in the Interest of P.A.C and K.V.C., Children

498 S.W.3d 210, 2016 Tex. App. LEXIS 6136, 2016 WL 3213299
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided June 9, 2016·No. NO. 14-14-00799-CV·Published·Cited by 46 cases

Opinion

OPINION

William J. Boyce, Justice

Appellant Marisa Lawcasey appeals a final order modifying the parent-child relationship. Marisa contends that the evidence is legally and factually insufficient to support the jury’s verdict. She also contends that the trial court abused its discretion by (1) awarding certain rights exclusively to appellee Daniel Casey; (2) *213 limiting Marisa’s periods of possession; and (3) ordering that her periods of visitation be supervised. We affirm.

Background

Marisa and Daniel divorced in Montgomery County on May 10, 2012. Marisa and Daniel were appointed joint managing conservators of their two children, P.A.C. and K.V.C.

In the final decree of divorce, both parents were given the joint right to consent to the children’s marriages and to represent them in legal actions. Daniel was awarded the exclusive right to designate the primary residence of the children. The trial court further ordered that Marisa’s access to the children be supervised through July 31, 2012, or until Marisa completed a psychological evaluation, whichever occurred later. Assuming Marisa completed the psychological evaluation and assuming Daniel did not show good cause to continue Marisa’s supervised visitation, the order provided that Marisa’s possession and access to the children would “step up” to a standard possession order beginning August 1, 2012.

The trial court held several hearings in August 2012, and signed an order modifying the parent-child relationship on October 4, 2012. The trial court found that Daniel had shown good cause for the court to continue the order requiring supervision of Marisa’s possession and access to the children. All other orders from the original decree remained in effect.

The case was transferred to Harris County—where Daniel and the children resided—in March 2013. Daniel remarried in June 2013.

During 2013 and early 2014, both Daniel and Marisa filed original and amended petitions to modify the parent-child relationship. Marisa sought a standard possession order and requested that she be appointed the conservator with the right to designate the primary residence of the children. Daniel requested that he be appointed sole managing conservator of the children and that Marisa’s visitation and possession periods continue to be supervised.

The case was tried to a jury in May and June 2014. . The jury found that Marisa should not be named as the. conservator with the exclusive right to designate the primary residence of the children, but also found that the joint managing conservator-ship should not be replaced by appointing Daniel as the sole managing conservator of the children.

In its final order modifying the parent-child relationship signed July 23, 2014, the trial court ordered that Daniel and Marisa remain, joint managing conservators. The trial court ordered that Daniel remain as the conservator with the exclusive right to designate the primary residence of the children, but also awarded Daniel the exclusive right to consent to the children’s marriages and to represent them in legal actions. The trial court ordered that Marisa’s possession of and access to the children continue to be supervised, but provided that possession and access would “step up” to a modified standard possession order if Marisa compliéd with court-ordered psychological counseling and did not violate the court’s order.

This appeal followed.

Standard op Review

In her first issue, Marisa challenges the legal and factual sufficiency of the evidence supporting the jury’s verdict. In her second and third issues, Marisa contends the trial court’s final order modifying the parent-child relationship constituted an abuse of discretion.

*214 A jury’s findings underlying a conservatorship decision are subject to ordinary legal- and factual-sufficiency review. Arredondo v. Betancourt, 383 S.W.3d 730, 734 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 2012, no pet.). In a legal-sufficiency review, we view the evidence in a light favorable to the finding, crediting favorable evidence if a reasonable fact finder could, and disregarding contrary evidence unless a reasonable fact finder could not. City of Keller v. Wilson, 168 S.W.3d 802, 822, 827 (Tex.2005). In a factual-sufficiency review, we examine the entire record and set aside a jury’s finding only if it is so contrary to the overwhelming weight of the evidence as to be clearly wrong and unjust. In re T.T., 228 S.W.3d 312, 316 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 2007, pet. denied). In conducting our review of both the legal and factual sufficiency of the evidence, we are mindful that the jury, as fact finder, was the sole judge of the credibility of the witnesses and the weight to be given their testimony. City of Keller, 168 S.W.3d at 819; In re T.T., 228 S.W.3d at 316. We may not substitute our judgment for the fact finder’s, even 'if we would reach a different answer on the evidence. See Maritime Overseas Corp. v. Ellis, 971 S.W.2d 402, 407 (Tex.1998); In re T.T., 228 S.W.3d at 316.

Because a trial court has broad discretion to decide the best interest of a child in family-law matters such as custody, visitation, and possession, we review a trial court’s order modifying conservator-ship for an abuse of discretion. Arredon-do, 383 S.W.3d at 734; Flowers v. Flowers, 407 S.W.3d 452, 457 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 2013, no pet.). A trial court abuses its discretion when it acts arbitrarily or unreasonably, or when it clearly fails to correctly analyze or apply the law. Ar-redondo, 383 S.W.3d at 734. There is no abuse of discretion as long as there exists some evidence of a substantive and probative character to support the trial court’s decision. Baltzer v. Medina, 240 S.W.3d 469, 475 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 2007, no pet.).

Analysis

I. Legal and Factual Sufficiency

In her first issue, Marisa contends that the evidence is legally and factually insufficient to support the jury’s verdict denying Marisa sole managing conserva-torship of the children.

Marisa did not request in her pleadings that she be appointed sole managing conservator, nor was any question submitted to the jury regarding whether she should be appointed sole managing conservator. Instead, the jury was asked only whether Marisa should be granted the exclusive right to designate the children’s primary residence, and, if not, whether Daniel should be appointed sole managing conservator.

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in the Interest of P.A.C and K.V.C., Children, 498 S.W.3d 210, 2016 Tex. App. LEXIS 6136, 2016 WL 3213299 (Tex. Ct. App. 2016).

498 S.W.3d 210 (in the Interest of P.A.C and K.V.C., Children) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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