Commonwealth v. Steele

68 Pa. D. & C. 84, 1949 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 169
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Clearfield County
DecidedJune 20, 1949
Docketno. 305
StatusPublished

This text of 68 Pa. D. & C. 84 (Commonwealth v. Steele) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Clearfield County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Steele, 68 Pa. D. & C. 84, 1949 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 169 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1949).

Opinion

Bell, P. J.,

— This case came before the court on a petition signed by both Charles H. Steele and Betty Bloom Steele, averring they were no longer living together, were the parents of a child aged four years, which child had been in the custody of the mother, waiving the issuance of any warrant or preliminary proceedings, and asking the court to make an order awarding custody of the child. Counsel en[85]*85tered appearances on behalf of both parties. On July 25, 1947, at the time of hearing, a stipulation was entered into, signed by counsel for each party, under which it was agreed that Judy Steele, the minor daughter, should be awarded to her mother. On the same day we made an order awarding custody of Judy Steele to Betty Bloom Steele, and provided that the father, Charles H. .Steele, should have the right to visit the daughter once a week, not over six times a year, provided that the visitation should take place in the City of Williamsport, Lycoming County, Pa., and should not extend for a longer period than two nights and three days. We also provided that Judy should be returned promptly at the expiration of each visit, and that notice of the time when the visits were requested, should be sent to the probation office at least three days prior to the commencement of any visit, and all visits were to be subject to the physical condition and welfare of said Judy Steele. Our order of July 25, 1947, provides in subsection (d) as follows:

“That the said Charles H. Steele shall not, during the time or times when Judy Steele is in his possession, charge or care, take or remove the said Judy Steele beyond the territorial limits of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania under penalty of forfeiture of the right of visitation therein granted.”

Judy has been with her mother in Curwensville, Clearfield County, Pa., since that time, but has visited the father on various occasions. In the latter part of 1948 Charles H. Steele, who had remarried, was transferred from Williamsport to Ithaca, N. Y. For the past several weeks he has been requesting that his daughter be permitted to visit him in New York State. The mother has been opposed to this; and having received communications from both parties, we scheduled the case for rehearing on June 9,1949.

[86]*86This is not a case involving original custody of the child, which has been determined by the court in accordance with its judgment and the stipulation of the parties, but relates to the power of the court to permit the child to go outside the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to see the parent not having custody. As the Pennsylvania courts have power to permit a child to be taken outside the State permanently: Commonwealth ex rel. v. Black et al., 79 Pa. Superior Ct. 409; Commonwealth ex rel. Miller v. Wagner et ux., 160 Pa. Superior Ct. 536; this court would have power to permit the child to be taken outside the State temporarily, but by so doing, might lose control over the child.

Considerable bitterness has arisen between these parents. Counsel for the father avers that, if they have the child in Williamsport, there is no reason why they could not remove the child to New York State, had they intended to do so. Counsel for the mother has requested that even though we do not permit the child to be removed from Pennsylvania, that we require the father to put up a bond conditioned against his so doing. See Commonwealth ex rel. Warner v. Warner, 156 Pa. Superior Ct. 465.

Throughout all cases involving custody of the child, the prime consideration before the court has been what was to the best interest of said child. See Commonwealth ex rel. Hespelein v. Hespelein, 157 Pa. Superior Ct. 224; Commonwealth ex rel. v. Minor, 157 Pa. Superior Ct. 657. While the courts of another State usually give full faith and credit to the judicial proceedings of another State, as provided by article 4, sec. 1 of the Constitution of the United States, we note that in the case of Commonwealth ex rel. Rogers v. Daven et al., 96 Pa. Superior Ct. 556, where children were under the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Court of North Carolina, the Municipal Court of Philadelphia, under the full [87]*87faith and credit doctrine, directed that the children be returned to the State of North Carolina, their mother having removed them from that State contrary to the order of the North Carolina court. The Superior Court affirmed the finding of the Municipal Court. In a dissenting opinion, joined in by Judge Cunningham, Judge Keller points out that consideration of the best interest and welfare of the children could and should override any question of full faith and credit to be given to the decree of another State; stating that the conditions as they existed at the time the children were brought before the court was to be controlling, and possibly there would be a change in conditions brought out before the court of prior jurisdiction. In the minority opinion Judge Keller cited cases from nine States, showing that the original order of the State awarding custody had not been followed in another State, pointing particularly to the decision of the North Carolina court to that effect. An appeal was taken to the Supreme Court, reported in 298 Pa. 416. The Supreme Court upheld the minority and reversed the decision of the Superior Court. The Supreme Court said on page 419:

“Orders fixing the custody of children are temporary in their nature and always subject to modification to meet changed conditions.”

The court affirmed the doctrine that the prime consideration was the welfare of the child, and said that the Municipal Court of Philadelphia fell into the error of putting too much stress on the full faith and credit doctrine of the United States Constitution. After saying that would be correct if a property right was involved, the court said on page 420:

“That would be right in a judgment concerning property, but any court called upon to determine the custody of children must do so under conditions existing when it acts.”

[88]*88After inferring that this was the policy adopted by the appellate courts of North Carolina, the court said on page 421:

“Judgments and decrees concerning children are never res adjudicata as to facts and conditions subsequently arising.”

And later on page 422:

“ ‘The above rule does not prevent the courts of the state, within whose limits the children may be, from considering whether a change in the situation may not call for a new disposition.’ ”

In Commonwealth ex rel. Fortunes v. Manos, 140 Pa. Superior Ct. 352, the husband and wife entered into a written agreement as to the custody of their son. She violated the agreement by taking the child into New York State, but came back, and then was forbidden to see him. The Superior Court, after calling attention to the fact that the court would have authority to permit a child to be permanently placed outside the State with a nonresident, stated that such act was only done under unusual circumstances; and the opinion ends with the statement that the mother should have the right to visit the child, and the right to see him without any restrictions, but subject to a provision that she must come within the State of Pennsylvania and visit the child solely within this State. In re: Minor Children of Rosenthal, 103 Pa. Superior Ct.

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Related

Matter of Standish
135 N.E. 972 (New York Court of Appeals, 1922)
Commonwealth v. Daven
148 A. 524 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1929)
Commonwealth Ex Rel. Miller v. Wagner Et Ux.
52 A.2d 235 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1947)
Commonwealth Ex Rel. Meighen v. Minor
43 A.2d 590 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1945)
Commonwealth Ex Rel. Hespelein v. Hespelein
42 A.2d 189 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1945)
Commonwealth Ex Rel. Fortunes v. Manos
13 A.2d 886 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1940)
Commonwealth Ex Rel. Teitelbaum v. Teitelbaum
50 A.2d 713 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1946)
Commonwealth Ex Rel. Warner v. Warner
40 A.2d 886 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1944)
In Re Custody of Minor Children of Rosenthal
157 A. 342 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1931)
Commonwealth Ex Rel. Rogers v. Daven
96 Pa. Super. 556 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1929)
Commonwealth ex rel. Black v. Black
79 Pa. Super. 409 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1922)

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Bluebook (online)
68 Pa. D. & C. 84, 1949 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 169, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-steele-pactcomplclearf-1949.