Court Opinion

ID: 9761945
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 02:00:42.322415+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:29:27.911131
License: Public Domain

JOPLIN, J.,
concurs in part and dissents in part:
T1 I respectfully dissent to the termination of joint custody. The statute guiding joint custody determinations is clearly permissive in its direction to the trial court, saying only that the court "may" terminate joint custody upon the request of one or both parents. 48 O.S. § 109(G). The record in this case demonstrated the parents could get along well enough to jointly parent the children and not draw the children into their conflict. Whether distance would improve the parents' cooperative skills or impair them is unknown based on the record provided and simply assuming distance would destroy the parents ability to co-parent is not supported by this record.
T2 Kilpatrick v. Kilpatrick, 2008 OK CIV APP 94, 198 P.3d 406, clearly provides authority for maintaining joint custody over the objection of both parents. The majority's attempt to distinguish Kilpatrick regarding the use of expert testimony, a parenting coordinator and smaller geographical distance is not persuasive. There is no evidence this court lacked a clear understanding of the parenting relationship at issue or that the Kilpatrick court had a more clear or accurate understanding of the parenting relationship due to the use of expert testimony in that case. The presence of a strong parenting coordinator was needed to implement co-parenting in Kilpatrick. The parents in this case managed to co-parent, largely without incident, without the assistance of a parent*654ing coordinator, so that the absence of one in this case is not necessarily fatal to parents' ability to make joint decisions. The distance factor can also be marginalized with the effective use of a multitude of communication tools.
T3 The trial court was in the best position to observe these parents, their witnesses, and consider the evidence and determined joint custody was preferable to all other alternatives available. Manhart v. Manhart, 1986 OK 12, 725 P.2d 1284, 1287. Because there is evidence to support the trial court's decision in this respect and the statute itself is permissive, I dissent to the majority's reversal of the trial court's joint custody determination. In all other respects, I concur.