Court Opinion

ID: 9513716
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-06 22:39:31.822027+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:05:59.370063
License: Public Domain

MARING, Justice,
dissenting.
[¶ 37] I respectfully dissent. The trial court did not err in denying -Sherri an evidentiary hearing.
[¶ 38] Originally, Sherri stipulated to Roger having primary physical custody of their twelve-year-old daughter and nine-year-old son. Subsequently, Sherri brought a change of custody motion for both children on August 21, 2002. In her motion to modify custody, she alleged that Roger’s failure to provide adequate care for the minor children and his willful and consistent interference with her visitation constituted a material change in circumstances.
[¶ 39] Under the divorce judgment entered in May 2000, Sherri received liberal visitation including:, “a. Alternating major holidays of .... b. Up to four (4) weeks each summer, c. The children may spend time with Sherri after school and on her days off. If Roger is unavailable to care for the children Sherri shall, be the preferred caregiver, d. Other visitation as agreed by the parties.” Sherri’s first affidavit dated July 19, 2002, consists, mainly of general allegations with only two specific incidents described. One concerning a denial of after school visitation which resulted from a *632late return and the other alleging Roger left their son home alone when he was sick one day. In Sherri’s September 10, 2002, affidavit, which is her response to Roger’s affidavit, she alleges she received only two and one-half weeks of summer visitation in 2002. She never alleges why she did not receive more. She alleges she did not receive four weeks in 2000 or 2001, but we are never told how much visitation she did receive. She alleges she requested “extended” summer visitation, but Roger made excuses why she could not have the full four weeks. She also alleges that “[w]hen I would ask the plaintiff for visitation on my days off, he would tell me that [our daughter] had agreed to baby-sit twice per week.” She never alleges a time period or dates. Finally, she alleges that on Father’s Day in 2002, she took the children to a movie that made her late returning the children, and as a result, Roger would not let her see the children the entire next week, and she lost six hours of visitation.
[¶ 40] Our Court has emphasized that frustration of visitation does not alone constitute a material change in circumstances to warrant change in custody. Sweeney v. Sweeney, 2002 ND 206, ¶ 11, 654 N.W.2d 407 (quoting Anderson v. Resler, 2000 ND 183, ¶ 9, 618 N.W.2d 480). Our Court has suggested a trial court should first resort to a more rigid visitation schedule, rather than a change in custody unless the visitation problems have resulted in adverse affects to the child’s best interests. Id. Allegations of general problems with summer visitation without any allegation specifically describing the circumstances; a problem with visitation generally on Sherri’s days off because the daughter babysits; and one incident of the loss of after-school visitation because Sherri returned the children home late on Father’s Day are not sufficient facts to show a material change of circumstances necessitating a modification of custody in the best interests of the children. A motion to modify the visitation schedule would be more appropriate than a motion to modify custody.
[¶ 41] With regard to the allegations in the affidavits of Sherri that Roger is not providing adequate care for the children, she states that on Labor Day 2000, the children were left alone, but that the daughter did reach Roger eventually on his cell phone; she states the son was left alone during the day once when he was sick; she states Roger had not replaced an expired injector for the son’s allergy to peanuts; and she states Roger does not make the son bathe or brush his teeth regularly. Although all of these allegations evidence a parent, who is perhaps, more laid back than appropriate to some, they do not show a material change in circumstances or that modification is necessary in the children’s best interests.
[¶ 42] If the affidavits contained allegations of multiple specific dates on which these children were left alone at night or during the day when they were sick, it may rise to a “material” change in circumstances and modification may be necessary in the children’s best interests. If there were specific allegations that the child’s hygiene was adversely affecting him physically or emotionally, and if Roger’s failure to refill the injector immediately upon its expiration seriously endangered the child, and such neglect continued, custody modification due to a material change of circumstances, may be necessary in the child’s best interests. However, these incidents appear to be one time occurrences and not permanent or continuous and not significant or material.
[¶43] The majority opinion relies on the children’s preference to live with Sherri to show a material change in circumstances. The first affidavit of Sherri never *633mentions this preference. It is in her Responsive Affidavit that a preference is stated, but no persuasive reasons for this preference of the children are stated. The only allegation is a general statement that the children complain regularly about their current living arrangement. We have stated that a mature child’s preference should only be considered if there are persuasive reasons for it. Krizan v. Krizan, 1998 ND 186, ¶ 9, 585 N.W.2d 576. In this case we are left to speculate why the children want to live with Sherri. Not every change in circumstances is a “material” change warranting a modification of custody. See Kelly v. Kelly, 2002 ND 37, ¶¶ 46, 47, 50, 640 N.W.2d 38 (Maring, J., concurring specially) (suggesting the Legislature intended to curtail hearings on custody modification by requiring a “material” change of circumstances, which should be defined as a significant or important change that has a negative impact on the well-being of the child).
[IT 44] As I stated in my dissent in Mock v. Mock, 2004 ND 14, in order for affidavits to establish a prima facie case for modification, they must be made on firsthand knowledge; be specific and detailed; contain facts that support a continuing and significant, not minor or trivial, change in the child’s circumstances; and contain facts that establish a “significant degree of danger” for endangerment to a child’s physical and emotional health and development. These affidavits do not- establish a prima facie case for a modification of child custody.
[¶ 45] The trial court’s explanation for denying the evidentiary hearing. explicitly considered and rejected as insufficient the facts alleged. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying an eviden-tiary hearing, and I would affirm its order.
[¶ 46] The majority establishes a de novo standard for review of a trial court’s denial of an evidentiary hearing for child custody modifications without citation to any authority. See Orvedal v. Orvedal, 2003 ND 145, ¶ 10, 669 N.W.2d 89 (stating this Court applies the de novo standard of review to questions of law). In Nice-Petersen v. Nice-Petersen, 310 N.W.2d 471, 472 (Minn.1981), the Minnesota Supreme Court applied an abuse of discretion standard of review. With the exception of Griese v. Kamp, 666 N.W.2d 404 (Minn.Ct.App.2003), and Ross v. Ross, 477 N.W.2d 753 (Minn.Ct.App.1991), the majority of the Minnesota Appellate Courts, however, have applied an abuse of discretion standard of review. See Geibe v. Geibe, 571 N.W.2d 774, 777 (Minn.Ct.App.1997) (stating, “[s]ubsequent decisions by this court have applied an abuse of discretion standard ..., relying on the court’s general broad discretion in custody matters”). Neither Griese nor Ross address the abuse of discretion standard used by the Minnesota Supreme Court in Nice-Petersen. Although the Minnesota Supreme Court has not directly addressed the conflict among the Minnesota Courts of Appeals’ panels on this standard of review issue, it applied an abuse of discretion standard in reviewing whether a district court properly denied a request for an evidentiary hearing under Minn.Stat. § 518.185. Valentine v. Lutz, 512 N.W.2d 868, 872 (Minn.1994).
[¶ 47] Recently, the Supreme Court of Washington concluded that application of an abuse of discretion standard of review is more appropriate in these cases than the de novo standard of review. In re the Parentage of Jannot, 149 Wash.2d 123, 65 P.3d 664, 666 (2003). The Supreme Court of Washington reasoned:
[W]e recognize that a trial judge does stand in a better position than an appellate judge to decide whether submitted affidavits establish adequate cause for a *634full hearing on a petition to modify a parenting plan.
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Most importantly, in the area of domestic relations, the appellate courts have granted deference to the trial courts because “[t]he emotional and financial interests affected by such decisions are best served by finality,” and de novo review may encourage appeals. We also recognize that extended litigation can be harmful to children.
In re the Parentage of Jannot, at 666 (internal citations omitted). I would submit that we should adopt the reasoning of the Supreme Courts of Washington and Minnesota and hold that our Court may overturn a trial court’s prima facie determination only if the trial court has abused its discretion.
[¶ 48] It should be noted that North Dakota has applied the abuse of discretion standard of review to other family law issues. We apply the abuse of discretion standard when reviewing a trial court’s decision on motions to alter or amend divorce judgments and for interim orders for temporary custody. Cline v. Cline, 1998 ND App 11, ¶ 7, 585 N.W.2d 145. We review a motion to retroactively modify child support under an abuse of discretion standard of review. Krizan, 1998 ND 186, ¶ 13, 585 N.W.2d 576. In some limited areas, we review child support determinations under an abuse of discretion standard of review. Johnson v. Johnson, 2002 ND 151, ¶ 8, 652 N.W.2d 315. “Normally, in reviewing an exercise of the district court’s authority to maintain the status quo pending a hearing on the merits, we will apply an abuse of discretion standard.” Hanson v. Hanson, 1997 ND 151, ¶ 7, 567 N.W.2d 216. “We review the effective date for a modification of child support under an abuse of discretion standard.” Hilgers v. Hilgers, 2002 ND 173, ¶ 18, 653 N.W.2d 79.
[¶ 49] For these reasons, I respectfully dissent and would affirm the trial court’s decision under an abuse of discretion standard of review.
[¶ 50] Mary Muehlen Maring