Court Opinion

ID: 9546857
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 17:36:41.858923+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:16:57.521880
License: Public Domain

CARTER, J.
I dissent.
At the time this matter arose, section 1431 of the Probate Code provided, in part, that when a minor has a disputed claim for damages “his father, or if his father is dead or the parents of said minor are living separate or apart and his mother then has care or custody of said minor then his mother, shall have the right to compromise, or execute a covenant not to sue. . . .” (Emphasis added.)
Although it did not appear in the mother’s petition for approval of the settlement of the minor’s claim, or in the court’s order of approval, that the father was dead, or that the child’s parents were living separate or apart, or that she had the care or custody of the child, extrinsic evidence showed that the parents were divorced and that by court decree, they were given joint legal custody with “personal” custody in the mother.
A majority of this court has determined that the words “care or custody” were intended by the Legislature to give the mother authority to compromise a disputed claim if she had the care of the child whether or not she had custody of him. “The addition of the words ‘care or’ seems therefore to indicate a clear legislative purpose not to limit the mother’s authority to cases in which she has custody.” This holding, of course, makes a nullity of the court order awarding joint custody to both parents with physical, or personal, custody in one of them. With separated, or divorced, parents, it is impossible for both to have personal custody of the child— one must have it since, as pointed out in the majority opinion, the court cannot “like Solomon . . . carve the child.” We have held (Lerner v. Superior Court, 38 Cal.2d 676 [242 P.2d 321]) that custody includes the right to direct the child’s activities and make decisions regarding his care, control, education, health and religion. The father here, by court order, had the rights above enumerated but a majority of this court interprets the statute so as to deprive him of a voice in making a major decision having to do with the child’s future welfare, education and health. The majority concedes, *620as indeed it must, that an award of joint custody with the father would not be sufficient to give the mother authority to compromise and yet it is held that because the mother had the person of the child in her care, she did have the authority. As I have heretofore pointed out, when parents are living separate and apart, the person of the child must be with one or the other but the decree giving them joint custody gives neither a greater right to control than either had before the divorce.
I am of the opinion that the use of the words “care or custody” by the Legislature was intended to take care of the situation where there was no court order giving custody to one, or both, parents or where the mother had the care of the child because the father had abandoned or deserted his family and his whereabouts were unknown. Under the interpretation of the majority, the mother, having physical custody and care of the child, could compromise a claim for him even though sole legal custody had been awarded to the father or even if she had the care of the child for a week, or a week end, with sole custody in the father. For example, it is said “If the reason she does not have custody, however, is a previous adjudication of custody, she cannot compromise even though she has the care of the minor. Thus in some cases ‘care’ would be controlling, and it would be immaterial that the mother did not have custody of the minor. In other cases ‘custody’ would be controlling, and it would be immaterial that the mother had ‘care’ of the minor.” It appears to me that if there has been no formal adjudication of custody, and one parent has the care of the minor, because the other has abandoned it, that is a matter easily established in the petition for approval; or, on the other hand, if custody has been formally adjudicated, that matter also may be established. If one parent had legal custody, and the other had the temporary care of the child, the one having temporary care would hardly be the one authorized to compromise a claim which might have a far-reaching effect on the child’s future. It is said that under this interpretation, if the parents are separated even if the father has not abandoned the child, and is ready and able to take custody but custody has not been adjudicated to the mother, she having the care of the child, may compromise his claim. Since the matter of the parents living separate and apart should appear in the petition for approval (Prob. Code, § 1431), the court could, before approving the settlement, require the father’s consent *621thereto since neither parent has a greater right than the other.
The words “care” and “custody” were used in the disjunctive to take care of two different situations and to interpret them as I think they should be interpreted would give effect to both words and would not make a nullity out of a court order awarding custody to one, or both, parents. As the majority interprets them, the word “custody” means nothing if the mother has the “care” of the minor.
Since it seems clear to me that the mother had no authority to compromise the claim of the minor, I would reverse the judgment.