Court Opinion

ID: 9853724
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 05:53:09.565379+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:20:03.286302
License: Public Domain

HUNSTEIN, Presiding Justice,
concurring.
I write separately to stress to the bench and bar that issues such as the termination of parental rights, child support for grandchildren and other matters within the exclusive subject-matter jurisdiction of the juvenile courts, when negotiated by the parties and included in a divorce settlement agreement, must be taken to the juvenile court, not the superior court. Such provisions are not made valid by their incorporation by a superior court into the divorce decree. Quite aside from the controlling constitutional provisions regarding the subject-matter jurisdiction of our courts, there are compelling public policy reasons to keep these child-sensitive issues in the juvenile courts, where the best interests of the child are paramount and protections exist, such as the appointment of guardians ad litem, OCGA § 15-11-98 (a), that serve to guarantee those best interests are considered. The convenience of the parents seeking a divorce cannot be allowed to trump these concerns and, thus, while I concur fully with the majority that the four-year lapse of time in this case supports the application here of the equitable defense of laches, I strongly disapprove of handling such important child-sensitive issues in the manner exemplified by the agreement in this case.
I am authorized to state that Chief Justice Sears joins in this concurrence.