Epps v. Deboise

537 S.W.3d 238
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 17, 2017
DocketNO. 01-16-00285-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 537 S.W.3d 238 (Epps v. Deboise) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Epps v. Deboise, 537 S.W.3d 238 (Tex. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinions

OPINION

Laura Carter Higley, Justice

Shayna Epps filed a petition to modify the parent-child relationship, requesting a change in child support and visitation requirements. Caston Deboise filed a counter-petition, requesting a change in the rights of possession. After a trial, the jury modified the parent-child relationship by designating Deboise as the conservator who has the exclusive right to designate the primary residence of Epps and De-boise’s child. In five issues on appeal, Epps argues (1) the evidence is legally and factually insufficient to support the jury’s modification of the conservator who has the exclusive right to designate the primary residence of the child, (2) .the trial court erred by denying her .motions for mistrial and new trial, and (3) the trial court erred by including a certain jury instruction in the charge.

We affirm.

Background

Shayna Epps gave birth to her and .Ca-ston Deboise’s child in 2009. Before 2011, Épps and Deboise ended their relationship. On January 28, 2011, the two signed an “Agreed Order In Suit Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship & Declaratory Judgment.” The agreed order designated Epps as the conservator who had the exclusive right to designate the primary residence of the child.

Conflict arose between Epps and De-boise concerning the child. In June 2013, Epps initiated the underlying suit, seeking to modify child support amounts and the terms of possession of and access to the child. Deboise filed a counter-petition, seeking to be designated as the conservator who has the exclusive right to designate the primary residence of the child.

Trial took place in October 2015. The only question submitted to the jury was which parent should designate the primary residence of the child. The jury determined that Deboise should be designated as the conservator who had the exclusive right to designate the primary residence of the child.

Legal & Factual Sufficiency of Custody Modification

In her first three issues, Epps challenges the legal and factual sufficiency of the‘evidence to support the jury’s designation of Deboise as the conservator who has the exclusive right to designate the primary residence ■ of the child.

A. Standard of Review

We review a trial court’s decision to modify conservatorship under an abuse of discretion standard. Monroe v. Alternatives in Motion, 234 S.W.3d 56, 64 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2007, no pet.). However, a trial court is not permitted to contravene a jury verdict on the issue of determination of residence. Tex Fam. Code Ann. § 105.002(c)(1)(D) (West 2014). Instead, the jury’s verdict is reviewed for legal and factual sufficiency. See Lenz v. Lenz, 79 S.W,3d 10, 17 (Tex. 2002) (applying legal sufficiency standard to review of jury verdict); Alexander v. Rogers, 247 S.W.3d 757, 761 (Tex. App.—Dallas 2008, no pet.) (holding legal- and factual-sufficiency review applies to jury verdict).

We will sustain a legal sufficiency or “no-evidence” challenge if the record shows one of the following: (1) a complete absence of evidence of a vital fact, (2) rules of law or evidence bar the court from giving weight to the only evidence offered to prove a vital fact, (3) the evidence offered to prove a vital fact is no more than a scintilla, or (4) the .evidence conclusively establishes the opposite of the vital fact. City of Keller v. Wilson, 168 S.W.3d 802, 810 (Tex. 2005). In conducting a legal-sufficiency review, ,a court must consider evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict and indulge .every reasonable inference that would support it. Id. at 822. If the evidence allows only one inference, neither jurors nor the reviewing court may disregard it. Id. However, if the evidence at trial would enable reasonable and fair minded people to differ in their conclusions, then the fact-finder must be allowed to do so. Id. A reviewing court cannot substitute its judgment for that of the fact-finder, so long as the evidence falls within this zone of reasonable disagreement. Id.

In conducting a factual sufficiency review, we must consider all of the evidence that supports or contradicts the fact-finder’s determination. Plas-Tex, Inc. v. U.S. Steel Corp., 772 S.W.2d 442, 445 (Tex. 1989). We may set aside a verdict only if the evidence supporting it is so contrary to the overwhelming weight of the evidence as to be clearly wrong or unjust. Cain v. Bain, 709 S.W.2d 175, 176 (Tex. 1986). When conducting a factual sufficiency review, we must not merely substitute our judgment for that of the fact-finder. Golden Eagle Archery v. Jackson, 116 S.W.3d 757, 761 (Tex. 2003). The fact-finder is the sole judge of the credibility of witnesses and the weight to. be given to their testimony. Id. .

B. Applicable Law

As it pertains to this case,' a court can modify the terms of conservatorship, possession, or access if the movant shows that (1) there has been a material and substantial change warranting the modification since the date of the last order establishing conservatorship, possession, or access and (2) the modification would be in the best interest of the child. See Tex. Fam. Code Ann. § 156.101(a)(1)(A) (West 2014); Lenz, 79 S.W.3d at 14.

.For the requirement of a material and substantial change, “[a] final judgment in a custody proceeding, is res judicata of the best interest of a minor child as. to conditions then existing.” Knowles v. Grimes, 437 S.W.2d 816, 817 (Tex. 1969). In addition, public policy “favors a high degree of stability in a young child’s home and surroundings.” Mumma v. Aguirre, 364 S.W.2d 220, 221 (Tex. 1963); accord Tex. Fam. Code Ann. § 153.001(a)(2) (West 2014) (establishing public policy of Texas to provide stable environment for child); Accordingly, establishing a material and substantial change is required to foster that stability. See Mumma, 364 S.W.2d at 221. “The controlling considerations are those changes of conditions affecting the welfare ofythe child.” Bukovich v. Bukovich, 399 S.W.2d 528, 529 (Tex. 1966). The desires and-relationship between the parents are. only relevant to the degree they impact the welfare of the child. See id.

Determination of a substantial and material change is hot controlled by a set of guidelines; instead, it is fact specific. Arredondo v. Betancourt, 383 S.W.3d 730, 734 (Tex.

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537 S.W.3d 238, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/epps-v-deboise-texapp-2017.