In Re: Brian Yorks, V. Olimpia Yorks

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedFebruary 26, 2024
Docket84480-6
StatusUnpublished

This text of In Re: Brian Yorks, V. Olimpia Yorks (In Re: Brian Yorks, V. Olimpia Yorks) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re: Brian Yorks, V. Olimpia Yorks, (Wash. Ct. App. 2024).

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

In the Matter of: The Marriage of No. 84480-6-I BRIAN CHRISTOPHER YORKS, DIVISION ONE Respondent, UNPUBLISHED OPINION v.

OLIMPIA GEORGIANA YORKS,

Appellant.

DÍAZ, J. — The trial court entered a parenting plan in this matter which

awarded the respondent, Brian Yorks, decision-making authority and the majority

of residential time, despite his history of domestic violence against the appellant.

The trial court also imposed restrictions on the appellant and ordered the parties

to mediate their future disagreements. Appellant now challenges each of those

decisions, as well as a provision in the parenting plan prohibiting the parties from

making “unsubstantiated” reports to the government, which she claims violates her

First Amendment rights. We hold the trial court failed to make required accompa-

nying findings for each of its parenting decisions. We remand this matter for the

court to make such findings—if they may be made on the record before it—and to

strike the anti-reporting provision from the amended parenting plan. No. 84480-6-I/2

I. BACKGROUND

Brian Yorks (Brian) and Olimpia Yorks (Gina) 1 married in 2008 and sepa-

rated on February 14, 2020. They have two children together, currently approxi-

mately ages 10 and 8. It is undisputed that their marriage was turbulent.

In 2016, during an argument, Brian broke into a bathroom, where Gina had

locked herself in, and took her phone to prevent her from calling 911, which Brian

does not dispute. The State charged him with malicious mischief and interfering

with reporting domestic violence. The State dismissed the charges with prejudice,

after Gina declined to cooperate.

In 2020, Gina obtained a domestic violence protection order (DVPO)

against Brian, alleging he sexually assaulted her after she took medication that

impaired her. Law enforcement arrested Brian on suspicion of rape in the second

degree (with a domestic violence indicator), assault in the fourth degree, and in-

terfering with reporting domestic violence. Gina sought a criminal no contact order

(NCO), but the State ultimately did not file charges. Shortly thereafter, Brian filed

a petition for divorce, and contentious proceedings ensued.

On July 14, 2022, the superior court dissolved the marriage and entered a

parenting plan, in which the court granted Brian sole decision-making and found

that Gina (a) had a long-term emotional or physical problem interfering with her

ability to parent and (b) engaged in an abusive use of conflict. The court restricted

Gina’s decision-making authority over and residential time with the children under

1 For clarity, we refer to the parties by their first name. Appellant’s brief refers to Olimpia Yorks as Gina, so we will use her preferred name throughout this opinion. 2 No. 84480-6-I/3

RCW 26.09.191(1) and (2)(a). 2

In its oral ruling, the court found that Brian committed “acts of domestic vio-

lence” against Gina. The court’s written order, however, indicated both that “nei-

ther parent has” engaged in domestic violence and that “Brian Yorks has a history

of Domestic Violence against the mother.”

The court further ordered that if either party “files a . . . complaint [with child

protective services (CPS)], police report, or DVPO that are determined to be un-

founded,” the other party may petition the court to suspend the offending parent’s

residential time.

Gina filed a motion for reconsideration on July 25, 2022. The trial court

largely denied the motion, though in clarifying parts of its earlier written order,

found that Gina also “engaged in conduct that could clearly be classified as do-

mestic violence.” Gina timely appeals.

II. ANALYSIS

The trial court’s discretion for creating a parenting plan is limited by chapter

26.09 RCW. In re Marriage of Chandola, 180 Wn.2d 632, 642, 327 P.3d 644

(2014). “In applying rules of statutory construction to the unambiguous language

of a statute, “[t]he court must give words in a statute their plain and ordinary mean-

ing unless a contrary intent is evidenced in the statute.” Caven v. Caven, 136

Wn.2d 800, 806, 966 P.2d 1247 (1998) (quoting Erection Co. v. Dep’t of Labor &

2 The trial court further ordered that Gina could regain residential time and deci-

sion-making authority after she verified she engaged in appropriate therapy, and met other conditions. Because Gina does not assign error to these decisions, we will discuss them no further. 3 No. 84480-6-I/4

Indus., 121 Wn.2d 513, 518, 852 P.2d 288 (1993)). And courts review issues of

statutory interpretation de novo. Caven, 136 Wn.2d at 806.

A. The Court’s Findings as to Brian

1. Residential Time

A “parent’s residential time with the child shall be limited if it is found that

the parent has engaged in,” among other conduct, “a history of acts of domestic

violence as defined in RCW 7.105.010.” RCW 26.09.191(2)(a). This court has

held that “[b]y using the word ‘shall’ we presume that the legislature created a duty

rather than conferring discretion, unless the statute reflects a contrary intent.” Mat-

ter of C.A.S., 25 Wn. App. 2d 21, 27, 522 P.3d 75 (2022) (citing State v. Bartholo-

mew, 104 Wn.2d 844, 848, 710 P.2d 196 (1985)). However, a trial court may

choose not to limit a parent’s time with the child if it “expressly finds” either that (i)

the child will be safe with that parent and the probability the parent’s harmful con-

duct will recur is so remote it is not in the child’s best interests to apply a limitation,

or (ii) the parent’s conduct did not have an “impact” on the child. RCW

26.09.191(2)(n). Domestic violence is defined as “[p]hysical harm . . . assault, or

the infliction of fear of physical harm, bodily injury, or assault,” etc. RCW

7.105.010(9)(a).

Gina argues that “the court did not make the required additional express

findings to allow Brian to be the primary residential parent.” We agree.

The court found that both parents engaged in domestic violence and, in its

order clarifying its initial ruling, commented that “[t]his case presents the very diffi-

cult balancing that Trial Court’s must engage in when both parents present with

4 No. 84480-6-I/5

issues, some long term and debilitating, that interfere with their ability to currently

parent.” The trial court further noted that its “ruling was clearly premised as it re-

lated to the current, meaning at the time, ability of the parties to parent and what

would be in the children’s best interest.” However, the trial court nowhere ex-

pressly found that the children would be safe with Brian and that his harmful con-

duct very likely would not reoccur, or that his conduct did not impact them. 3

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