Court Opinion

ID: 9558829
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 17:17:46.368452+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:09:37.004650
License: Public Domain

COMPTON, Justice,
dissenting in part.
In the past decade, courts and legislatures have come to realize that spousal abuse affects the interests of children in custody determinations. Accordingly, in 1989 the Alaska Legislature amended AS 25.20.090 and AS 25.24.150 to include any “history of violence between the parents” as a factor to be considered in custody determinations. Ch. 52, §§ 1-2, SLA 1989; see Lowdermilk v. Lowdermilk, 825 P.2d 874 (Alaska 1992) (failure to consider spousal abuse is abuse of discretion).
*812I am persuaded that the trial court did not correctly address the issue of violence between Richard and Ann. The evidence shows: (1) Richard physically abused Ann; and (2) Ann made abusive and disparaging remarks about Richard in Elizabeth’s presence.1 From this the trial court concluded that “[w]hile the parties presented evidence at trial that some physical and verbal abuse by each other occurred in the past, there is no showing that such conduct is effecting, has effected, or will effect [sic] significantly the emotional or physical well-being of Elizabeth.” In this court’s words, the trial court “made specific findings that there was no showing that the abuse affected or would affect Elizabeth.” Op. at 808.
The trial court did not consider that Ann’s alleged “verbal abuse” toward and “denigration” of Richard might have been in response to Richard’s physical abuse. There is support for the proposition that conduct provoking spousal abuse should be viewed as a mitigating factor in the court’s consideration. See Nale v. Nale, 409 So.2d 1299, 1302 (La.Ct.App.1982) (mother’s discharging shotgun at father in response to argument did not warrant award of custody of child to father); Lovett v. Lovett, 164 N.W.2d 793, 801 (Iowa 1969) (provocation is a defense to divorce based on verbal cruelty and abuse).
The trial court’s approach to the issue of spousal abuse illustrates the problem with its judgment: the fruits of the physical abuse were used against the victim in the custody determination. Ann’s alleged verbal abuse was used both to neutralize Richard’s physical abuse, and to illustrate her alleged emotional problems, which the trial court concluded favored granting Richard custody of Elizabeth:
Some of Ann’s emotional issues are to be expected given her role during the marriage and the parties’ relative emotional strengths and weaknesses, with Richard having the much stronger personality and motivation; however, whatever their legitimacy and source, Ann’s emotional circumstances will prevent her from meeting Elizabeth’s emotional needs as well as Richard can.
(Emphasis added).
We have held that it is an abuse of discretion to “fail[ ] to make findings in regard to spousal abuse ..., and its effect — if any — on [the wife’s] apparently unacceptable mental state.” Lowdermilk, 825 P.2d at 879. Richard should not be permitted to benefit from his physical abuse.
I would remand the custody issue to consider also whether Richard’s physical abuse provoked Ann’s verbal abuse, or contributed to Ann’s apparently unacceptable “emotional circumstances.”

. There was no evidence presented that Ann physically abused Richard. Whether her verbal abuse toward and denigration of Richard in Elizabeth’s presence is "domestic violence" or “violence between the parents” is debatable. However, for the purpose of this dissent I accept that such conduct constitutes spousal abuse.