Hudson v. Strother

246 So. 3d 851
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 2, 2018
Docket17–1044
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 246 So. 3d 851 (Hudson v. Strother) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hudson v. Strother, 246 So. 3d 851 (La. Ct. App. 2018).

Opinion

KYZAR, Judge.

Appellant, Clint Tucker Strother, appeals the judgment of the trial court denying his rule for a change of custody of the parties' minor daughter. For the reasons set forth herein, we affirm.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Mr. Strother and Appellee, Ronda Maxwell Hudson, are the unmarried parents of Kristen Marie Strother, born on June 16, 2010. By judgment rendered on November 10, 2011, based upon the stipulations of the parties, and signed on January 10, 2012, the parties agreed to share joint custody of Kristen, with Ms. Hudson being designated as the primary custodial parent and with Mr. Strother having reasonable visitation rights. The parties entered into another Consent Judgment on June 30, 2014, wherein Mr. Strother was awarded every-other-weekend custodial visitation and alternating weekly summer custodial visitation.

Subsequently, Mr. Strother filed a Rule for Change of Custody, Rule for Contempt and For Other Relief on June 2, 2017, based on numerous allegations, including that the child had excessive tardiness and unexcused absences from school, that Child Protection had telephoned him, and that the mother, Ronda Hudson, had been involved in physical violence with the man with whom she is living while the minor child was in the home. In this pleading, he also sought and obtained a Temporary Ex Parte Custody Order, whereby Ms. Hudson was given only supervised visitation at her mother's home until the matter could be heard.

On July 24, 2017, a hearing was held; at the conclusion of which the trial court denied the Rule for Change of Custody, holding that "the Court finds that there is insufficient evidence to take the child away from the mother and place it with the father at this point." This appeal by Mr. Strother followed.

On appeal, Mr. Strother alleges four assignments of error, as follows:

*8551. The trial court committed legal error by applying an incorrect legal standard to determine custody and visitation rights to the minor child, and thus a de novo review by this court is appropriate and necessary.
2. The trial court was manifestly erroneous in failing to recognize that the evidence presented established that sole or domiciliary custody for the father and supervised visitation for the mother would be in the best interest of the child and in failing to tailor a custody and visitation order in a manner that would minimize risk of harm to the minor child.
3. The trial court erred in failing to find that the violent acts against mother by her paramour in front of the child triggered the Post-Separation Family Violence Relief Act.
4. The trial court erred in failing to recognize that the [Appellee's] failure to call her paramour to testify or to explain his failure to testify about matters material to the case and peculiarly within his knowledge created an adverse presumption that his testimony would be damaging and unfavorable to her case.

Legal Standard Applied by the Trial Court for Change of Custody

Mr. Strother first asserts that the trial court erred in applying the incorrect standard of law in denying his rule for a change in the custody arrangements of the parties' minor child. As such, he argues, this court should review the trial court's decision de novo. The standard of review by this court in cases involving child custody issues is well settled.

An appellate court may not set aside a trial court's findings of fact in absence of manifest error or unless it is clearly wrong. Stobart v. State, Through DOTD , 617 So.2d 880 (La.1993). This is especially applicable in a child custody dispute wherein appellate courts accord substantial deference to the trial judge's conclusions. "The trial judge is in a better position to evaluate the best interest of a child from his observance of the parties and the witnesses and his decision will not be disturbed on review absent a clear showing of abuse." Deason v. Deason , 99-1811, p. 2 (La.App. 3 Cir. 4/5/00), 759 So.2d 219, 220 (citing State in the Interest of Sylvester , 525 So.2d 604, 608 (La.App. 3 Cir. 1988) (citing Bagents v. Bagents , 419 So.2d 460 (La.1982) ) ).
Every child custody case must be viewed within its own peculiar set of facts, and a trial court's award of custody is entitled to great weight and will not be overturned on appeal unless an abuse of discretion is clearly shown. Connelly v. Connelly , 94-527 (La.App. 1 Cir. 10/7/94), 644 So.2d 789. Both the Louisiana Legislature and the Louisiana Supreme Court have made it abundantly clear that the primary consideration and prevailing inquiry is whether the custody arrangement is in the best interest of the child. See Evans v. Lungrin , 97-541, 97-577 (La. 2/6/98), 708 So.2d 731.

Guidry v. Guidry , 07-1272, pp. 2-3 (La.App. 3 Cir. 3/5/08), 979 So.2d 603, 605.

"However, if a court of appeal finds that a reversible error of law or manifest error of material fact was made in the lower court, the [appellate] court, whenever possible, is required to review the facts de novo from the entire record and render a judgment on the merits." Jenkins v. Rougeau , 97-257, pp. 3-4 (La.App. 3 Cir. 10/8/97), 702 So.2d 841, 843, writ denied , 97-2849 (La. 1/30/98), 709 So.2d 715 (citing Ferrell v. Fireman's Fund Ins. Co. , 94-1252 (La. 2/20/95), 650 So.2d 742 ).

*856Mr. Strother asserts that the trial court applied the wrong legal standard as to his burden of proof at trial in ruling against his request for a change in custody. He claims that the trial court held him to the stricter standard of proof that is required for a change of custody from a considered decree. The burden of proof rule in change-of-child-custody cases has been previously stated:

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Bluebook (online)
246 So. 3d 851, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hudson-v-strother-lactapp-2018.