Hamaday, E. v. Hamaday, L.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedApril 29, 2024
Docket1959 EDA 2023
StatusUnpublished

This text of Hamaday, E. v. Hamaday, L. (Hamaday, E. v. Hamaday, L.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hamaday, E. v. Hamaday, L., (Pa. Ct. App. 2024).

Opinion

J-A04001-24

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT O.P. 65.37

ERIC J. HAMADAY : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA Appellant : : : v. : : : LORI D. HAMADAY : No. 1959 EDA 2023

Appeal from the Order Entered June 21, 2023 In the Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County Civil Division at No: 2017-15205

BEFORE: STABILE, J., McLAUGHLIN, J., and COLINS, J.*

MEMORANDUM BY STABILE, J: FILED APRIL 29, 2024

Eric J. Hamaday (“Father”) appeals pro se from the order entered on

June 21, 2023, in the Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County, that

granted the petition for special relief filed by Lori D. Hamaday (“Mother”) in

the custody matter involving their ten-and-eleven-year-old sons, G.H. and

C.H. (“the children”).1 In addition, Father appeals from the order entered on

June 22, 2023, that appointed a parenting coordinator for the parties and

allocated that the fee be shared equally by the parties. We affirm.

By way of relevant background, the record reveals that the parties have

participated in protracted child custody and child support litigation since

____________________________________________

* Retired Senior Judge assigned to the Superior Court.

1 The Honorable Daniel J. Clifford presided over the underlying custody matter

involving the parties’ two sons born during their marriage. J-A04001-24

approximately 2017, during which Father has continuously represented

himself pro se. By interim order in July of 2018, Judge Clifford directed that

the parties participate in family counseling for the purpose of resolving co-

parenting issues without litigation. The existing custody order, which was

entered after a full evidentiary hearing on September 13, 2019 (“existing

order”), maintained the requirement and further directed that the parties use

Dr. Darlene Link as their family counselor. This provision was modified by

order dated June 24, 2022, wherein the court directed that the parties resume

family counseling with a counselor of their choice, but if they are unable to

agree, then the court would select a counselor for them. The court expressed

its preference for Dr. Link to serve in this role.

It also is important to note that the existing order awarded the parties

shared legal and physical custody every week,2 and it set forth a holiday

schedule. Relevant to this appeal is the Christmas schedule, as follows.

Christmas Eve: From 11:00 AM overnight until Christmas Day at 11:00 AM: with Mother in odd years/Father in even years;

Christmas Day: From 11:00 AM overnight until December 26th at 11:00 AM: with Mother in odd years/Father in even years.

Existing Order, 9/13/19, at ¶ 5(k), (l).

2 Specifically, the existing order provided that the parties share weekly custody by alternating Monday after school until Wednesday morning, and Wednesday after school until Friday morning. The existing order also provided that they alternate custody on weekends from Friday after school until Monday morning.

-2- J-A04001-24

Mother filed the subject petition for special relief on May 1, 2023,

wherein she requested a “slight adjustment to the holiday schedule to reflect

the actual Christmas schedule that the parties have been observing for several

years.” Trial Court Opinion, 10/25/23, at 3. Specifically, Mother requested

an award of custody every Christmas Day and for Father every Christmas Eve.

In addition, Mother requested that the court order the following relief:

(1) that the children receive the flu vaccination in 2023 and annually

thereafter upon the recommendation of their physician; (2) that Father return

the cell phone that Mother had purchased for the children and allow them to

use that phone to call either parent when they are not in his or her custody;

(3) that the children sleep in the second bedroom that exists in Father’s home

rather than sleep in Father’s bedroom; and (4) that the court appoint a

guardian ad litem (“GAL”).

On May 22, 2023, Father, acting pro se, filed an answer to Mother’s

petition for special relief, wherein he objected to the children being vaccinated

with the flu shot and having a cell phone, and he denied that it is in their best

interests to modify the Christmas schedule. With respect to Mother’s request

for the appointment of a GAL, he denied it was necessary.

The essence of Father’s responsive pleading was that “it would be more

appropriate to address” Mother’s requests “in counseling,” and that they had

not had family counseling since December of 2022. Answer to Petition,

5/22/23, at 5 (unpaginated). Father requested that the court provide the

-3- J-A04001-24

parties thirty days to agree upon a new family counselor who would address

each issue raised by Mother.

The hearing on Mother’s petition occurred on June 20, 2023, via Zoom.

Father represented himself pro se, during which he presented testimony on

his own behalf and conducted cross-examination of Mother. Mother was

represented by counsel, and she testified on her own behalf.

The trial court recognized on the record in open court at the beginning

of the hearing that “these issues before me today I would say fall into the

category of co-parenting issues where you wouldn’t necessarily need to

involve the judge. . . .” N.T., 6/20/23, at 5 (cleaned up). Upon inquiry by

the court, Mother testified that the parties had not been engaged with family

counseling for “a couple months” due to Dr. Link ending it because she was

“unhappy with” the way Father treated her. Id. at 4-5. Father neither

confirmed nor denied Mother’s allegation in this regard. Nonetheless, he

maintained throughout the hearing that the issues in Mother’s petition be

resolved in family counseling. Father specifically requested on the record that

the court “give us 30 days from the date of the proceeding to agree upon the

new family counselor,” and he subsequently requested that the court appoint

Andrea Serber in that role. Id. at 27-28.

By order dated and entered on June 21, 2023, the court granted

Mother’s aforementioned requests except for the appointment of a GAL, which

it expressly denied. With respect to family counseling, the order provided:

-4- J-A04001-24

The parties are directed to promptly authorize Dr. Darlene Link, the court appointed professional for family counseling pursuant to ¶ 11(a) of the [September 13, 2019 existing custody order], to provide verification of the parties’ participation in family counseling and if she will continue as the treating professional (and if not, the reasons for not continuing).

Order, 6/21/23, at ¶ 2 (cleaned up). In addition, the order indicated the trial

court’s intent to appoint a parenting coordinator, as follows.

The Court shall proceed to appoint a Parenting Coordinator via a separate Order pursuant to 1915.11-1.1 ___________________________________________________ 1 [Montgomery County Local Rule of Civil Procedure] 1915.11.1(a)(1) [provides that,] after a final custody order has been entered, a judge may appoint a parenting coordinator to resolve parenting issues in cases involving repeated or intractable conflict between the parties affecting implementation of the final custody order.

Id. at ¶ 10 (emphasis added). On June 22, 2023, the court entered the

separate order for parenting coordination, which provided that the parties

equally share the fee of the parenting coordinator.

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Bluebook (online)
Hamaday, E. v. Hamaday, L., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hamaday-e-v-hamaday-l-pasuperct-2024.