RECORD IMPOUNDED
NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION
SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY APPELLATE DIVISION DOCKET NO. A-3230-14T2 A-3256-14T2
E.S.,
Plaintiff-Respondent, APPROVED FOR PUBLICATION AS REDACTED v. August 15, 2017
APPELLATE DIVISION H.A.,
Defendant-Appellant. _____________________________
Plaintiff-Appellant,
v.
H.A.,
Defendant-Respondent. ______________________________________________
Argued February 28, 2017 – Decided August 15, 2017
Before Judges Messano, Suter and Guadagno.
On appeal from the Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, Family Part, Atlantic County, Docket No. FM-01-0562-09.
Bruce P. Matez argued the cause for appellant in A-3230-14 and respondent in A- 3256-14 (Borger Matez, P.A., attorneys; Mr. Matez, on the briefs). Patricia A. Darden argued the cause for respondent in A-3230-14 and appellant in A- 3256-14 (Law Offices of Patricia A. Darden, attorneys; Ms. Darden, on the briefs).
The opinion of the court was delivered by
MESSANO, P.J.A.D.
Plaintiff E.S. and defendant H.A. are the parents of R.A.
(Richard), born in 2004.1 The parties separated in December
2008, and after a contentious period during which plaintiff
alleged acts of domestic violence (DV), and defendant
successfully litigated against her claims, the marriage ended in
a consent judgment of divorce (JOD) filed on September 8, 2009.
The parties were unable to resolve issues of custody and
parenting time prior to entry of the JOD.
Earlier in 2009, plaintiff had contacted the Division of
Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP or the Division) regarding
Richard's inappropriate, overtly sexual behavior. The Division
began to investigate whether defendant had sexually abused
Richard. In April 2009, the parties entered into a consent
order in the matrimonial action that restored defendant's
parenting time, which had been suspended during the DV
proceedings. However, a subsequent domestic violence complaint
1 We use initials and pseudonyms to maintain the confidentiality of the parties and their child.
2 A-3230-14T2 resulted in a temporary restraining order and renewed suspension
of defendant's parenting time.
When the court dismissed the last of plaintiff's domestic
violence complaints following a multi-day trial that also ended
in September 2009, plaintiff thereafter successfully sought an
order to show cause temporarily suspending defendant's parenting
time until the judge could review the Division's records
regarding its investigation. On October 5, 2009, after
completing her review, the judge dissolved any restraints and
ordered resumption of defendant's parenting time in accordance
with the April 2009 order.
On November 10, 2009, the Division advised defendant its
"investigation determined that abuse was substantiated for
sexual molestation with regard to [Richard]," and that "[y]ou
have been identified as a person responsible for the abuse."
Defendant apparently sought an administrative appeal because, on
February 19, 2010, the Division advised him the "finding of
abuse" as to one incident, July 27, 2009, was overturned.
However, the Division's finding of abuse as to a second incident
on July 6, 2009, remained in place. Defendant filed a request
for further review before the Office of Administrative Law
(OAL).
3 A-3230-14T2 Meanwhile, plaintiff sought reconsideration of the denial
of her earlier request to suspend all parenting time. By July
2010, the OAL hearing still had not taken place, nor had the
Division initiated a Title 9 or Title 30 action. The Family
Part judge overseeing the matrimonial action entered an order
setting a plenary hearing for October "on the issue . . .
whether it is in the best interests of . . . [Richard] that
parenting time with his father . . . should resume."
No hearing took place, as issues and disputes continued to
arise regarding expert witnesses. In January 2011, the judge
appointed Dr. Jennifer L. Perry, Psy.D., as the court's expert,
and charged her with evaluating "when and in what manner it
w[ould] be in the best interest of . . . [Richard] to resume
parenting time with his father . . . ." The parties' litigious
conduct continued; it is unnecessary to detail the reasons for,
or results of, various court appearances that followed.
In a February 2012 order, the judge provided copies of Dr.
Perry's reports to counsel, and the parties again appeared
before the court on April 2, 2012. Although the order entered
that day indicates the judge took "sworn testimony," there was
no testimony. After listening to the arguments of counsel, the
judge prohibited defendant "from any and all contact with"
Richard, "with the exception of the supervised visitation with
4 A-3230-14T2 Dr. Perry or any other visitation ordered by th[e] court." The
judge permitted the parties to engage in discovery and set new
dates for a plenary hearing in July 2012.
In May 2012, defendant withdrew his administrative appeal
of the Division's substantiated finding of abuse. No plenary
hearing took place during the summer of 2012. In November, a
different Family Part judge took over the litigation, and a
plenary hearing began in January 2013 and continued on non-
consecutive days until May. The parties thereafter submitted
written proposed factual findings and legal conclusions.
On November 22, 2013, the judge issued an oral opinion on
the record explaining the reasons supporting his order filed
that day (the November 2013 order). The record reflects only
defense counsel was present; plaintiff's counsel had a court
appearance in another county, was running late and the judge
decided not to wait.
The judge found by clear and convincing evidence, that
defendant had sexually abused Richard. The order granted
plaintiff sole legal and physical custody of Richard and denied
defendant parenting time. Section 3 of the order required that,
before making any application for parenting time, defendant
shall comply with the requirements set forth by Dr. Jennifer Perry in her testimony, which include:
5 A-3230-14T2 a. Admission of wrongdoing; b. A psycho-sexual evaluation by a professional specializing in same; and c. Individual therapy.
In Section 4, the order further provided that, "[i]f and when
the [d]efendant completes the aforementioned requirements, he
may apply for consideration of parenting time through
Therapeutic Management of Reunification (TMR)."2
In his oral opinion denying both parties' requests for
counsel fees, the judge noted plaintiff's counsel's request was
"vague," and he did not "know whether she's going to do
something. Some post judgment motion probably . . . ." The
November 2013 order simply denied both parties' requests for
counsel and expert fees.
Plaintiff sought reconsideration, asking the order
specifically include the judge's finding that defendant had
sexually abused his son, and modifying the order to clarify that
her request for fees was denied without prejudice. The judge
granted the motion for reconsideration and entered the January
10, 2014 order (the January 2014 order) that stated defendant
"sexually abused" Richard, and denied plaintiff's request for
2 TMR was described at trial as a visitation modality, utilizing a "progression" of steps aimed at "rebuilding rapport" between Richard and defendant.
6 A-3230-14T2 fees without prejudice.3 The January 2014 order reiterated the
requirements of the November 2013 order imposing preconditions
on defendant's future applications for parenting time.
Plaintiff submitted a request for fees. Defendant's
opposition never asserted an inability to pay. Rather,
defendant claimed plaintiff was solely responsible for the
plenary hearing, because she refused to accept Dr. Perry's
initial recommendation of TMR. Defendant asserted the "proper
forum for this case should have been . . . a proceeding
initiated by the Division."4
After conducting a hearing, the judge rendered an oral
opinion and memorialized it in his June 9, 2014 order (the June
2014 order), requiring defendant to pay plaintiff $60,000 in
attorney fees and $2488 in costs in monthly installments of
$10,000. The order further provided that "these fees and costs
shall not be dischargeable in bankruptcy."
3 It would appear from the order itself that defendant did not oppose the motion for reconsideration, and defendant's appendix does not include any opposition, if indeed any was filed. 4 However, the record reveals that prior to the plenary hearing, defense counsel urged the judge not to accept the substantiated finding of abuse as dispositive of the issue. Because we are rejecting the arguments defendant now raises and affirming the judge's order in most respects, we choose not to address a specific argument raised in plaintiff's opposition, i.e., that defendant's "abandonment of his administrative law appeal is fatal . . . to his attempts to overturn the finding that he sexually abused" Richard.
7 A-3230-14T2 Defendant moved for reconsideration and plaintiff cross-
moved to enforce the award. In his certification, defendant,
for the first time, asserted an inability to pay counsel fees
awarded to plaintiff. The judge's August 29, 2014 order (the
August 2014 order) granted defendant's motion in part, reducing
the monthly installments to $500, but denying all other relief.
The judge denied plaintiff's request for counsel fees in
opposing the motion.
Plaintiff filed another motion for reconsideration, seeking
an order reducing the counsel fee award to judgment, as well as
an award of additional fees for making the motion. Defendant
cross-moved, seeking a stay of the award and counsel fees for
opposing the motion. The judge's February 4, 2015 order (the
February 2015 order) denied plaintiff's motion and granted
defendant's motion in part, awarding him $2520 in counsel fees
as an offset against the award previously made in favor of
plaintiff.
In A-3230-14, defendant appeals the November 2013 order
that followed the hearing; the January 2014 order that granted
plaintiff's motion for reconsideration and added additional
terms to the original order; the June 2014 order awarding
plaintiff counsel fees; and the August 2014 order largely
denying his request for reconsideration of the fee award.
8 A-3230-14T2 In A-3256-14, plaintiff appeals from the August 2014 order
reconsidering the fee award and the February 2015 order denying
her motion for reconsideration. We calendared the cases back-
to-back, and now consolidate them for purposes of issuing a
single decision.
In A-3230-14, we reverse those provisions of the November
2013 and January 2014 orders that required defendant to "comply
with [certain] requirements" "[p]rior to" making "any
application for parenting time" with his son, but otherwise
affirm. We affirm in A-3256-14.
As to A-3230-14
[At the court's direction, Section I of its opinion, which concerns discrete issues, has been redacted from the published opinion because it does not meet the criteria set by R. 1:36-2(d) for publication. The published parts of the opinion continue as follows.]
II.
A.
In Point II, defendant argues the provisions of the
November 2013 and January 2014 orders requiring his admission of
"wrongdoing" "[p]rior to" making "any application for parenting
time" violate his constitutional right against self-
incrimination. As a corollary argument, defendant claims the
judge erred in relying on Hoch's and Perry's opinions that his
admission of wrongdoing was a necessary predicate to TMR,
9 A-3230-14T2 because they were "net" opinions unsupported by any indicia of
scientific reliability. In response, plaintiff only contends
defendant failed to raise the issue in the trial court, and
Richard's best interests require defendant's admission of abuse
before TMR can commence.
Preliminarily, defendant's claim that the opinions
expressed by Hoch and Perry were net opinions lacks sufficient
merit to warrant discussion. R. 2:11-3(e)(1)(E). Defendant
also suggests Perry never conditioned parenting time, or
initiation of TMR, upon his admission of wrongdoing. However,
in responding to a question from the judge, Perry said:
I would say that if . . . Your Honor determines that sexual abuse has occurred and a perpetrator is not willing to admit to that and get the services needed in order to prevent that — or reduce the likelihood of that occurring again, . . . there should be no visitation.
Plaintiff is correct that defendant never raised a
constitutional challenge to conditioning future applications for
parenting time upon an admission of wrongdoing, and we
adhere[] to th[e] long-standing principle[] . . . 'that our appellate courts will decline to consider questions or issues not properly presented to the trial court when an opportunity for such a presentation is available unless the questions so raised on appeal go to the jurisdiction of the trial court or concern matters of great public interest.'
10 A-3230-14T2 [State v. Robinson, 200 N.J. 1, 20 (2009) (quoting Nieder v. Royal Indem. Ins. Co., 62 N.J. 229, 234 (1973)).]
"However, if the issue is of special significance to the
litigant, to the public, or to the achievement of substantial
justice, and the record is sufficiently complete to permit its
adjudication, we may consider it." Borough of Keyport v.
Maropakis, 332 N.J. Super. 210, 216 (App. Div. 2000); see also
Ricci v. Ricci, 448 N.J. Super. 546, 567 (App. Div. 2017)
(considering constitutional challenge to Family Part's award of
college costs because "clarification of the law is necessary");
J-M Mfg. Co. v. Phillips & Cohen, LLP, 443 N.J. Super. 447, 458
(App. Div. 2015) (considering argument raised for the first time
on appeal regarding application of the entire controversy
doctrine to be "of sufficient importance to merit discussion"),
certif. denied, 224 N.J. 527 (2016). "[T]he Nieder rule's
exceptions are most fruitfully applied where the focal issue is
entirely a question of law, in respect of which lower court
determinations are accorded limited deference." Am. Civil
Liberties Union of N.J. v. Cty. of Hudson, 352 N.J. Super. 44,
72 (App. Div. 2002). For the following reasons, we relax
Nieder's restrictions and consider defendant's constitutional
arguments.
11 A-3230-14T2 The issue defendant now raises is of significant importance
to defendant, his son and other potential litigants in cases of
this nature. As we said nearly twenty years ago:
This case is an example of a tragic but recurring dilemma in certain family court cases involving allegations of child sexual abuse. On the one hand, there are clearly cases of imagined or even fabricated charges against a parent, especially when raised during the pendency of divorce proceedings. For a parent to stand accused of such an offense is devastating both to that individual, and to the child's lifelong relationship with the parent. On the other hand, proof of such abuse, especially involving a very young child, is rarely clear, and the potential danger to a child from a reoccurrence, if the suspicions and accusations are well-founded, is enormous.
[P.T. v. M.S., 325 N.J. Super. 193, 198 (App. Div. 1999).]
Further, although the issue at trial was whether and under what
conditions should defendant's parenting time be restored, it is
entirely unclear whether defendant had an opportunity to address
potential judicially-imposed pre-conditions to any future
request he might make. Defendant might have properly moved for
reconsideration, but his failure to do so should not bar our
consideration of this significant issue. Moreover, the record
is complete, because both Hoch and Perry testified at length,
were subject to extensive cross-examination and defendant
eschewed any opportunity to present his own expert on the
12 A-3230-14T2 subject of TMR or any necessary preconditions. Lastly, whether
the provisions violate defendant's constitutional rights raises
a purely legal issue, and even if the trial judge were afforded
the opportunity to consider the argument, we would review his
decision de novo. Motorworld, Inc. v. Beckendorf, 228 N.J. 311,
329 (2017).
As a result, we move to the substance of defendant's
B.
Our courts have long recognized "[t]he right of a parent to
raise a child and maintain a relationship with that child,
without undue interference by the state, is protected by the
United States and New Jersey Constitutions." N.J. Div. of Youth
& Family Servs. v. E.P., 196 N.J. 88, 102 (2008) (citations
omitted). Our court has held that "a parent's rights to the
care and companionship of his or her child are so fundamental as
to be guaranteed protection under the First, Ninth and
Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution." Wilke
v. Culp, 196 N.J. Super. 487, 496 (App. Div. 1984), certif.
denied, 99 N.J. 243 (1985); see also N.J.S.A. 9:2-4 (declaring
it to be the State's public purpose "to assure minor children of
frequent and continuing contact with both parents after the
parents have separated or dissolved their marriage").
13 A-3230-14T2 Therefore, "the law favors visitation and protects against the
thwarting of effective visitation[.]" Wilke, supra, 196 N.J.
Super. at 496.
"That fundamental parental right, however, is not without
limitation. The State has a basic responsibility, as parens
patriae, to protect children from serious physical and
psychological harm, even from their parents." E.P., supra, 196
N.J. at 102 (citation omitted). A parent's custody or
visitation "rights may be restricted, or even terminated, where
the relation of one parent (or even both) with the child cause
emotional or physical harm to the child, or where the parent is
shown to be unfit." Wilke, supra, 196 N.J. Super. at 496.
"New Jersey's privilege against self-incrimination,
although not enshrined in the State Constitution, is deeply
rooted in this State's common law and codified in both statute
and an evidence rule[,]" State v. Muhammad, 182 N.J. 551, 567
(2005), and "offers broader protection than its federal
counterpart under the Fifth Amendment." Id. at 568. Pursuant
to N.J.S.A. 2A:84A-19, and its equivalent, N.J.R.E. 503, every
person in New Jersey "has a right to refuse to disclose in an
action . . . any matter that will incriminate him or expose him
to penalty . . . ."
[A] matter will incriminate (a) if it constitutes an element of a crime against
14 A-3230-14T2 this State, or another State or the United States, or (b) is a circumstance which with other circumstances would be a basis for a reasonable inference of the commission of such a crime, or (c) is a clue to the discovery of a matter which is within clauses (a) or (b) above; provided, a matter will not be held to incriminate if it clearly appears that the witness has no reasonable cause to apprehend a criminal prosecution. . . .
[N.J.S.A. 2A:84A-18; N.J.R.E. 502.]
Although the orders under review do not define the necessary
prerequisites of defendant's admission of wrongdoing, based upon
the evidence at trial and the judge's factual findings and
conclusions, it can be presumed that defendant would have to
admit he sexually assaulted Richard. See N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2(b)
(defining sexual assault as sexual contact between a victim less
than thirteen years of age by an actor at least four years
older). A prosecution for a violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2(b)
may be commenced at any time. N.J.S.A. 2C:1-6(a)(1). As a
result, defendant's admission of "wrongdoing," whenever made,
potentially exposes him to criminal liability.
"Both the United States Supreme Court and our New Jersey
courts have consistently held that the state may not force an
individual to choose between his or her Fifth Amendment
privilege and another important interest because such choices
are deemed to be inherently coercive." State v. P.Z., 152 N.J.
15 A-3230-14T2 86, 106 (1997). It does not matter whether the particular
proceeding is itself a criminal prosecution. See ibid.
(collecting cases). Rather, "the Fifth Amendment is violated
'when a State compels testimony by threatening to inflict potent
sanctions unless the constitutional privilege is surrendered.'"
Id. at 106-07 (quoting Lefkowitz v. Cunningham, 431 U.S. 801,
805, 97 S. Ct. 2132, 2135, 53 L. Ed. 2d 1, 7 (1977)).
In P.Z., the Court considered "whether a caseworker from
the [Division] must give Miranda warnings to a parent prior to a
non-custodial interview related to a child abuse investigation."
Id. at 92. The defendant acknowledged he was not in custody at
the time, id. at 102, but argued "his statement was obtained in
a similarly coercive manner because he was faced with an implied
threat that his children would not be returned unless he
admitted responsibility for his youngest daughter's injuries."
Id. at 107.
Citing two out-of-state decisions, which we discuss below,
the Court concluded, "Although an admission of abuse may aid in
the rehabilitative process, termination of custody is not
automatic on invocation of the privilege. We therefore consider
inapplicable those cases holding unconstitutional a requirement
that an individual choose between the right to remain silent and
another vital interest." Id. at 108. The Court recognized a
16 A-3230-14T2 distinction between a "direct threat" to a vital interest or a
"previously held benefit" and, "instead, a possibility that
therapeutic outcomes will be determinative of parental rights."
Ibid. It explained:
[The defendant] was not asked to choose between his children and the exercise of his right to remain silent. If he abused his daughter, and if he refused to acknowledge his acts of abuse, he would find it difficult to demonstrate that he could care for his children without harming them. This was the risk he faced. [The Division's caseworker] did not threaten him with termination of his parental rights if he did not confess; nor did she tell him that the only way he could get his children back was to confess. We conclude that [the] defendant's statement . . . was not coerced in violation of his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination.
[Id. at 209.]
Here, however, the orders directly threaten defendant's
parental rights, because defendant may not petition the Family
Part for modification unless and until he waives his privilege
against self-incrimination and admits "wrongdoing." The
decisions of several of our sister states have explained the
distinction drawn by the Court in P.Z., between compelled self-
incrimination — in violation of constitutional rights — and
incriminatory statements that might be necessary for meaningful
reunification therapy to begin.
17 A-3230-14T2 In In re Welfare of J.W., 415 N.W.2d 879, 880-81 (Minn.
1987), a case cited by the P.Z. Court, the defendant-parents
challenged a dispositional order that required them to undergo
psychological evaluations, which included explanation of the
circumstances that led to the death of a two-year old child in
their care. The State threatened to terminate their parental
rights if they would not agree. Id. at 881. The parents
objected claiming the order violated their constitutional right
against self-incrimination. Ibid. The court concluded "that
the trial court's order, to the extent it requires appellants to
incriminate themselves, violates appellants' Fifth Amendment
rights and is unenforceable." Id. at 883. However, the court
made clear the limits of the parents' privilege:
While the state may not compel therapy treatment that would require appellants to incriminate themselves, it may require the parents to otherwise undergo treatment. Therapy, however, which does not include incriminating disclosures, may be ineffective; and ineffective therapy may hurt the parents' chances of regaining their children. These consequences lie outside the protective ambit of the Fifth Amendment.
. . . .
. . . In the lexicon of the Fifth Amendment, the risk of losing the children for failure to undergo meaningful therapy is neither a "threat" nor a "penalty" imposed by the state. It is simply a consequence of the reality that it is unsafe for children
18 A-3230-14T2 to be with parents who are abusive and violent.
[Id. at 883-84.]
The Vermont Supreme Court reached a similar conclusion in
In re M.C.P., 571 A.2d 627 (Vt. 1989), another case cited by the
P.Z. Court. There, the trial court ordered continued custody of
the minor with the child welfare agency "until the parents g[ot]
over the extreme denial of any abuse and seek counseling to
overcome these problems . . . ." Id. at 640. Adopting the
analysis of the court in J.G.W., the court concluded that
portion of the dispositional order "may be read as a requirement
that the parents waive their Fifth Amendment Privilege," and
then struck that provision from the order. Id. at 641. The
court explained:
The trial court cannot specifically require the parents to admit criminal misconduct in order to reunite the parents to admit criminal misconduct in order to reunite the family. On the other hand, the parents must demonstrate to the court that it is in the juvenile's best interest to return custody to the parents in the face of the serious misconduct the court found they engaged in. While the court may not specify that the only route to reunification is an abandonment of the self-incrimination right, the parents must expect that the court and [the child welfare agency] will act based on the findings of extreme parental abuse. If the parents can find a way to show that they have become good parents, without admitting to any misconduct, and that a restoration of custody of the juvenile to them is in the
19 A-3230-14T2 best interest of the child and is safe, the court may not foreclose the option. If the court finds in the future, however, that the parents have made no progress to reunification because their denial prevents effective therapy, it may act on that finding to the parents' detriment without offending the Fifth Amendment privilege.
[Ibid.; accord Mullin v. Phelps, 647 A.2d 714, 724-25 (Vt. 1994).]
Most courts around the country have recognized the
distinction between a court-compelled waiver of a parent's right
against self-incrimination, which violates the Fifth Amendment,
and an order compelling a parent's participation in counseling
or reunification services, the success of which might hinge on
the admission of abuse. See, e.g., In re A.W., 896 N.E.2d 316,
326 (Ill. 2008) ("[A] trial court may order a service plan that
requires a parent to engage in effective counseling or therapy,
but may not compel counseling or therapy requiring the parent to
admit to committing a crime."); In the Interest of C.H., 652
N.W.2d 144, 150 (Iowa 2002) ("The State may require parents to
otherwise undergo treatment, but it may not specifically require
an admission of guilt as part of the treatment."); Minh T. v.
Ariz. Dep't of Econ. Sec., 41 P.3d 614, 618 (Ariz. Ct. App.
2001) (recognizing "a distinction between a treatment order that
requires parents to admit criminal misconduct and one that
merely orders participation in family reunification services");
20 A-3230-14T2 State v. Suzette M. (In re Clifford M.), 577 N.W.2d 547, 558-59
(Neb. Ct. App. 1998) (reversing termination of parental rights
"solely because [the defendant] refused to waive her right to be
free from self-incrimination," but recognizing court may order
enrollment in therapy as "essential to a particular parent's
rehabilitation"), appeal dismissed, 606 N.W.2d 742 (Neb. 2000).
No reported New Jersey decision has squarely addressed this
issue,5 and we find the cited out-of-state decisions to be
persuasive. Here, the November 2013 and January 2014 orders
conditioned any future request by defendant for parenting time
upon his admission of "wrongdoing," which we presume, based on
Perry's testimony, means defendant must admit that he sexually
abused Richard. Such a requirement compels defendant to waive
his privilege against self-incrimination and violates his rights
under the Fifth Amendment and our State Constitution.
Although defendant has not specifically challenged the
balance of the November 2013 and January 2014 orders that impose
5 In In re Guardianship of D.J.M., 325 N.J. Super. 150, 151 (Ch. Div. 1999), the Family Part considered "whether to stay a guardianship proceeding pending the outcome of a simultaneous criminal proceeding arising out of the same facts." While finding the defendant's Fifth Amendment arguments to be "compelling," the court concluded the child's interest in permanency outweighed the defendant's rights, and suggested the Legislature should grant "use immunity" to parents in the defendant's position. Id. at 162. Because the issues in this case are significantly different, we express no opinion about the court's holding in D.J.M.
21 A-3230-14T2 other preconditions upon him "[p]rior to any application for
parenting time," and further provide he may apply "for
consideration of parenting time" only if he completes these
requirements, we conclude these portions of the orders must also
be vacated.
In Parish v. Parish, 412 N.J. Super. 39, 48 (App. Div.
2010), we recognized that a citizen's constitutional right to
access to the courts applied to matters in the Family Part.
While reaffirming the court's inherent power "to control the
filing of frivolous motions and to curtail 'harassing and
vexatious litigation,'" ibid. (quoting Rosenblum v. Borough of
Closter, 333 N.J. Super. 385, 387, 391 (App. Div. 2000)), we
nevertheless reversed the judge's order enjoining the plaintiff-
father from filing any future motions, including enforcement of
parenting time requests, unless the parties and their attorneys
first conducted a settlement conference. Id. at 44. We
concluded that "in the absence of any finding of a need to
control baseless litigation, the balance struck by the motion
judge in favor of restricting access to the court was an abuse
of discretion." Id. at 51.
We reach the same conclusion here. Undoubtedly, this
litigation has been protracted, contentious and, on occasion,
unnecessary. However, defendant has consistently denied that he
22 A-3230-14T2 abused his son, and so testified at trial. Clearly, the judge
rejected this testimony and found, by clear and convincing
evidence, that defendant had sexually abused Richard. The judge
also clearly accepted Perry's testimony that not only was
defendant's admission of wrongdoing a necessary precondition to
effective therapy and future parenting time, but also that
defendant must undergo individual therapy and submit to a
psycho-sexual evaluation before the process can begin.
Putting aside preconditioning any application of
defendant's admission of wrongdoing, which, as explained above,
violated defendant's constitutional rights, we conclude
imposition of these other preconditions violated defendant's
right to invoke the equitable powers of the Family Part to
modify its order denying him any parenting time. It may well be
that any future application may fail, absent defendant's efforts
to address the very issues Perry saw as vital to the gradual
reinstitution of parenting time. However, the court should not
reach that conclusion in advance of such a request. Although
the judge undoubtedly made a good faith attempt to foreclose
unnecessary motion practice in what had been an excessively
litigated case, these provisions of the November 2013 and
January 2014 orders improperly restrict defendant's right to
seek further review by the court.
23 A-3230-14T2 We vacate Section 3 and 4 of the November 2013 order and
sections 4 and 5 of the January 2014 order.
[At the court's direction, Section III of its opinion, which concerns discrete issues, has been redacted from the published opinion, because it does not meet the criteria set by R. 1:36-2(d) for publication. The published parts of the opinion continue as follows.]
For the reasons stated, we affirm in A-3230-14, except as
to those provisions of the November 2013 and January 2014 orders
which we have now vacated.
24 A-3230-14T2