James Wilson v. Pearlean Davis

181 So. 3d 1011, 2014 Miss. App. LEXIS 648, 2014 WL 6436839
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedNovember 18, 2014
Docket2013-CA-01244-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 181 So. 3d 1011 (James Wilson v. Pearlean Davis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
James Wilson v. Pearlean Davis, 181 So. 3d 1011, 2014 Miss. App. LEXIS 648, 2014 WL 6436839 (Mich. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinions

GRIFFIS, P.J.,

for the Court:

¶ 1. This case involves a child-custody dispute between the child’s natural father and the maternal grandmother. The chancellor found that the natural-parent presumption had been rebutted and that it was in the best interest of the child to live with her grandmother. We find no error and affirm.

FACTS

¶ 2. Concetter Davis was the mother of two children. KalNyla (“Ka”) was born in 2001. Sha’Nyla M., Wilson (“Sha”), was born on April 20,2003.

"¶3. This action began as a paternity and custody dispute between Concetter and James Wilson. James was adjudged to be Sha’s natural father. Concetter was awarded custody, and James was awarded visitation.

¶ 4. Concetter died in 2011. When Concetter’s relatives would not return Sha to James, he filed a petition for modification "and sought sole legal and physical custody of Sha. The chancellor entered an order that awarded the primary physical custody of Sha to Pearlean Davis, Sha’s maternal grandmother. The- chancellor also awarded James liberal visitation.

¶ 5. In the decision, the chancellor did not treat the issue as an initial custody dispute between a natural parent and grandparent. Instead, the chancellor considered the motion as a modification of child custody based on the prior custody determination between Concetter and James.

¶6. The judgment was appealed and assigned to this Court. We reversed the judgment and remanded the case for the chancellor to make a determination of whether the natural-parent presumption had been rebutted. See Wilson v. Davis, 111 So.3d 1280, 1283 (¶ 11) (Miss.Ct.App.[1013]*10132013). On remand, the chancellor found that the natural-parent presumption had been overcome and applied an Albright1 analysis. The chancellor entered a judgment that ruled it was in Sha’s best .interest to. remain in Pearlean’s custody. James appeals the chancellor’s judgment.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

¶ 7. In child-custody cases, this Court will reverse the chancellor’s judgment only if the findings are manifestly wrong or clearly erroneous, or an improper legal standard was applied. Mabus v. Mabus, 847 So.2d 815, 818 (¶ 8) (Miss.2003).

ANALYSIS

¶ 8. We begin our review by noting that the appellee did not file a brief in this case. The Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled that the “[fjailure of an appellee to file a brief is tantamount to a confession of error and will be accepted as such unless the reviewing court can say with confidence, after considering the record and brief of the appealing party, that there was no error.” Sanders v. Chamblee, 819 So.2d 1275, 1277 (¶ 5) (Miss.2002). We have reviewed the record and the appellant’s brief, and we can say with confidence that the chancellor did not commit error. Therefore, we do not consider the appel-lee’s failure to file a brief a confession of error.

I. Whether the natural-parent presumption was rebutted,

¶ 9. In a child-custody determination between a natural parent and a third party, Mississippi law presumes that it is in the best interest of the child for the natural parent to have custody. Lucas v. Hendrix, 92 So.3d 699, 705-06 (¶ 17) (Miss.Ct.App.2012). This, is because “[grandparents have no legal right [to] custody of a grandchild, as against a natural parent.” Lorenz v. Strait, 987 So.2d 427, 434 (¶ 41) (Miss.2008).

¶ 10. In Smith v. Smith, 97 So.3d 43, 46 (¶ 9) (Miss.2012), the Mississippi .Supreme, Court held that “[t]he natural-parent presumption can be rebutted by a clear showing that (1) the parent has abandoned the child; (2) the parent has deserted the child; (3) the, parent’s, conduct is so immoral as to be detrimental to.the child; or (4) the parent is unfit, mentally or otherwise, to have custody.” The court has also ruled:

In a custody case involving a natural parent and a third party, the court must first determine whether through abandonment, desertion, or other acts demonstrating unfitness to raise a child, as shown by clear and convincing evidence, the natural parent has relinquished his right to claim the benefit of the natural-parent presumption. If the. court finds one of these factors has, been proven, then the presumption vanishes, and the court must go further to determine custody based on the best interests of the child through an on-the-record analysis of the Albright factors.

In re Dissolution of Marriage of Leverock & Hamby, 23 So.3d 424, 431 (¶ 24) (Miss.2009).

¶ 11. Here, the chancellor found abandonment and immoral conduct. The chancellor did not find that James deserted Sha or was unfit. James challenges these findings.

¶ 12. First, James argues that the evidence did not support the finding that he abandoned Sha. Janies points to the fact that he filed a complaint, in 2007, for an order of filiation to confirm and assert [1014]*1014his role as Sha’s biological father. Based on this earlier action, the chancellor found that James was Sha’s father and granted him visitation rights.

¶ 13. In Ethredge v. Yawn, 605 So.2d 761, 764 (Miss.1992), the court defined abandonment as:

Any course of conduct on the part of a parent evincing a settled purpose to forgo all duties and relinquish all parental claims to the child. It may result from a single decision by a parent at a particular point in time. It may arise from a course of circumstances. The test is an objective one: whether under the totality of the circumstances, be they single or multiple, the natural parent has manifested his severance of all ties with the child.

(Citing Bryant v. Cameron, 473 So.2d 174, 178-79 (Miss.1985)). Here, the chancellor found:

[James] took no interest in the minor when she was born. Undisputed testimony reflects that the baby and Mother actually went home from the hospital with a man named Sylvester Crump. He is the father of Concetter’s daughter, Ka. When Concetter went into labor[,] Crump took her to the hospital. Further, [James] played no role in the birth, pregnancy or delivery of Sha. Additionally, and undisputed, [Pearlean] testified that [James] showed, at particular points in time, no interest in the child’s life and that it took three years before he actually got involved. [James] stated to the Guardian ad Litem (“GAL”), Attorney Debra M.'Giles, that he has always been in [Sha]’s life, but the facts do not support this assertion. Even now, the minor child reports that she considers Crump her dad and only calls [James] dad when she is in his presence. While balancing both the testimony and [James]’s statement to the GAL, the [e]ourt is convinced that at different stages of the child’s early years, [James] clearly abandoned [Sha] and for[sook] his parental responsibilities.

¶ 14. The evidence at trial established that James is involved in Sha’s life. He visits her at school and participates in activities, such as birthday parties. James attends parent-teacher conferences and talks with Sha’s teachers. James certainly takes an active role in Sha’s life. Hence, the chancellor’s finding that James has abandoned Sha is not supported by substantial evidence.

¶ 15. Next, we consider the chancellor’s finding that James’s conduct was so immoral that he was unfit to have custody.

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Related

James Wilson v. Pearlean Davis
181 So. 3d 991 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 2016)

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