Court Opinion

ID: 9756489
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-28 21:30:42.823017+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:28:23.637395
License: Public Domain

Josephine Linker Hart, Judge, dissenting. The court, in the guise of changing custody from the natural mother to the natural father, granted defacto custody of Ashlie to the stepmother without finding the natural mother to be unfit. Appellee testified that he works in Houston, Texas, leaving Ashlie in the care of his present wife from approximately 2:00 p.m. each Sunday until he arrives home around midnight Thursday night. Appellant has Ashlie on alternate weekends from 6:00 p.m. Friday to 6:00 p.m. Sunday. Thus, Ashlie sees appellee from the time school is out until Friday at 6:00 p.m. one week, and the next week, Ashlie sees appellee before school on Friday and after school on Friday until Sunday at 2:00 p.m. In sum, during a typical two-week time period, Ashlie is in her mother’s care two days, her father’s care approximately three days, and in her stepmother’s sole care approximately nine days. Further, according to the testimony, the stepmother’s approval must be gained before appellant can speak with her child on the telephone. A parent should have custody before all others, unless the parent is shown to be incompetent or unfit. Ideker v. Short, 48 Ark. App. 118, 892 S.W.2d 278 (1995). This preference applies even where the child has adjusted well to an alternative living situation. Id. In Stamps v. Rawlins, 297 Ark. 370, 761 S.W.2d 933 (1988), our supreme court found that although the stepfather was the only father the child had ever known, the chancellor erred by awarding joint custody as the mother was a fit parent. Even one standing in loco parentis to a child must show the natural parent unfit to prevail on a custody issue because of the law’s preference for the natural parent over all other custodians. Golden v. Golden, 57 Ark. App. 143, 942 S.W.2d 282 (1997). “Obviously, the natural mother, in the absence of evidence of moral or general unfitness, should always be preferred over a stepmother.” Roberts v. Roberts, 226 Ark. 194, 196-197, 288 S.W.2d 948, 950 (1956). Here the chancellor did not find that the mother was unfit nor was evidence presented that appellant was unable to care for the child. Appellee’s action to modify custody was not initiated until after appellant entered a drug-treatment program to deal with her admitted addiction. No evidence was presented that appellant continued to abuse drugs or alcohol after receiving this treatment. On the other hand, evidence was presented that appellee has engaged in criminal activity while out drinking with his co-workers and that he continues to patronize bars. Appellee neither offered to seek employment closer to his daughter, nor requested permission to remove Ashlie from the State so that he could care for her while maintaining his current employment. Instead, appellee made the chancellor aware that he worked out-of-state and that the stepmother would be Ashlie’s primary caretaker. Nevertheless, the court granted physical custody to appellee. Thus, the chancellor awarded defacto custody to the stepmother under the auspices of awarding custody to appellee. The law preferring the natural parent over all others as the custodian should not be circumvented in this manner.