Brehm v. Brehm

2022 Ohio 2308
Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided June 29, 2022·No. 2021 AP 09 0024·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

COURT OF APPEALS

TUSCARAWAS COUNTY, OHIO

FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

ALISHA BREHM nka SNYDER JUDGES:

Hon. W. Scott Gwin, P.J.

Plaintiff-Appellant / Hon. William B. Hoffman, J.

Cross-Appellee Hon. John W. Wise, J.

-vs-

Case No. 2021 AP 09 0024

CASEY T. BREHM

Defendant-Appellee / OPINION Cross-Appellant

CHARACTER OF PROCEEDINGS: Appeal from the Tuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Court Division, Case No. 2008 CS 00324

JUDGMENT: Affirmed in part; Reversed in part;

Remanded

DATE OF JUDGMENT ENTRY: June 29, 2022

APPEARANCES:

For Plaintiff-Appellant/Cross-Appellee For Defendant-Appellee/Cross-Appellant

JAMES J. ONG PAUL HERVEY Connolly, Hillyer & Ong 4700 Dressler Avenue, N.W. 201 N. Main Street Canton, Ohio 44718 Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683

Hoffman, J.

{¶1} Plaintiff-appellant/cross-appellee Alisha Brehm nka Snyder (“Mother”)

appeals the August 19, 2021 Judgment Entry entered by the Tuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division, which denied her motion for modification of custody and granted defendant-appellee/cross-appellant Casey T. Brehm’s (“Father”) motion for child support modification. Father appeals the same judgment entry, which ordered a downward deviation to zero from Mother’s calculated child support obligation. Father also appeals a second August 19, 2021 Judgment Entry, which denied his motion to tax transcript expenses as costs.

STATEMENT OF THE FACTS AND CASE

{¶2} Mother and Father were married in early 2007, one child was born as issue of the marriage (“the Child”). The parties separated prior to Father learning Mother was pregnant. Father did not meet the Child until the Child was approximately ten days old. Mother moved to Tuscarawas County sometime in 2008. Father was living in Licking County at the time.

{¶3} On November 7, 2008, the Tuscarawas County Child Support Enforcement Agency and Department of Job and Family Services (“CSEA”), on behalf of the Child and Mother, filed a complaint to establish child support, naming Father as the obligor. CSEA filed an amended complaint on November 24, 2008. Subsequently, on January 5, 2009, CSEA filed a complaint to establish child support and to establish care, custody, and residential parentcy of the Child. On February 12, 2009, Father filed a motion for custody, support, visitation, and temporary orders. Therein, Father requested the trial court appoint a Guardian ad Litem (“GAL”) for the Child.

Tuscarawas County, Case No. 2021 AP 09 0024 3

{¶4} Via Decision filed September 9, 2009, the magistrate adopted Father’s Shared Parenting Plan with modifications. The magistrate issued a Nunc Pro Tunc Decision on October 23, 2009, adding the terms of the parties’ companionship with the Child, to wit: alternating weeks. Neither party was ordered to pay child support although each party was obligated to make a cash medical support payment, if necessary. The trial court retained jurisdiction over the Child. The parties agreed to defer the issue of whom would be the residential parent for school purposes until the Child approached school age. In early 2010, the Licking County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division, finalized the parties’ divorce. (Licking County Court of Common Pleas Case No. 2009 DR 329).

{¶5} On March 25, 2014, Father filed a motion to terminate or modify the shared parenting plan. Therein, Father requested he be designated residential parent for school purposes and Mother be ordered to pay child support. The magistrate conducted a hearing on the motion on July 24, 2014. Via Decision filed August 8, 2014, the magistrate recommended the shared parenting plan be amended to designate Father as residential parent. The trial court approved and adopted the magistrate’s decision via Judgment Entry filed September 3, 2014. Via Decision filed September 3, 2014, the magistrate memorialized the parties’ agreed companionship schedule. The magistrate designated Mother the obligor for child support, however, deviated her support obligation to zero.

{¶6} On July 1, 2020, Mother filed a motion for modification of custody. Therein, Mother asserted there had been a change in circumstances since the previous order of custody and it would be in the Child’s best interest to designate her as legal custodian and residential parent. Father filed a motion to dismiss, arguing Mother failed to state a

reason to modify or terminate the shared parenting plan. Subsequently, on September 22, 2020, Father filed a motion to modify child support. The trial court reappointed the GAL, who ultimately recommended Mother be named residential parent for school purposes.

{¶7} The magistrate conducted a hearing on October 29, 2020. Following the hearing, the magistrate conducted an in-camera interview with the Child. Via Decision filed March 8, 2021, the magistrate recommended both Mother and Father be granted legal custody of the Child. The magistrate found there had been a change in circumstances, the Child was integrated into Mother’s family and home, and any harm likely to be caused by a change in environment, specifically school, was outweighed by the advantages of the change of environment. The magistrate ordered Father to pay child support to Mother in the amount of $500.09/month and provide medical and dental insurance for the Child.

{¶8} Father filed timely objections to the magistrate’s decision. Therein, Father argued the magistrate failed to set forth the change of circumstances which warranted the modification of the shared parenting plan. The trial court conducted a hearing on Father’s objections on June 29, 2021. Following the hearing, Father filed his proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law and a motion to tax transcript expenses as costs.

{¶9} Via Judgment Entry filed August 19, 2021, the trial court overruled the magistrate’s March 8, 2021 Decision. The trial court found a change in circumstances had not occurred since the prior decree. In addition, the trial court denied Mother’s July 1, 2020 motion for modification of custody. The trial court granted Father’s September 22, 2020 motion for modification of child support, however, the court deviated Mother’s

obligation to zero. In a separate August 19, 2021 Judgment Entry, the trial court denied Father’s motion to tax transcript expenses as costs.

{¶10} It is from the judgment entry denying her motion for modification of custody, Mother appeals, assigning as error:

I. JUDGE ADAM W. WILGUS ERRED AS A MATTER OF LAW BY FINDING THAT THE MAGISTRATE’S DECISION SHOULD BE OVERRULED DUE TO THERE BEING NO CHANGE OF CIRCUMSTANCES SINCE THE PRIOR DECREE.

II. THE LOWER COURT ERRED AS A MATTER OF LAW BY DETERMINING THAT NO CHANGE OF CIRCUMSTANCES HAD BEEN DEMONSTRATED BY APPELLANT.

{¶11} Father cross-appeals, raising the following assignments of error:

I. THE TRIAL COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION IN DEVIATING MOTHER’S CHILD SUPPORT OBLIGATION TO ZERO.

II. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN FAILING TO TAX TRANSCRIPT FEES AS COURT COSTS.

APPEAL

I

{¶12} In her first assignment of error, Mother argues the trial court erred in overruling the magistrate’s decision by finding there was no change in circumstances since the prior decree.

{¶13} In her Brief to this Court, Mother asserts she was not required to demonstrate a change of circumstances because “[t]he March 8, 2021 Magistrate’s Decision merely recommended a modification in the time allocation between the parties.” Brief of Mother at 3. Mother relies on the Ohio Supreme Court’s decision in Fisher v. Hasenjager, 116 Ohio St.3d 53, 2007-Ohio-5589, 876 N.E.2d 546, in support of her position a party seeking a modification of a shared parenting plan is only required to show the modification is in the best interest of the Child.

{¶14} In Fisher, supra, the Ohio Supreme Court certified the following question review:

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