In Re BAW

311 S.W.3d 544, 2009 WL 4069049
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 24, 2009
Docket08-07-00204-CV
StatusPublished

This text of 311 S.W.3d 544 (In Re BAW) 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
In Re BAW, 311 S.W.3d 544, 2009 WL 4069049 (Tex. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinion

311 S.W.3d 544 (2009)

In the Interest of B.A.W., a Child.

No. 08-07-00204-CV.

Court of Appeals of Texas, El Paso.

November 24, 2009.

*546 Karen S. Guerra, The Guerra Law Firm, Carrollton, TX, for Appellant.

Scott E. Kurth, Red Oak, TX, for Appellee.

Before CHEW, C.J., McCLURE, and RIVERA, JJ.

OPINION

ANN CRAWFORD McCLURE, Justice.

This is an appeal from a second modification order in a high-conflict suit affecting *547 the parent child relationship. LaDonna Turner brings issues for review in which she complains of the orders for exchange of the child, the geographic restriction, the denial of her request for retroactive child support or reimbursement for educational expenses, and the denial of her request for attorneys' fees.

PRELUDE

Trial courts are vested with broad discretion in suits affecting the parent child relationship for one very important reason. Parents get divorced. They are often angry, bitter, vengeful, and hostile toward one another. Sometimes they act in their own best interest rather than in the best interest of their child. The child may become a ping pong ball in a game of which parent can hurt the other more, even if the child gets hurt in the process. The trial court has the ability to gauge parental behavior and absorb the subtle nuances of righteous indignation played out in the judicial spotlight. That judge has the ability to see the fire in the eyes, hear the anger in the voice, and feel the sincerity in the heart. We do not have that luxury. We cannot tell from a cold page the heat of battle these parents have waged, nor can we say that one is more at fault than the other. The trial court here was faced with crafting solutions for a little boy whose parents cannot or will not get along. The judge clearly tried to reduce the tension at the times of transfer and rightfully so. She also tried to equalize the burden of transportation across the north Texas metroplex. We must determine whether the model she developed constitutes an abuse of discretion. The short answer is, "No." For the reasons that follow, we affirm.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

B.A.W. was born to LaDonna Turner and Donald Walker in July 1995 and the family lived in Ovilla, Ellis County, Texas. The record does not indicate the date of separation or divorce. The parties were appointed joint managing conservators with Turner having the right to establish the residence of the child. At some point, Turner moved to Carrollton in Denton County and remarried. Walker has continued to live in Ellis County.

Although the record does not indicate the date of filing or all of the relief requested, Walker filed a motion to modify. By order dated August 22, 2005, he was granted the exclusive right to make educational decisions for B.A.W. "limited to First Baptist Academy, Dallas, Texas."[1] Turner was granted the exclusive right to determine the primary residence of the child within Dallas County and contiguous counties. The court also entered a judgment against Walker for child support arrearages and for unreimbursed health care expenses, but terminated his obligation to pay further child support. In lieu thereof, Walker was ordered to pay "[a]ll tuition, fees, uniform costs, registration fees, lunches, sports fees and other costs associated with the child's attendance at First Baptist Academy located at 1704 Patterson Street, Dallas, Texas 75201."

B.A.W. was never enrolled in First Baptist Academy. Walker alleged that Turner failed to cooperate with the enrollment process by refusing to participate in a mandatory family interview required for admission. He tried eight or ten times to resolve the impasse, but by October 2005, it became impractical to transfer the child for the 2005-2006 school year. He intended *548 to enroll the child for the 2006-2007 school term.

Turner recollected differently:

Q: And in truth and in fact, ma'am, you never did get on board with the transfer of this child from Carrollton to First Baptist Academy, correct?
A: That's incorrect.
Q: Did you go to the family meeting?
A: There was not one that I was aware of.
Q: Isn't it true that Don Walker tried to set up a family conference with you and you did not respond to him?
A: No, it's not true.
Q: Okay. And you knew that that family conference was a requirement in order for him to go to First Baptist Academy?
A: I knew it was a requirement, yes.
Q: Okay. And you were also ordered to cooperate with that transfer of the child from Carrollton to First Baptist Academy, correct?
A: Yes.

Interestingly enough, Turner had sought counselling from Dr. Linda Threats, a marriage and family therapist and forensic witness. According to her records, Dr. Threats was retained by Turner on September 1, 2005, nine days after the modification order was signed. Turner wanted an assessment of the child because he was "just feeling overwhelmed by the situation that was going on between—about his school and the issue between his mother and his father surrounding his education." Dr. Threats' notes from that first session indicate that Turner has "strong disagreement over school preference" and "plans to appeal ruling." Turner admitted making the statement. The session notes from April 24, 2006 reflect that there has been "no resolution to school issue" and that "Mom making plans to return to court." Indeed she did.

On June 9, 2006, Turner filed suit to modify the 2005 order, seeking (1) the right to make educational decisions for the child; (2) prospective and retroactive child support; (3) enforcement of the prior judgment for child support and healthcare expenses; (4) reimbursement of healthcare expenses; and (5) attorney's fees. Walker filed a counter-petition seeking modification of the geographic residence restriction, the possession schedule, and the terms for transfer of the child.

The final hearing was held on December 5, 2006 and the order was signed on March 29, 2007. The order (1) granted Turner the right to make the educational decisions for the child; (2) ordered Walker to pay child support; (3) denied Turner's request for reimbursement of expenses or retroactive support; (4) modified the geographic residence restriction; (5) modified the terms for transfer of the child for periods of possession; (6) denied Walker's request to change the visitation schedule; and (7) denied attorneys' fees.

STANDARDS OF REVIEW

A "no evidence" or legal insufficiency point is a question of law which challenges the legal sufficiency of the evidence to support a particular fact finding. Serrano v. Union Planters Bank, N.A., 162 S.W.3d 576, 579 (Tex.App.-El Paso 2004, pet. denied). There are two separate "no evidence" claims. Id. When the party having the burden of proof suffers an unfavorable finding, the point of error challenging the legal sufficiency of the evidence should be that the fact or issue was established as "a matter of law." Id. When the party without the burden of proof suffers an unfavorable finding, the challenge on appeal is one of "no evidence to support the *549 finding." Id.; In re Estate of Livingston,

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Bluebook (online)
311 S.W.3d 544, 2009 WL 4069049, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-baw-texapp-2009.