule should not be adopted. The majority argues that the disputed provision delaying the transfer of custody is unlawful because it is “contrary to precedent and contravene[s] policies behind the child custody statutes.” Ante, ¶ 7. I have looked at our precedents and the “policies behind the child custody statutes,” id., and find no requirement for such a bright-line rule. Indeed, I believe that the new rule is inconsistent with the policies behind the child custody statutes and our precedent for four specific reasons. The most important of these reasons, as discussed below, is the fourth, but I have put it last because the others reasons are important and would alone cause me to reject the majority decision.
¶29. First, we must acknowledge that our primary rule has been to give trial courts broad discretion in fashioning parental rights and responsibilities orders. The majority’s blanket prohibition detrimentally removes necessary discretion from the family court, and is contrary to our cases that have unequivocally afforded the family court broad discretion in assigning parental rights and responsibilities. See Rogers v. Parrish, 2007 VT 35, ¶ 26, 181 Vt. 485, 923 A.2d 607; Kasper v. Kasper, 2007 VT 2, ¶ 5, 181 Vt. 562, 917 A.2d 463 (mem.). We generally affirm the court’s findings in child custody matters unless they are clearly erroneous, and “[wjhere the family court’s award of custody reflects its reasoned judgment in light of the record evidence, its decision [is not] disturbed.” Kasper, 2007 VT 2, ¶ 5. Thus, in this case, while a court cannot make a future determination of a child’s best *116interests, a court certainly can use its common sense to determine that once a child starts school the child’s schedule will change and consequently liberal parent-child contact must also change. See id. ¶ 6 (explaining that family court can use its common sense and life experience in delineating parental rights).
¶ 30. Second, we must recognize that we have previously upheld orders that change parent-child contact at a future date or when a child enters school with no hint that such an order is illegal. See Heffernan v. Harbeson, 2004 VT 98, ¶ 13, 177 Vt. 239, 861 A.2d 1149 (affirming parent-child contact schedule that changes once child begins school); Nickerson v. Nickerson, 158 Vt. 85, 87, 605 A.2d 1331, 1332 (1992) (outlining parent-child contact schedule that changes once younger child turns two and again when child reaches school age); see also Trim v. Brunton, No. 2005-027, 2005 WL 6151846, at *1 (Vt. Oct. 28, 2005) (unpub. mem.), available at http://www.vermontjudiciary.Org/d-upeo/eo05-027.F.aspx (affirming custody order maintaining the existing contact schedule of alternating weeks with mother until the child entered kindergarten, when visitation would change to every other weekend). Indeed, my sense from reviewing family court divorce and parentage orders is that such provisions are routine. The majority’s rationale appears to apply equally to parental rights and responsibility orders as well as parent-child contact orders. Thus, I assume these routine parent-child contact orders are now illegal, and our earlier cases allowing them are now overruled. Rather than being commanded by precedent, the majority’s new rule overturns precedent.
¶ 31. Third, in general, we have allowed creative custody orders even though their elements are not specifically authorized by statute. For example, in Kasper, this Court held that the trial court had discretion to award physical responsibilities to the father and legal rights and responsibilities to the mother. 2007 VT 2, ¶ 7; see also Solsaa v. Solsaa, 2008 VT 138, ¶ 8, 185 Vt. 587, 969 A.2d 116 (mem.). In addition, this Court has concluded that the family court has discretion to award responsibility for decisions in some areas to father and for other areas to mother. See Shea v. Metcalf, 167 Vt. 494, 498, 712 A.2d 887, 889 (1998) (affirming division of discrete legal rights and responsibilities between mother and father). Moreover, we have worked out practical approaches to be sure that changes of circumstances and their consequences are properly evaluated in determining parental rights and responsibilities. See Gazo v. Gazo, 166 Vt. 434, 441-42, *117697 A.2d 342, 346 (1997) (explaining that mother must choose and either tell the trial court she plans to move so that the court can factor this into the custody decision as an anticipated event, or tell the court that she will not move so that any move will be unanticipated for the purposes of modification). We have limited the trial court’s discretion in crafting parental rights orders only in cases where the Legislature has clearly indicated by statute that the court’s power is limited. See Cabot v. Cabot, 166 Vt. 485, 493, 697 A.2d 644, 649 (1997) (concluding that the family court exceeded its authority by ordering joint legal parental rights and responsibilities where 15 V.S.A. § 665(a) specifically precluded such an arrangement in the absence of agreement by the parties).
¶ 32. Fourth, the application of the majority’s restrictive rule is inconsistent with our settled law on modification of custody orders. That law, which allows modification only upon a showing of an unanticipated change of circumstances, prevents the majority’s announced purpose of its rule — to prevent speculation on a child’s future needs — from being fulfilled. As the majority states, “[t]he variables are simply too unfixed to determine at the time of a final divorce decree what the circumstances of the parties will be at the time a future contingency occurs.” Ante, ¶ 10. It goes on to reason that “[a]s a result, the family court cannot resolve prospectively whether an automatic change in custody will be in the best interests of the child at the time of the triggering event.” Id. That rationale would make sense if the court could reevaluate custody at the time of the triggering event, in this case the child’s entry into school, but it is inapplicable, and seriously misguided, if the court cannot make that reevaluation. Our custody modification law prevents that reevaluation.
¶ 33. The governing statute provides that a court may modify a custody order “upon a showing of real, substantial and unanticipated change of circumstances.” 15 V.S.A. § 668. Most relevant to this appeal is the requirement that the change be “unanticipated.” A change is unanticipated if it was “not expected at the time of divorce.” Hoover v. Hoover, 171 Vt. 256, 258 n.2, 764 A.2d 1192, 1193 n.2 (2000); see also Sundstrom, 2004 VT 106, ¶ 35 (following Hoover). For example, if at the time of a divorce, the parties contemplated that the custodial parent would move from Washington County, Vermont to Albany, New York, such a move cannot subsequently be a change of circumstances to trigger a custody modification because it was not unanticipated. Dunning v. Meany, 161 Vt. 287, 290, 640 A.2d 3, 5 (1993).
*118¶ 34. In this case, the child’s attendance at school is anticipated; indeed, it is virtually certain. As we noted in Pigeon v. Pigeon, “a child’s maturation from dependent infant to increasingly autonomous and active school-aged child, rather than being unanticipated, is a welcome and expected fact of life.” 173 Vt. 464, 466, 782 A.2d 1236, 1238 (2001) (mem.). Therefore, it cannot be the grounds for a modification of custody when it occurs. Mother raises exactly this limitation in this case. She argues that the start of school is an anticipated life event and therefore not a requisite unanticipated change of circumstances that would meet the threshold requirement for changing custody.
¶ 35. Thus, the majority’s reason for imposing its rigid rule is a fiction. Whatever custody determination is reached on remand, it will commence before the child attends school and continue after the child attends school without change. Directly contrary to the majority’s rationale, it will be based on a prediction of “what the circumstances of the parties will be at the time a future contingency [starting school] occurs.” Ante, ¶ 10. In effect, the trial court will by default be making exactly the prediction the majority bars the trial court from making. Assuming the family court sees the circumstances the same way after remand, the difference between the order that has been reversed and the new order is that the new one will not be in the child’s best interests, either in the short run before the child enters school, or in the long run thereafter.
¶ 36. Putting aside the policy reasons why I believe that the majority’s decision is wrong, I also disagree with the majority’s argument that its rule is compelled by our case law, specifically the decision in deBeaumont v. Goodrich, 162 Vt. 91, 644 A.2d 843 (1994), the primary precedent relied upon by the majority. In deBeaumont, the final order granted mother sole parental rights and responsibilities and father parent-child contact three days each week. The order also contained a provision mandating that if either party moved more than fifty miles from his or her current home the move would be a change of circumstances and would give the court jurisdiction to reconsider parental rights. Thereafter, mother moved out of state and sought sole parental rights and responsibilities. We held that the provision was effective to demonstrate changed circumstances because it was based on a stipulation of the parties and it established a reasonable benchmark to determine changed circumstances. Id. at 96, 644 A.2d at *119846. We cautioned, however, that we would not give effect to a provision “that would automatically change custody because of a relocation by the physical custodian” because it would rest on mere speculation of the future best interests of the children. Id. at 97, 644 A.2d at 846. We distinguished the facts in deBeaumont because that order dealt only with the threshold finding of a change of circumstances and still required an assessment of the child’s best interests by the court. Id.
¶ 37. I disagree that this case involves the kind of automatic change provision deBeaumont referenced. This transfer is not an open-ended clause allowing an automatic transfer upon an indefinite event, such as the custodial parent’s relocation. Instead, the transfer is to occur at a date certain because of a known and anticipated change in the child’s life. Moreover, the order is premised on the undisputed fact that once the child starts school the child will necessarily not be able to split time between the parents in the manner the parties are currently doing. Although the trial court found that this change would affect the child, there could be no reexamination of custody at that time because the triggering event is anticipated. This is in contrast to deBeaumont where the event was unanticipated and could trigger a change of circumstances sufficient to warrant modification.
¶ 38. Similarly, I do not believe this case is governed by the long list of eases from other states that the majority cites for the proposition that “automatic change provisions in custody orders are impermissible.” Ante, ¶ 9. Most of the cases cited are relocation cases, like deBeaumont, in which the trial court mandates that if the custodial parent moves out of a certain area, then custody will automatically transfer to the other parent. See, e.g., Hovater v. Hovater, 577 So. 2d 461, 463 (Ala. Civ. App. 1990) (giving no effect to clause that would automatically divest parent of physical custody if she moved out of school district); Emerick v. Emerick, 502 A.2d 933, 938 (Conn. App. Ct. 1985); In re Marriage of Seitzinger, 775 N.E.2d 282, 289 (Ill. App. Ct. 2002) (invalidating provisions in final order automatically changing primary physical custodian' upon parent’s move from certain counties). Others automatically change custody upon other nonspecific events, such as the custodial parent’s change of living situation, association with a particular person or choice to pursue a certain career. See, e.g., Pardue v. Pardue, 518 So. 2d 954, 956-57 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1988) (invalidating provision automatically revoking *120custody in wife if she pursues a musical career); Cook v. Cook, 920 So. 2d 981, 983 (La. Ct. App. 2006) (vacating order that would automatically change custody of minor children to father if mother associated with a certain person); Huft v. Huft, No. C8-02-1986, 2003 WL 21525042, at *2 (Minn. Ct. App. July 8, 2003) (reversing order that allowed father to obtain joint custody if he completed certain requirements).
¶ 39. The concern of these cases is that it is pure speculation to surmise how future unknown events will alter a child’s situation and, therefore, it is impossible to know what a child’s future best interests will be. See Hovater, 577 So. 2d at 463. I share this general concern about reversionary clauses such as those cited above, but conclude that the order in this case is simply not such an automatic change provision.
¶ 40. I acknowledge that there are also a few cases wherein courts have nullified provisions that involve a transfer on a given date or when the child reaches a certain age, but the ability to modify a custody order in the future may be different in these jurisdictions.5 I am not persuaded that these cases present any cogent reasoning for adopting the bright-line rule advanced by the majority. Generally, these cases seem to regurgitate the generally adopted rule that provisions automatically changing custody on the occurrence of an event are invalid. See, e.g., Cleveland v. Cleveland, 18 So. 3d 950, 952 (Ala. Civ. App. 2009) (eliminating clause in divorce judgment that automatically transformed mother’s physical custody of daughter into joint physical custody at daughter’s first birthday); Herstine v. Herstine, No. 13873, 1994 WL 37209, at *3 (Ohio Ct. App. Feb. 9, 1994) (invalidating *121provision that transferred custody from father to mother after one year from entry of order); In re Marriage of Jacobson, 735 P.2d 627, 628-29 (Or. Ct. App. 1987) (“[A] dissolution court would lack the power to order an automatic change of custody operative solely on the occurrence of a birthday, the end of a school year or any other such happening. Further, we doubt that a court could ever provide for an automatic change of custody on the happening of any general or specific event.”); In re Marriage of Compton, 33 P.3d 369, 373 (Or. Ct. App. 2001) (nullifying provision allowing child to express preference for residence once child reaches high school). Moreover, while there may have been sound reasons for a court in a particular situation to reject a transfer clause, see Jacobson, 735 P.2d at 628 (invalidating provision to change custody to father when child reaches age twelve, more than ten years after the judgment), I conclude that the trial court is in a better position to determine this on an individualized basis, see id. at 631-32 (Rossman, J., dissenting) (concluding that trial courts should have discretion to determine if a future change in custody from one parent to another is in the child’s best interests).
¶ 41. The necessity of an individualized assessment is illustrated here. The family court judge struggled with the conflicting pressures of meeting the child’s needs in the short and long terms in fashioning its order. The court balanced the hardship caused to the child by transferring custody to father “versus the strong potential for stability from age six to eighteen.” The court arrived at its decision after considering the child’s best interests both now and in the future. The majority argues that future transfers of custody always build instability and disruption into a child’s life. In this case, however, the trial court found exactly the opposite, and the finding is supported by the evidence. The court found that the child has a good relationship with both parents and adjusts well to transitions between his parents’ households. In addition, the court fashioned a gradual transition schedule to minimize instability.
¶ 42. I disagree with the majority’s criticism of this gradual transition schedule. The majority asserts that the parental rights and responsibility order is prohibited by 15 V.S.A. § 665(a) because it requires parents to cooperate during the transitional period. The majority further contends that requiring such cooperation is akin to a situation in which parents are forced to share parental rights, which is not allowed under the statute. I fail to understand *122how this situation is the same. The problem with forced sharing is that no one parent is in charge and “by forcing unwilling parents to share parental rights and make joint decisions, a court risks placing a child in the middle of constant and harmful disputes.” Cabot, 166 Vt. at 494, 697 A.2d at 650. There is no forced sharing in this case. Under the court’s order, there is always a primary parent. In addition, although there is a transitional period, which requires consultation, it is not contrary to the statute or policy to require parents to consult and cooperate with one another. See id. at 495, 697 A.2d at 650-51 (court may require primary parent to consult with noncustodial parent); see also 15 V.S.A. § 665(d) (court may order custodial parent to inform other parent of major changes). Thus, I disagree with the majority that § 665 and the policy expressed therein prohibit the trial court from designating an award of future custody.
¶ 43. I have commented in the past on the tendency of this Court to pay lip service to a discretionary standard of review in contested custody cases, but to actually engage in de novo review. See Cloutier, 172 Vt. at 456-57, 783 A.2d at 966. This case should be viewed as another example of that trend as this Court limits family court discretion in the name of an inappropriate and rigid rule of law. It should come as no surprise that in doing so the majority ignored normal preservation rules and punished the party who made a voluntary concession to reduce the acrimony between the parents. Rather than rendering all such orders unenforceable, this Court should encourage the foresight displayed by the trial court in this case. When a court can respond to anticipated life changes and build corresponding changes in parental rights and parent-child contact into final orders, then these changes will not require court intervention and parents will not be required to continually go to court to alter schedules that are no longer practical for a child’s lifestyle.
¶44. Whether we would have reached the same result as the family court is not the point. Kasper, 2007 VT 2, ¶ 7 (“Whether the family court had other effective options is not the focus of our inquiry.”). The trial court has broad discretion in custody cases, and the court should have discretion to do what it did here in order to protect the best interests of the child. The abuse of discretion lies with us for not staying within our limited role. I believe that the court acted within its discretion in this case, and would affirm on that basis.

 Mother argues that in denying father’s request she was simply abiding by the exact terms of the temporary order and that her refusal to deviate from the agreement should not be held against her. While I agree with mother that she was not obligated to grant father’s request, I also conclude that mother’s refusal to cooperate was relevant to the trial court’s determination of whether mother is able *113to foster a positive relationship and frequent contact with father. See 15 V.S.A. § 665(b)(5).

 As explained, our law sets a high bar for modification of custody, requiring a threshold showing of a “real, substantial and unanticipated change of circumstances.” 15 V.S.A. § 668. The threshold requirement for modification in other jurisdictions is not as stringent. For example, in Alabama, modification does not depend on demonstrating that the change was unanticipated. Instead, “the party seeking to modify a prior custody decree bears the burden of proving that the change in custody materially promotes the welfare and best interest of the child in a manner sufficient to more than offset the effects caused by the uprooting of the child from his present custodian.” Reuter v. Neese, 586 So. 2d 232, 234 (Ala. Civ. App. 1991) (quotation omitted). In addition, in Ohio, the passage of a substantial period of time such as from “infancy to early adolescence” is a sufficient change to warrant inquiry into whether the best interests of the child would be served by a change in custody. Perz v. Perz, 619 N.E.2d 1094, 1096-97 (Ohio Ct. App. 1993).