Court Opinion

ID: 9733317
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 17:02:52.060827+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:26:40.458738
License: Public Domain

HARRIS, Senior Judge,
concurring.
I agree with every jot and tittle of Judge Nickell’s well written opinion, and accordingly I concur in it. I write separately to give added emphasis to the requirement that trial judges determine child custody issues by utilizing the best interest standard and by rendering specific findings of fact predicated on matters of record. KRS 403.270; McFarland v. McFarland, 804 S.W.2d 17, 18 (Ky.App.1991).
Having labored for twenty years as a trial judge presiding over rural courts with child custody subject matter jurisdiction, I am keenly aware that exigent circumstances sometimes tempt trial judges to make a “do right” custody decision, thus overlooking or disregarding the substantive and procedural requirements which must be satisfied in order for a valid custody adjudication to be rendered. That temptation can be particularly strong in small communities where the judge may have extra-judicial knowledge of the parties, the child, and the circumstances involved.
The opinion in this case illustrates what can ensue when a trial judge strays from the path which the statutes and procedural rules mandate that he or she must follow. It should serve to remind domestic relations practitioners and trial judges of the need to resist temptations to do otherwise.