In Re Salmon

318 So. 2d 897
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 3, 1975
Docket12603
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 318 So. 2d 897 (In Re Salmon) 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
In Re Salmon, 318 So. 2d 897 (La. Ct. App. 1975).

Opinion

318 So.2d 897 (1975)

In re Bronn Keynen SALMON and Shelis Reschel Salmon.

No. 12603.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Second Circuit.

April 30, 1975.
On Rehearing September 3, 1975.

*898 Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips, by W. S. McKenzie and G. Michael Pharis, Baton Rouge, for appellant.

Bodenheimer, Jones, Klotz & Simmons, by C. Gary Mitchell, Shreveport, for appellee.

Before AYRES, PRICE and HALL, JJ.

PRICE, Judge.

This is an appeal from a judgment permitting the adoption of children under 17 years of age by a step-parent and rejecting the opposition of the natural father whose consent was found unnecessary because of his failure to comply with an order to pay support for a period in excess of one year.

Michael Paul Harrington and Dwanna Salmon Harrington filed this action seeking to adopt each other's children by former marriages. Mrs. Harrington was allowed *899 to adopt the Harrington children without opposition, Mr. Harrington's former wife being deceased, and that part of the case is not before this court.

In response to Harrington's petition in which he seeks to adopt Bronn Keynen Salmon, age 9, and Shelis Reschel Salmon, age 5, the children's father, Barry Kit Salmon, filed an opposition, reconventional demand, and third party demand. All but the opposition were subsequently dismissed by consent of the parties.

Petitioner, Michael Paul Harrington, contends the consent of the natural father of the children is unnecessary as he has forfeited his rights under the provisions of Louisiana Revised Statute 9:422.1. which reads as follows:

"422.1 Adoptions by step-parent, grandparent; consent

"If the spouse of the petitioner is the legitimate parent of the child or if the petitioner is the grandparent or grandparents of the child, then the consent of the other legitimate parent is not necessary if the first and second or the first and third conditions exist:
(1) The spouse of the petitioner or the grandparent or grandparents or the mother or the father have been granted custody of the child by a court of competent jurisdiction and
(2) The other legitimate parent has refused or failed to comply with a court order of support for a period of one year or
(3) The other legitimate parent is a nonresident of this state and has failed to support the child for a period of one year after judgment awarding custody to the mother or father or grandparent or grandparents."

The record shows that Barry Salmon and Dwanna Salmon were married in Marshall, Texas, on January 8, 1966, and of this marriage the two children sought to be adopted by petitioner were born. This marriage ended in divorce on July 13, 1971, while the Salmons were living in St. Louis County, Missouri. In the Salmons judgment of divorce rendered in St. Louis County, Missouri, Mrs. Salmon was granted custody of the two minor children of the marriage and Salmon agreed to assume the debts of the marriage and to pay $15.00 a week for each of the two children of the marriage as child support.

In September of 1971 Salmon remarried. The record reflects during this period he was current, although not prompt with his child support payments. Beginning in November of 1971 Salmon and his second wife kept the children in their home in St. Louis for a period extending to July of 1972. This was at the request of Mrs. Salmon who wanted sufficient time to establish herself in another location. At the end of July, 1972, Mrs. Salmon again took custody of the children and moved to Shreveport to live. Salmon resumed paying child support payments, which were current until the end of November of 1972. He concedes that he has not paid child support payments since November, 1972, through the filing of the instant suit in May, 1974.

Defendant, Salmon, contends the requirement for his parental consent to this adoption has not been forfeited by the operation of R.S. 9:422.1(2) for these reasons:

(1). The Missouri judgment ordering him to pay support was not an enforceable decree in the State of Louisiana without having first been recognized and made executory. Therefore, as he was a resident of Louisiana during a portion of the time his failure to pay support is alleged, there was no failure to comply with a court order as intended by the statute.
(2). The failure to pay child support was not without justification and did not constitute neglect of his parental responsibility.

*900 We find no merit in the first defense asserted by defendant. The language of the statute is clear and unambiguous and we cannot read into the statute the requirement that "a court order for support" must be a judgment which is subject to immediate enforcement by the courts of this state.

Defendant's contention that his failure to pay support was not without justification is a serious question which has caused us much concern. This defense is grounded on the judicial interpretation of R.S. 9:422.1 by the Supreme Court in In Re Ackenhausen, 244 La. 730, 154 So.2d 380 (1963), that the legislature never intended to forfeit the parental rights of a parent whose noncompliance with a court order to pay support was for reasons beyond his control and therefore justified.

In support of his position that his failure to pay any support from November, 1972, through the filing of this action in May, 1974, was not without justification, defendant offered evidence tending to show financial inability due to excessive indebtedness and employment difficulties amplified by domestic problems resulting in the failure of his second marriage. Defendant also attempts to show he was justified in not making any payment after Harrington's marriage to Dwanna Salmon because of the attitude exhibited toward him by Harrington which lead him to believe his payment of support was not wanted, nor would it be accepted.

The evidence shows that at the time defendant was divorced from Dwanna Salmon he was employed in St. Louis by an optical firm and earned $763 per month. He remarried in September, 1971, and separated from his second wife in December, 1972. He lost his employment in June, 1973, and in August, 1973, he filed a petition in bankruptcy. He was unemployed from July until October, 1973, during which time he drew unemployment benefits of $48 per week. In October, 1973, defendant moved back to his former home in Shreveport where he was employed at a business belonging to his father. For a brief period of time around the first of the year in 1974 defendant was unemployed because his father's business burned down. Thereafter he was employed by a firm which transferred him to New Orleans and almost immediately transferred him back to a branch in Shreveport where he has continued to be employed through the date of trial of these proceedings.

Defendant testified that he contacted Dwanna Salmon on several occasions after becoming unable to pay support in November of 1972, and explained his circumstances to her. He contends she stated she understood and that she was getting along all right on her earnings of approximately $150 per week as a beauty shop operator. Dwanna Harrington acknowledged contacts were made by defendant who made promises to catch up on his support payments which were never fulfilled.

Defendant testified that upon his return to Shreveport in October, 1973, he learned of his former wife's plans to remarry.

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Bluebook (online)
318 So. 2d 897, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-salmon-lactapp-1975.