In re the Marriage of Christy

CourtCourt of Appeals of Iowa
DecidedDecember 18, 2019
Docket18-1702
StatusPublished

This text of In re the Marriage of Christy (In re the Marriage of Christy) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

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In re the Marriage of Christy, (iowactapp 2019).

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF IOWA

No. 18-1702 Filed December 18, 2019

IN RE THE MARRIAGE OF JAMIE L. CHRISTY AND MATTHEW CHRISTY

Upon the Petition of JAMIE L. CHRISTY, Petitioner-Appellant,

And Concerning MATTHEW CHRISTY, Respondent-Appellee. ________________________________________________________________

Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Warren County, Bradley McCall,

Judge.

A mother appeals the order modifying the physical-care provisions of a

dissolution decree and finding her in contempt. MODIFICATION REVERSED;

WRIT ANNULLED IN PART AND SUSTAINED IN PART.

Cami Eslick of Eslick Law (until withdrawal), Indianola, for appellant.

Jamie Leigh Plambeck, f.k.a. Jamie Leigh Christy, Indianola, self

represented.

Ryan J. Ellis, Nicholas A. Carda, and Tracy A. Eaton of Ellis Law Offices,

P.C., Indianola, for appellee.

Considered by Tabor, P.J., and Mullins and May, JJ. 2

TABOR, Presiding Judge.

Jamie Plambeck1 appeals the district court order modifying the physical-

care award in the decree dissolving her marriage to Matthew Christy. She also

contends the district court wrongly found her in contempt for denying Matthew’s

spring break visitation with their daughter P.L.C., for refusing to allow Matthew

telephone contact with P.L.C. for two weeks, and for failing to communicate

regarding the child’s preschool enrollment. After reviewing the record, we find

Matthew failed to prove a substantial change in circumstances since the court

entered the decree in June 2015. Therefore, we reverse the modification of

physical care. But on two of the three contempt counts, we agree with the district

court’s finding of proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Jamie violated the terms

of the original decree. Thus, we leave two of the three contempt findings in place.

I. Facts and Prior Proceedings

Jamie and Matthew married in December 2011. In 2012, Jamie gave birth

to their daughter, P.L.C. In May 2014, Jamie filed for divorce. The district court

entered a decree dissolving their marriage in June 2015. That decree awarded

Jamie physical care of P.L.C. with visitation to Matthew. At that time, Jamie lived

with P.L.C. in Indianola. Jamie worked in the health care field as a certified nurse’s

assistant. Matthew served in the Marines for fifteen years and was a recruiter in

Iowa. At the time of the decree he “spent most of [his] time in California.” He

eventually retired from the Marines and moved to Florida. After leaving the

1 The divorce decree changed Jamie’s legal surname from Christy to Plambeck. 3

Marines, Matthew pursued a degree in business management at the University of

South Florida.

The divorce decree provided Matthew with these visitation times: (1) one

week during P.L.C.’s spring break from school or other relevant time and (2) two

twenty-one day periods during the summer months or P.L.C.’s “summer break”

from school. Between those three-week periods, Jamie was allowed a minimum

of one three-day visit. The decree also ordered Matthew to pay all transportation

costs associated with exercising his visitation. But both Matthew and Jamie were

to take measures to ease the costs of traveling. Each party was to provide the

other with notice of the exchanges thirty days in advance. Under the decree, if a

party did not provide proper notice, he or she, would be “completely responsible

for the exchange.”

The decree also provided the parties with “the rights to have legal access

to information pertaining to P.L.C. including, but not limited to medical, educational

and law enforcements records.” In addition, both parties had equal right to

participate in decisions affecting P.L.C.’s legal status, medical care, education,

extracurricular activities, and religious training.

In August 2016, Jamie moved from Indianola to Nebraska with her

paramour Josh. Then in January 2017, Jamie moved from Nebraska to Laurens,

Iowa, taking P.L.C. out of preschool for about three months. Jamie re-enrolled

P.L.C. in daycare in March 2017.

Then in April 2017, the parties sparred over Matthew’s spring break

visitation. Matthew flew from Florida to Iowa, but did not end up having visitation

with P.L.C. because Jamie did not agree to the timing of Matthew’s visit. Jamie 4

testified she was tired of accommodating Matthew’s schedule. She recalled a time

in 2016 when Matthew asked her to drive five and half hours from O’Neill,

Nebraska, to Des Moines to drop off P.L.C. for her visit. Jamie objected, and

Matthew eventually switched his flight to the Omaha airport. But Jamie still drove

three and one-half hours to meet with Matthew. Jamie pointed out the decree

specified visitation would be during P.L.C’s spring break. She also believed the

decree placed responsibility on Matthew to bear the cost of transportation for P.L.C

during her visits.

One month after the spring break conflict, Jamie emailed Matthew that there

was “no need” to call her phone to talk to P.L.C. for two weeks because “she will

not be with me while I have the new baby.” P.L.C. was staying with her maternal

grandparents while Jamie gave birth to her half sibling. Matthew was unsuccessful

in contacting P.L.C. through her grandparents.

Motivated by those incidents, in May 2017, Matthew petitioned for

modification of the decree, as well as applying for a rule to show cause why Jamie

should not be held in contempt. In late 2017 and again in early 2018, Matthew

unsuccessfully sought temporary emergency custody of P.L.C.

In July 2018, the district court held a combined hearing on Matthew’s

modification action and his application for rule to show cause. In August 2018, the

district court entered a modified decree awarding Matthew physical care of P.L.C.

and finding Jamie in contempt of court on three counts. In response to Matthew’s 5

motion under Iowa Rule of Civil Procedure 1.904(2), the district court entered a

more detailed ruling in September 2018. Jamie now appeals.2

II. Scope and Standards of Review

We review rulings on motions to modify dissolution decrees de novo. Iowa

R. App. P. 6.907; In re Marriage of Beecher, 582 N.W.2d 510, 512 (Iowa 1998).

“We examine the entire record and adjudicate anew rights on the issues properly

presented.” Beecher, 582 N.W.2d at 512–13. We are not bound by the district

court’s findings of fact, though we accord them weight, especially on witness

credibility.3 Id. at 513.

Our primary concern is P.L.C.’s best interests. See In re Marriage of

Fennelly, 737 N.W.2d 97, 101 (Iowa 2007). When determining physical care, we

are guided by the factors established in Iowa Code section 598.41(3) (2017) and In

re Marriage of Winter, 223 N.W.2d 165, 166–67 (Iowa 1974). McKee v. Dicus, 785

N.W.2d 733, 737 (Iowa Ct. App. 2010). But because each family presents its own

strengths and challenges, we base our determination on the circumstances of each

case. See In re Marriage of Kleist, 538 N.W.2d 273, 276 (Iowa 1995).

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