Bandy v. Bandy

971 So. 2d 456, 2007 WL 4245788
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 5, 2007
Docket07-849
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 971 So. 2d 456 (Bandy v. Bandy) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bandy v. Bandy, 971 So. 2d 456, 2007 WL 4245788 (La. Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

971 So.2d 456 (2007)

Valerie B. BANDY
v.
Patrick T. BANDY.

No. 07-849.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

December 5, 2007.

*457 Randal Bryan Tannehill, Pineville, LA, for Plaintiff/Appellant-Valerie B. Bandy.

Patrick T. Bandy, Terrell, TX, In Proper Person.

Court composed of ULYSSES GENE THIBODEAUX, Chief Judge, JIMMIE C. PETERS, and JAMES T. GENOVESE, Judges.

THIBODEAUX, Chief Judge.

This case involves a visitation dispute between the plaintiff-appellant, Valerie B. Bandy (Valerie), and the defendant-appellee, Patrick T. Bandy (Patrick). Valerie, a Louisiana resident, is the sole custodial parent of the parties' minor son, Mark Bandy, who will be thirteen years old in December 2007. Patrick, a Texas resident, currently has seven weeks of unsupervised visitation in the summer, with standard visitation on alternating weekends and holidays. Based upon events occurring in Texas in the summer of 2006, Valerie filed a Rule to Terminate/Modify Custody and Visitation in September 2006.

While Valerie refers to "custody" in her rule, and the trial court's minute entry in October 2000 refers to "custody" with Patrick in Texas in June and July, the judgments in the record are clear; the sole custody awarded to Valerie in 1996 has never been disturbed, and the issues herein are about a change in Patrick's visitation, not a change in custody. Following a bench trial on the rule on March 5, 2007, Valerie's request for termination or modification of visitation was denied. She appeals. For the following reasons, we reverse the judgment of the trial court and render an order modifying Patrick's visitation to supervised visitation.

I.

ISSUES

We must decide:

(1) whether the trial court erred in admitting into evidence two police reports and two drug test results offered by the defendant-appellee, Patrick Bandy; and
(2) whether the trial court erred in failing to terminate or modify the father's visitation in light of events occurring in Texas in 2006, as testified to by the minor child, and as confirmed by his mother.

II.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

The parties were married in December of 1993 and were living in Dallas, Texas with their son, Mark, born in December 1994. In April of 1996, Valerie separated from Patrick and moved with her sixteen-month-old son back to her home in Rapides Parish, Louisiana. In August 1996, alleging cruel treatment by Patrick, Valerie filed for divorce in Rapides Parish. Following a hearing in December 1996, Valerie was granted sole custody of Mark, and Patrick was granted supervised visitation only in Louisiana. Patrick was ordered to pay $300.00 per month in child support. Due to Patrick's six-month arrearage in child support payments, Valerie obtained an order for Support Enforcement Services through the Louisiana Department of Social Services in May of 2000. Three months later, in August of 2000, Patrick filed a rule seeking standard visitation, stating in the rule that he had remarried, was holding a responsible job in Texas, *458 and that he would submit to a psychological evaluation if the court required it.

Valerie filed an answer to the rule, stating that Patrick had visitation privileges that he was not exercising. She stated that Patrick had seen Mark less than sixteen times over the previous four-year period and had never kept Mark for over five hours at a time. Valerie further stated that Patrick filed his rule for more visitation in retaliation against her for turning the support arrearage over to Louisiana Support Enforcement Services. Valerie averred that the same conditions existed in October 2000 that existed in April 1996 when she obtained sole custody of Mark, and she specified those conditions in detail as reasons for not expanding visitation in favor of Patrick. She described Patrick as violent and mentally and emotionally incompetent to care for Mark. Valerie stated that she had left Texas with Mark in April of 1996 after Patrick punched the sixteen-month-old child in the head with his fist as hard as possible after the teething baby bit his father on the arm.

Patrick's rule for visitation was tried on October 23, 2000, apparently with some favorable testimony on Patrick's behalf, because his request for standard visitation was granted. It included standard, unsupervised visitation at Patrick's residence in Texas, near Dallas, on weekends and holidays, with visitation in Texas for the months of June and July of each year, subject to a week of summer visitation with Valerie during that time. That judgment was signed in December 2000.

In the summer of 2006, several events occurred during Mark's summer visitation with Patrick that frightened Mark. There were fights between Mark's step-mother, Demetra, and Patrick over Patrick's drug use, culminating on July 19, 2006 with Patrick's threats against Mark, Mark's frantic call to his mother in Louisiana, his 911 call to the police in Texas, and Valerie's drive to Texas to retrieve Mark at 1:30 in the morning. Patrick did not attempt visitation or try to contact Mark until September 2006. Valerie indicated that Mark was not at home and asked Patrick for an explanation of the events in July. Patrick responded that it did not concern her. Valerie then filed her Rule to Terminate/Modify Custody and Visitation.

The matter was tried on March 5, 2007, with Mark, age twelve, testifying in court that he had seen the drugs in Patrick's truck, that his father was acting strange, that he was afraid of his father, and that he did not want to go back to Texas for visitation with his father.

At trial, Patrick, representing himself, introduced a police report indicating that no drugs were found at Patrick's residence in Texas on the night of the July 19, 2006 incident. He introduced two additional documents indicating negative drug test results (hair and urine) on a court-ordered drug test on November 20, 2006. Patrick's fourth exhibit was an incident report dated November 22, 2006 wherein Patrick filed a complaint against Valerie in Alexandria for not having Mark available for visitation. These were the only documents offered as exhibits. Counsel for Valerie objected to the introduction of these reports based upon a lack of authentication and the lack of foundation for the reports.

The trial judge admitted the documents but lectured Patrick at length, indicating that he believed that there was indeed drug use by Patrick, and further indicating that the negative test results only indicated that he was not using drugs for a certain period of time. Ultimately, the trial judge denied Valerie's request for modification of custody and visitation, stating that he had insufficient evidence of drug use and possession.

*459 III.

LAW AND DISCUSSION

Standard of Review

In child custody matters, the determinations of the trial judge are entitled to great weight, and his discretion will not be disturbed on appellate review in the absence of a clear showing of abuse. AEB v. JBE, 99-2668 (La.11/30/99), 752 So.2d 756. However, where there has been an error of law, a de novo review is required. Evans v. Lungrin, 97-541, 97-577 (La.2/6/98), 708 So.2d 731. In Evans, the Supreme Court discussed the appellate review standard where the trial court has committed legal error. The Supreme Court stated:

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Bluebook (online)
971 So. 2d 456, 2007 WL 4245788, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bandy-v-bandy-lactapp-2007.