David Lee Farley v. Theresa Willis

CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedApril 20, 2023
Docket2022 CA 000465
StatusUnknown

This text of David Lee Farley v. Theresa Willis (David Lee Farley v. Theresa Willis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
David Lee Farley v. Theresa Willis, (Ky. Ct. App. 2023).

Opinion

RENDERED: APRIL 21, 2023; 10:00 A.M. NOT TO BE PUBLISHED

Commonwealth of Kentucky Court of Appeals NO. 2022-CA-0465-MR

DAVID LEE FARLEY APPELLANT

APPEAL FROM JEFFERSON CIRCUIT COURT v. HONORABLE LAUREN ADAMS OGDEN, JUDGE ACTION NO. 19-CI-501598

THERESA WILLIS APPELLEE

OPINION AFFIRMING IN PART, REVERSING IN PART, AND REMANDING

** ** ** ** **

BEFORE: ACREE, EASTON, AND JONES, JUDGES.

JONES, JUDGE: The appellant, David Farley (“Farley”), appeals from an order of

the Jefferson Circuit Court, Family Division, holding him in contempt and ordering

several terms to purge his contempt, one term being to re-enroll the parties’ child,

D.F., into in-person public school. After careful review, we affirm in part, reverse

in part, and remand for further proceedings. I. BACKGROUND

The parties were divorced on June 29, 2020, by decree of dissolution

of the Jefferson Family Court in the underlying civil case. In that decree, the

parties were awarded joint custody of their two minor children, A.W. (born 2007)

and D.F. (born 2008), with both parties to be involved with all major decisions

involving the children, including educational matters. (Record (“R.”) at 157-58.)

On September 14, 2021, after a hearing in a separate domestic

violence case involving these parties, Case No. 21-D-503030-001, the family court

entered a no contact order of domestic violence (“DVO”) against Willis in favor of

Farley and on behalf of D.F. Additionally, the DVO awarded Farley temporary

sole custody of D.F. and was to last for one year. (Supplemental Record (“S.R.”)

at 3.)

On December 29, 2021, Willis filed a pro se motion to hold Farley in

contempt of the June 29, 2020, decree in the underlying civil custody case, alleging

that Farley was denying her timesharing with A.W. and asking for family therapy

between her and A.W. The entirety of affidavit accompanying the form motion for

contempt read:

I request the [c]ourt to hold David Farley in contempt for his/her failure to obey the [c]ourt’s [o]rder on 6/29/20, which required that he/she to do the following: Let me get my [d]aughter every other weekend [and] my set schedule for Holidays. The reason I believe David Farley has violated the [o]rder is: I have not seen my

-2- [d]aughter snice [sic] May 2021 or talked to her. To fix David Farley’s failure to obey the [c]ourt’s [o]rder, I am asking the [c]ourt to: to do pick up at Home of the Innocence and drop off’s[.] CPS would like for me and [A.W.] to do family therapy.

(R. at 192.)

On January 10, 2022, the family court set the matter for a thirty-

minute hearing to be conducted on February 14, 2022, noting in its contempt

hearing order that Willis’s motion related to a request “to hold [Farley] in contempt

for failure to follow by the [c]ourt [o]rder that was entered by the [c]ourt June 29,

2020, and for family therapy with her children.” (R. at 195.)

Additionally, in the previous domestic violence case, Willis filed a

motion to amend the DVO, which was granted on January 11, 2022, to allow her to

have supervised and therapeutic visits with D.F. Reflective of the original DVO,

the amended DVO did not modify the award of temporary sole custody to Farley

and was to remain in place until September 13, 2022. (S.R. at 12-13.)

Both parties appeared and represented themselves, pro se, at the

February 14, 2022, hearing. The only matter before the family court at that time

was Willis’s motion for contempt regarding parenting time with A.W. and family

therapy. Early into the hearing, Willis mentioned that Farley had withdrawn D.F.

from public school and began homeschooling D.F. sometime after the issuance of

the September 14, 2021, DVO. Farley responded by saying that he removed D.F.

-3- because of concerns with violence and D.F. being bullied. The family court noted

concerns with Willis not being able to meaningfully participate in D.F.’s schooling

and stated: “I don’t think it’s a good idea to take the children out of school in a

situation like this.” (Video Record (“V.R.”) – Feb. 14, 2022, Hearing at 9:05:40.)

At no other point during the rest of the February 14, 2022, hearing did the family

court or either party mention the schooling issue again. During the hearing Farley

admitted to having problems with getting A.W. to go to timesharing visits with

Willis and that he did not file a motion to modify those visits. (V.R. – Feb. 14,

2022, Hearing at 9:18:20.) He also admitted to never taking A.W. to be assessed

for counseling as ordered in the June 29, 2020, decree. (V.R. – Feb. 14, 2022,

Hearing at 9:24:08.)

Later the same day, the family court entered an order finding Farley in

contempt of the “[c]ourt’s orders related to parenting time and medical care for the

parties’ minor children” and stating how Farley could purge himself of the

contempt, with one requirement being to re-enroll D.F. in public school, and the

other conditions being for Farley to recommence therapy for both children, to

ensure A.W. is available for all therapeutic visits recommended between A.W. and

Willis, to immediately resume D.F.’s previous medication treatment, and to ensure

D.F. is available for supervised visits between Willis and D.F. (R. at 199-200.)

-4- On February 17, 2022, Farley filed a pro se motion requesting the

family court to reconsider its February 14, 2022, ruling concerning D.F.’s

schooling situation, medication, and therapy along with a letter from one of D.F.’s

counselors that addressed some of the concerns about removing D.F. from school.

(R. at 202-07.) Counsel for Farley subsequently entered his appearance in the case

and requested leave to file an amended motion, which the family court granted.

(R. at 212.)

On March 9, 2022, Farley, by counsel, filed a motion requesting a

new hearing, or in the alternative, to alter, amend, or vacate the February 14, 2022,

order and make additional findings. (R. at 213.) On March 29, 2022, the family

court entered an order denying the motion and this appeal followed. On appeal,

Farley argues that the family court did not afford him a meaningful opportunity to

be heard on the schooling issue and that the family court lacked subject matter

jurisdiction to enter an order directing Farley to re-enroll D.F. in public school

since sufficient affidavit requirements per KRS1 403.350 were not followed.2

Farley has not raised the issues of D.F.’s medical treatment, visitation, or therapy

in this appeal.

1 Kentucky Revised Statutes. 2 We are not persuaded by Farley’s argument concerning the lack of subject matter jurisdiction based on insufficient affidavits accompanying a request for custody modification as it relies on Petrey v. Cain, 987 S.W.2d 786, 788 (Ky. 1999), which was overruled by Masters v. Masters, 415 S.W.3d 621, 624 (Ky. 2013).

-5- II. STANDARD OF REVIEW

When examining a family court’s decision exercising its contempt

powers, the standard we must follow is that of an abuse of discretion: “‘[t]he test

for abuse of discretion is whether the trial court’s decision was arbitrary,

unreasonable, unfair, or unsupported by sound legal principles.’” Meyers v. Petrie,

233 S.W.3d 212, 215 (Ky. App. 2007) (quoting Commonwealth v. English, 993

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