Court Opinion

ID: 9704788
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 00:46:48.194331+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:22:05.548674
License: Public Domain

POPOVICH, Judge,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent.
In the instant appeal, Heather’s best interest is the primary issue and her welfare should remain the focus of our opinion. After reviewing the trial court’s evaluation of this *602case, I do not dispute that Heather’s best interest may well be served in Pennsylvania. Clearly, many of her ties are within this state.
However, I disagree with the majority’s analysis granting Kathleen thirty days to decide whether she will live in Pennsylvania or Iowa.1 This ruling is unduly restrictive. It infringes on Kathleen’s constitutional right of interstate travel. Additionally, it does not settle the issue of which parent can best provide for Heather’s needs.
Custody awards do not hinge upon a parent’s decision whether to move out of state. Instead, where both parents are equally fit, the court’s duty is to balance all of the facts and circumstances of a given case to determine who will serve the best interests of the child. Murphey v. Hatala, 350 Pa.Super. 433, 438-39, 504 A.2d 917, 920 (1986). The law is replete with cases enunciating this standard. See Albright v. Commonwealth ex. rel. Fetters, 491 Pa. 320, 323, 421 A.2d 157, 158 (1980). Case law further indicates that a child of tender years will adjust to a new environment if s/he is moved. The focus of these decisions is on the strength and stability of the relationship between the parent (generally the primary caretaker) and the child, not the potentially adverse effect of interstate movement. See Daniel K.D. v. Jan M.H., 301 Pa.Super. 36, 44-45, 446 A.2d 1323, 1326-27 (1982); Commonwealth ex rel. Jordan v. Jordan, 302 Pa.Super. 421, 448 A.2d 1113 (1982); Commonwealth ex rel. Pierce v. Pierce, 493 Pa. 292, 426 A.2d 555 (1981) (in deciding a custody dispute, parent’s intention to remove the child from the state was not a controlling consideration); Davidyan v. Davidyan, 230 Pa.Super. 599, 327 A.2d 145 (1974) (welfare of the child is the primary factor to consider in awarding custody).
*603Here, the trial court’s order provided primary physical custody to Kathleen and partial physical custody to Robert, conditioned on Kathleen’s remaining in Pennsylvania. In the event that Kathleen moved, primary physical custody would shift to Robert.
These being the circumstances, I would reverse the court’s order and remand with instructions to place Heather in the more suitable environment. To accomplish this end, the trial court should evaluate the child’s situation as a whole, taking into account the reasons that it initially placed primary care for the child with her mother. See Brooks v. Brooks, 319 Pa.Super. 268, 466 A.2d 152 (1983); see also Mahoney v. Mahoney, 354 Pa.Super. 585, 512 A.2d 694 (1986) (focus of custody suit was on the strength of the parents’ relationship with the child). If, after considering all of the pertinent facts, the court deems that despite Kathleen’s fitness, Heather’s best interest will be served with her father, then primary physical custody should be placed with him.2 Further, if the trial court finds that it would be in Heather’s best interest to remain in Pennsylvania, then its order should explicitly reflect this decision. In the instant case, the majority’s review has exceeded the scope of the trial court’s order by adding a thirty-day time limitation in which Kathleen is to choose whether to remain in Pennsylvania or move to Iowa.
The trial court’s order conditions Heather’s custody on her mother’s choice of residence, without any discussion as to corresponding constraints on Robert. There is no guarantee that Robert will choose to stay in Pennsylvania. Nevertheless, the court’s order does not prohibit him from changing his residence. The effect of the court’s order, therefore, is not only an interference with Kathleen’s right to interstate travel, but an unequal application of the restriction as well. In light of the majority’s opinion, I question whether this court’s decision would have been the *604same if Kathleen chose to move to New Jersey or across town instead of to Iowa. See Commonwealth ex rel. Parikh v. Parikh, 449 Pa. 105, 108-09, 296 A.2d 625, 627 (1972) (paramount interest in a custody contest is the child’s “physical, intellectual, spiritual and emotional Well-being”; all other interests are subordinate thereto).
The evaluation of the custody issue should have ended with a discussion and resolution of Heather’s best interest. The ultimate decision in this case should not be predicated upon whether or not Kathleen decides to move, for this completely discounts the possibility that Heather’s best interest may be with her mother. See Egelkamp v. Egelkamp, 362 Pa.Super. 269, 273, 524 A.2d 501, 503 (1987) (primary caretaker provides stability and continuity to a child); see also Murphey v. Hatala, 350 Pa.Super. 433, 446, 504 A.2d 917, 924 (1986) (judge must award custody to parent who has proved superior fitness by a preponderance of the evidence); Commonwealth ex rel. Steiner v. Steiner, 257 Pa.Super. 457, 390 A.2d 1326 (1978) (conditioning a custody award upon an agreement to remain in the jurisdiction represents an undue restraint on the freedom to travel).

. I note that the trial court’s order did not place a thirty-day contingency on Kathleen’s decision. There is no indication in the record that the trial court intended to force Kathleen into making her own custody determination; rather, the order placed primary physical custody of Heather with her mother, unless and until Kathleen moved to Iowa.

. In the event that Robert’s circumstances should change, Kathleen should be made aware of her option to file a petition for modification of custody.