Court Opinion

ID: 9679372
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 06:51:13.068454+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:12.906102
License: Public Domain

K. B. Glaser, J.
(dissenting). The contempt powers of the trial court are very important to the effectiveness of the court’s function. Traditionally, contempt proceedings present a relatively simple factual issue and are decided summarily without a jury. People v David Johnson, 407 Mich 134, 146; 283 NW2d 632 (1979). The trial court found defendant in contempt, because of "a direct violation of a court order, full knowing what the court order stated, a complete disregard for the order; willful, disobedience, disregard”. The record is replete with support for that finding. In my view that should end the inquiry as the trial judge is in the best position to determine whether or not defendant’s actions are contemptuous. Furthermore, the *15Christmas holiday had come and gone and it is apparent that no make-up visitation could restore the status quo. Counsel must have been aware of that. The order to show cause spoke only of "punishment”, and the intent to allege criminal contempt was clear. The mere fact that the judge attempted to do the best he could for the civil party who was wronged does not convert the matter to civil contempt. Defendant was represented by competent counsel and any procedural errors were clearly harmless.
As to the denial of change of domicile, the trial judge used the criteria set forth in D’Onofrio v D’Onofrio, 144 NJ Super 200; 365 A2d 27 (1976), aff'd 144 NJ Super 352; 365 A2d 716 (1976). That case recognized that the antiremoval policies are to preserve the mutual rights of the child and the parent to develop and maintain their parental relationship through visitation. Defendant’s failure to abide by the visitation orders while within the state bodes ill for the prospect of compliance with the visitation orders when the child and custodian are both out of the state. Defendant’s good faith is also suspect. He could have gone to Florida to get his job and make his arrangements without the child during the Christmas visitation. Taking the child accomplished nothing but to give the Christmas visitation to defendant and his parents instead of plaintiff, in violation of the order. The trial judge had solid evidence to support his finding that permitting the removal would be tantamount to severing the parental rights of the mother.
The judge’s refusal to permit removal based on an unsubstantiated telephone call by which defendant allegedly received a job offer is certainly reasonable in the face of the problem involved in *16enforcing visitations once the custodial parent is beyond the state line. In the enforcement of incoming actions based on the Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act, circuit judges are often faced with the injustice of having to enforce support payments against the noncustodial parent while powerless to compel the custodial parent to comply with visitation orders. Brown v Turnbloom, 89 Mich App 162; 280 NW2d 473 (1979), San Joaquin County, California v Dewey, 105 Mich App 122, 129; 306 NW2d 418 (1981).
I respectfully disagree with the majority holding that criteria for determining the best interests of the child for custody purposes under the Child Custody Act of 1970, MCL 722.23; MSA 25.312(3), was intended to, or should be, applicable to removal petitions. I would adopt the four-pronged test of D’Onofrio, supra, as the trial judge did here, which recognizes the mutual rights involved: (1) "It should consider the prospective advantages of the move in terms of its likely capacity for improving the general quality of life for both the custodial parent and the children.” (2) "It must evaluate the integrity of the motives of the custodial parent in seeking the move in order to determine whether the removal is inspired primarily by the desire to defeat or frustrate visitation by the noncustodial parent, and whether the custodial parent is likely to comply with substitute visitation orders when she is no longer subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of this State.” (3) "It must likewise take into account the integrity of the noncustodial parent’s motives in resisting the removal and consider the extent to which, if at all, the opposition is intended to secure a financial advantage in respect of continuing support obligations.” (4) "Finally, the court must be satisfied that *17there will be a realistic opportunity for visitation in lieu of the weekly pattern which can provide an adequate basis for preserving and fostering the parental relationship with the noncustodial parent if removal is allowed.” D’Onofrio v D’Onofrio, supra.
As with custody, in my opinion the enforcement of the nonremoval provisions of a judgment are best left to the sound discretion of the trial judge. His findings should stand unless they are against the great weight of the evidence, or there is a palpable abuse of discretion, or a clear legal error on a major issue. Schoonmaker v Schoonmaker, 104 Mich App 466, 469; 304 NW2d 608 (1981). In my view, the fact that our Supreme Court not only enacted the nonremoval requirement into a court rule, but further required that only the judge who awarded custody could permit the removal, is strong evidence of the great weight intended to be given the trial judge’s decision on removal. GCR 1963, 729.4(1). Applying the D’Onofrio test, I find no error in the trial judge’s decision and would affirm.