CIMA v. Fansler

345 S.W.3d 875, 2011 Mo. App. LEXIS 979, 2011 WL 3106924
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 26, 2011
DocketWD 72702
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 345 S.W.3d 875 (CIMA v. Fansler) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
CIMA v. Fansler, 345 S.W.3d 875, 2011 Mo. App. LEXIS 979, 2011 WL 3106924 (Mo. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

LISA WHITE HARDWICK, Chief Judge.

Shaloma Fansler appeals the Judgment and Full Order of Child Protection entered against her with regard to the minor child, C.C. Fansler contends the evidence was insufficient to prove the elements required for a child protection order pursuant to Sections 455.501 and 455.516. 1 For reasons explained herein, we find no error and affirm the judgment.

Factual and PROCEDURAL Background

Anika Cima is the mother of five children, including a male child, C.C. She is divorced from Gary Cima, who is the father of C.C. and three of the other children. 2 Through a joint custody arrange *877 ment, the children generally reside with Anika on the weekdays and with Gary every other weekend during the school year. During the summer months, the children reside with Gary on the weekdays and with Anika every other weekend. Gary resides in a home with his girlfriend, Shaloma Fansler.

On February 23, 2010, Anika filed a Petition for Order of Child Protection against Fansler. The petition alleged that Fansler physically abused six-year old C.C. and severely bruised his lower back and bottom. The circuit court granted an Ex Parte Order of Child Protection and scheduled the matter for hearing on March 9, 2010.

At the hearing, Anika testified that on Sunday, January 24, 2010, she found C.C. in the bathroom with the door locked after he returned from a weekend custodial stay with Gary. C.C. started crying when he unlocked the door and said “it hurts when I poop.” Anika saw several bruises on C.C.’s lower back and “all over his bottom.” When asked how he got the bruises, C.C. said “I don’t know.”

Anika promptly notified police and then took C.C. to the hospital, where doctors recommended a SAFE examination based on the nature of the bruising. Frank Kinkhorst, a deputy with the Adair County Sheriffs Office, came to the hospital and photographed C.C.’s injuries. The next day, Anika and her children were interviewed by Deputy Kinkhorst and Kristen Toney, an investigator with the Adair County Children’s Division (“Division”).

Deputy Kinkhorst testified about the interview. He recalled that C.C. said Fan-sler spanked him with a wooden spoon that had a hole in it. The photographs of C.C.’s bruises were admitted into evidence at the hearing. Deputy Kinkhorst described the bruises as two-inch red marks that appeared on C.C.’s back, across his bottom, and on the right side of his bottom. The bruise on the right side was a large, circular pattern.

Toney also testified that she observed significant bruising on C.C. She was particularly concerned about two parallel bruise marks across the child’s bottom.

Toney further testified that she interviewed Fansler and Gary during the investigation. Fansler said she had spanked C.C. on the Saturday night in question. Fansler admitted that she had spanked C.C. and the other children with plastic kitchen spoons in the past.

Fansler did not testify at the hearing. At the conclusion of the hearing, the circuit court entered a “Judgment/Full Order of Child Protection” against Fansler. The court made a finding that Anika “proved the allegations of abuse” pursuant to Section 455.516 RSMo. The judgment prohibited Fansler from having any contact with C.C. for a one-year period. Fansler appeals the judgment.

Standard of Review

In this court-tried case, we must affirm the trial court’s judgment unless it is not supported by substantial evidence, it is against the weight of the evidence, or it erroneously declares or applies the law. Murphy v. Carron, 536 S.W.2d 30, 32 (Mo. banc 1976). We view the facts and reasonable inferences in a light most favorable to the judgment and must defer to the trial court’s determination of witness credibili ty. In the Interest of S.J.H., 124 S.W.3d 63, 66 (Mo.App.2004).

Analysis

Fansler brings two points on appeal, both challenging the sufficiency of the evidence to prove the statutory elements of a child protection order.

*878 Pursuant to Section 455.516.1, the circuit court can issue a full order of protection if “the petitioner has proved the allegation of abuse of a child by a preponderance of the evidence.” The statute defines the following relevant terms:

(1) “Abuse”, any physical injury ... inflicted on a child other than by accidental means by an adult household member, or stalking of a child. Discipline including spanking, administered in a reasonable manner shall not be construed to be abuse;
(2) “Adult Household Member”, any person eighteen years of age or older or an emancipated child who resides with the child in the same dwelling unit[.]

§ 455.501. Based on these statutes, a full order of protection for a child may be issued against a respondent who: (1) is over the age of eighteen; (2) resides in the same dwelling as the child; and (3) inflicted physical injury on the child under circumstances that did not involve an accident or reasonable discipline.

Evidence of “Adult Household Member”

In her first point on appeal, Fan-sler contends the judgment must be reversed because the evidence was insufficient to prove that she was an “adult household member.” Specifically, Fansler argues there was no evidence to establish that she was over the age of eighteen or that she resided in the same dwelling with C.C. Fansler also argues the lack of evidence on these statutory elements deprived the circuit court of jurisdiction to enter the child protection order.

We disagree that this point raises a “jurisdictional” issue, given the Supreme Court’s explanation of that concept in J.C.W. v. Wyciskalla, 275 S.W.3d 249 (Mo. banc 2009). Missouri recognizes only two types of circuit court jurisdiction based on constitutional principles: personal and subject matter jurisdiction. Id. at 252. Here, Fansler does not challenge personal jurisdiction, and it is beyond dispute that the circuit court had jurisdiction over the subject matter of this civil action pursuant to Article V, section 14 of the Missouri Constitution. Fansler claims only that the circuit court lacked statutory authority to enter the child protection order due to insufficient evidence. Accordingly, the court’s jurisdiction is not at issue.

Fansler relies on Chavez v. Walters, 78 S.W.3d 234 (Mo.App.2002) and Reller v. Hamline, 895 S.W.2d 659 (Mo.App.1995), in arguing that the judgment must be reversed because Anika failed to prove the statutory elements required for a child protection order. We find neither case applicable. In both Chavez and Reller,

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Bluebook (online)
345 S.W.3d 875, 2011 Mo. App. LEXIS 979, 2011 WL 3106924, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cima-v-fansler-moctapp-2011.