In Re of the Adoption of Z.F. (Minor Child), K.F. v. A.F. (mem. dec.)

Indiana Court of Appeals·Decided September 11, 2020·No. 20A-AD-362·Published

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D), this Memorandum Decision shall not be FILED regarded as precedent or cited before any Sep 11 2020, 8:28 am court except for the purpose of establishing CLERK

the defense of res judicata, collateral Indiana Supreme Court Court of Appeals

estoppel, or the law of the case. and Tax Court

ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEY FOR APPELLEE Yvette M. LaPlante Jeff Shoulders LaPlante LLP Bob Zoss Law Office Evansville, Indiana Evansville, Indiana

IN THE

COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA In Re of the Adoption of Z.F. September 11, 2020 (Minor Child), Court of Appeals Case No.

20A-AD-362

K.F., Appeal from the Vanderburgh Appellant, Superior Court v. The Honorable Brett J. Niemeier, Judge

A.F., Trial Court Cause No.

82D04-1907-AD-72

Appellee.

Brown, Judge.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 20A-AD-362 | September 11, 2020 Page 1 of 18

[1] K.F. appeals from the trial court’s decree of adoption. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand.

Facts and Procedural History [2] Z.F. was born to K.F. and L.F. (“Father”) in April 2007. In December 2007, the trial court issued an order establishing paternity which awarded K.F. custody and ordered Father to pay $111 per week in child support. On June 20, 2013, the court issued an order granting a petition to modify custody filed by Father. The order provided that Father have primary physical custody of Z.F., K.F. have parenting time pursuant to the Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines, and that K.F. pay $51 dollars per week in child support. 1 K.F. made payments of $153 in March 2014, $100 in August 2014, and $100 in September 2014.

[3] On June 20, 2017, the court issued an order stating that it was in Z.F.’s best interest that K.F.’s parenting time be modified and exercised at Father’s discretion. The order also stated the court found K.F. in contempt for continual nonpayment of child support. A court entry dated February 1, 2018, stated that K.F. shall exercise one midweek supervised visit and a supervised visit every other Saturday, that K.F. had a child support arrearage of $9,149.67 and an arrearage for her portion of non-covered medical expenses of $1,792.49, and

1 The child support obligation worksheet attached to the court’s order included a weekly gross income for K.F. of $290, and the order stated she had the capacity to work full time at minimum wage. According to counsel for A.F., Father’s spouse, “payments were to begin in 2014 after the credit.” Transcript Volume II at 14. When asked, “[a]t about 54.2 weeks, approximately, that credit for the approximately $2,700.00 that [Father] owed you was, for lack of a better term, eaten up or used up and then you were supposed to start paying your support,” K.F. answered affirmatively. Id. at 14-15.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 20A-AD-362 | September 11, 2020 Page 2 of 18 that she was ordered to pay $1,000 in attorney fees.2 An entry dated June 6, 2018, stated in part that, “[b]ecause [K.F.] has missed parenting time and, on occasion, has failed to communicate with Father about her missed parenting time, the Court will impose the requirement that [K.F.] will confirm with Father 48 hours in advance of any scheduled parenting time that she will be exercising the parenting time.” Petitioner’s Exhibit F at 2. The entry further stated K.F.’s child support arrearage had increased to $10,067.67, she still had an arrearage for her portion of non-covered medical expenses of $1,792.49, and she had not paid the attorney fees as previously ordered. It stated that the court entered judgment against K.F. in favor of Father and that he would have a lien against K.F.’s back disability payments received from her disability claim.

[4] On July 18, 2019, A.F. filed a Petition for Step-Parent Adoption stating she was married to Father and was petitioning to adopt Z.F. On the same day, Father filed a consent to the adoption. On August 16, 2019, K.F. filed a motion to contest the adoption, and on November 4, 2019, she made a child support payment of $60.

[5] On November 20, 2019, the trial court held a hearing at which it stated “we’re here for a consent hearing.” Transcript Volume II at 5. The juvenile child support clerk testified that K.F. made no child support payments for the period

2 The entry stated: “The Court acknowledges that [K.F.] is in contempt, but does not enter an Order indicating the same. However, the Court orders [K.F.] to pay $1,000 of the Father’s attorney fees . . . within six (6) months of this order.” Petitioner’s Exhibit D at 3.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 20A-AD-362 | September 11, 2020 Page 3 of 18 of five years and two months between September of 2014 and November 2019. K.F. testified that she was working at McDonald’s in 2013 and 2014, earning $7.35 per hour, and her rent was $525. She testified she had custody of a child who was seventeen years old, and the child’s father was $25,000 behind in child support. She testified Z.F. was born after the wreck and she had been advised not to have him. She testified that, in 2015, she slipped on ice and injured herself. She stated: “I was advised to reapply for social security because I already had done it twice before. But it was denied. I missed an appointment the first time it was denied and the second time it was denied is when I was working at McDonald’s and my income was too high. Well, I didn’t make too much money, there was an incident at work and I got a lawyer and the matter’s been resolved and dismissed and McDonald’s had to give me money.” Id. at 18. She indicated she received a settlement from McDonald’s of $10,000, and when asked how much of the payment she applied toward child support for Z.F., she testified: “None. I bought a vehicle and then it died. I fixed it and that’s where that money went. The entire check went to getting a vehicle.” Id.

[6] K.F. testified she currently worked at Arby’s, had worked there since July, and earned $8.50 per hour. She indicated she worked at Long John Silver’s in November 2018 and quit after a month, she started at Cracker Barrel in February 2019 but received only eleven hours a week, and in July she quit and started working at Arby’s. She indicated she worked forty hours a week when she worked at McDonald’s. She also indicated she smoked about half a pack of cigarettes a day and had done so for a number of years. When asked how she

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 20A-AD-362 | September 11, 2020 Page 4 of 18 supported half a pack a day, she answered “I can support myself now and I’m also on the nicotine patch now,” “before I would do side work or my Mom would buy them,” and “[w]hen you don’t have a job you’re not supporting nothing.” Id. at 24. She indicated she paid thirty-five dollars a month for her cell phone.

[7] K.F. testified she and her daughter lived in a house with her brother and his girlfriend, she did not pay him rent, she sometimes paid the utility bills, and she had given her brother about eighty-five dollars. She indicated she was not working in February, May, or June of 2018. She also testified that she previously lived with her mother and her boyfriend. When asked how many years she had not had a housing expense, K.F. testified “it’s been six years.” Id. at 53.

[8] On cross-examination, K.F. Testified she had paid $1,000 for Zo.F., her seventeen-year-old daughter, to take a trip when her daughter was a freshman, and on redirect acknowledged that during this time she was paying no support for Z.F.

[9] K.F.’s counsel addressed the court: “My next questions go to best interest. Has the Court previously ruled that I cannot introduce any best interest evidence?” Id. at 63-64. The court replied: “Correct. We’ll show that over your objection.” Id. at 64. K.F.’s counsel then stated: “Then the remainder of my questions will be concluded.” Id.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 20A-AD-362 | September 11, 2020 Page 5 of 18

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In Re of the Adoption of Z.F. (Minor Child), K.F. v. A.F. (mem. dec.), (Ind. Ct. App. 2020).

In Re of the Adoption of Z.F. (Minor Child), K.F. v. A.F. (mem. dec.) (In Re of the Adoption of Z.F. (Minor Child), K.F. v. A.F. (mem. dec.)) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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