In Re Parentage of RFR

93 P.3d 951
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedJuly 7, 2004
Docket30452-0-II
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 93 P.3d 951 (In Re Parentage of RFR) 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 Parentage of RFR, 93 P.3d 951 (Wash. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

93 P.3d 951 (2004)
122 Wash.App. 324

In re the PARENTAGE OF R.F.R., Minor Child.
Ruben D. Ramirez, Appellant, and
Lisa Holland, Respondent.

No. 30452-0-II.

Court of Appeals of Washington, Division 2.

July 7, 2004.

*952 John Stratford Mills, Attorney at Law, Tacoma, WA, for Appellant.

Howard Comfort, Attorney at Law, Tacoma, WA, for Respondent.

BRIDGEWATER, J.

Ruben F. Ramirez appeals a court order permitting Lisa Holland to relocate to Indiana with their child, R.F.R., under the parental relocation statutes found at chapter 26.09 RCW. We hold that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in determining that Lisa was the parent entitled to the presumption in favor of relocation. We also hold, following the rationale of In re Custody of Osborne, 119 Wash.App. 133, 79 P.3d 465 (2003), that Ruben has not met his burden of showing that the statute violated his due process rights. We affirm.

Lisa Holland and Ruben Ramirez began living together in San Bernardino, California in 1989. Their child, R.F.R., was born in July 1993. At some point Ruben became physically abusive to Lisa. Domestic violence charges were filed against him in 1996 and again in 1998. Ruben was convicted of assault in 1998 and sentenced to 32 days in jail and 36 months' probation.[1]

In July of 2000, Lisa and R.F.R. moved to Washington to live with Lisa's stepfather.[2] Lisa began working at Ruby Tuesday's restaurant and attending Clover Park Technical College. In November 2000, she met Shan Peters and the two began dating. Peters worked at the Ruby Tuesday's corporate offices in Chicago and was part of a team overseeing the Washington franchises. Lisa *953 saw Peters when he was here on business; she also visited him in Chicago. In March 2001, Lisa and R.F.R. moved out of Lisa's stepfather's house to live with Shelby Burke, a friend from work.

In June of 2001, Ruben moved to Washington after completing the terms of his probation in California, and he moved into his own apartment. Lisa generally worked from 2 to 10 P.M. and Ruben worked the night shift. The two would take turns caring for R.F.R., but they soon began to have conflicts when transferring R.F.R. back and forth.

On December 14, 2001, Lisa moved pro se to modify the parenting schedule, but no parenting plan or schedule had ever been filed. On January 11, 2002, Ruben filed pro se a petition to establish parentage, but paternity had already been established in San Bernardino County, California in 1995. On February 7, 2002, both parties appeared pro se before the Pierce County Superior Court. The court appointed a guardian ad litem (GAL), placed R.F.R. with Lisa, and restrained both parties from taking R.F.R. out of state.

On April 26, 2002, Lisa told the GAL that she planned to move to Indiana to live with Shan Peters. The GAL advised Lisa of Ruben's right to object to such a move and suggested that she file a notice of relocation.

On May 7, the court denied Lisa's request to relocate with R.F.R. The court order stated that in the event that Lisa did move, "the child will finish the school year [in Washington] and remain with the father pending further review." Clerk's Papers (CP) at 85. Apparently, Lisa contemplated remaining in Washington at that point, but the GAL advised Lisa it would be better for her to "establish" herself in Indiana.[3] 2 Report of Proceedings (RP) ( Mar. 25, 2003) (Shelby Burke) at 9. Lisa relocated to Granger, Indiana, near South Bend, leaving R.F.R. with his father.

On October 25, 2002, Lisa, now represented by counsel, moved to obtain temporary custody of R.F.R. and submitted a proposed parenting plan. A court commissioner again denied her motion on November 21, pending resolution of the issue at trial under the parental relocation statutes.

The March 12, 2003 GAL report, while stating that R.F.R. would "likely do well in either parent's care," recommended placement with Ruben. CP at 186. After trial, the court ruled orally that Lisa was the parent "with whom the child reside[d] the majority of the time" under the relocation statute. RP (Mar. 31, 2003) at 3. The court then stated,

Based on the testimony presented in this case, I find that Lisa Holland was that parent. The testimony supports the conclusion that Lisa was the primary care giver during the time that she and Ruben ... lived in California with their son.
Ms. Holland moved to Washington with [R.F.R] in July 2000... [w]hile [Ruben] wanted to move to Washington at that time as well, he could not due to his probation.
... [H]e did move to Washington in June 2001. Since the beginning of the 2001-2002 school year, the parents worked out child care arrangements to avoid the necessity of hiring others to provide the child care.

RP (Mar. 31, 2003) at 3-4. The court then determined that based on the statutory factors in RCW 26.09.520, Ruben had not overcome the rebuttable presumption to permit relocation by the parent "with whom the child resides a majority of the time",[4] and it permitted R.F.R to relocate with Lisa in August 2003, after he finished the school year and spent part of the summer with Ruben. Ruben appeals.

I. "PERSON WITH WHOM THE CHILD RESIDES A MAJORITY OF THE TIME"

Ruben contends that the trial court abused its discretion in determining that Lisa *954 was the parent entitled to the presumption of relocation.

The parental relocation act governs the trial court's decision on whether to allow a parent with primary custody to relocate his or her child. See RCW 26.09.405-.560. Under the act, courts have the authority to allow or disallow relocation based on an overall consideration of the best interests of the child. In re Marriage of Grigsby, 112 Wash.App. 1, 7, 57 P.3d 1166 (2002).

RCW 26.09.430 requires a person "with whom [a] child resides a majority of the time" to provide notice if he or she intends to relocate. If another interested party objects, the person seeking to relocate the child may not do so without a court order. RCW 26.09.480(2). Upon such objection, the superior court must conduct a fact-finding hearing, at which there is a rebuttable presumption favoring the relocation. RCW 26.09.520. This presumption may be rebutted by a showing that the detrimental effect of relocation will outweigh the benefits of relocation to the child and the relocating person, based on 11 factors.[5] RCW 26.09.520(1)- (11). After the hearing, the superior court has the authority "to allow or not allow a person to relocate the child." RCW 26.09.420.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
93 P.3d 951, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-parentage-of-rfr-washctapp-2004.