J.D. v. J.B.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedAugust 16, 2021
Docket1869 EDA 2020
StatusUnpublished

This text of J.D. v. J.B. (J.D. v. J.B.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
J.D. v. J.B., (Pa. Ct. App. 2021).

Opinion

J-S12031-21

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37

J.D. : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA : v. : : : J.B. : : Appellant : No. 1869 EDA 2020

Appeal from the Order Entered September 14, 2020 In the Court of Common Pleas of Delaware County Civil Division at No(s): No. 2020 - 003429

BEFORE: LAZARUS, J., NICHOLS, J., and MUSMANNO, J.

MEMORANDUM BY MUSMANNO, J.: FILED AUGUST 16, 2021

J.B. (“Mother”) appeals from the Order denying her Petition to relocate

to Pennsburg, Montgomery County, and awarding her and J.D. (“Father”)

shared legal custody, and Father primary physical custody of their child, J.D.,

Jr. (“Child”) (a male born in April 2019). We affirm.

In its Opinion, the trial court set forth the relevant factual and procedural

history, which we adopt for the purpose of this appeal. See Trial Court

Opinion, 11/19/20, at 1-14.

Briefly, Child was born in April 2019 to Mother and Father. In May 2020,

shortly after Child’s first birthday, Mother left the residence she shared with

Father in Wallingford, Delaware County, with Child, in order to reside at her J-S12031-21

parents’ home in Pennsburg, Montgomery County.1 On June 3, 2020, Father

filed a custody Complaint and an Emergency Petition for custody, and filed an

Amended Petition for custody a week later. The trial court held a hearing on

June 23, 2020, after which the trial court granted Father’s Emergency Petition,

and granted Mother and Father joint legal custody, with Father having primary

physical custody, and Mother having partial physical custody. On June 26,

2020, Mother filed an Emergency Petition for relocation, and Father filed an

Answer and Counterclaim on June 29, 2020. On June 30, 2020, the trial court

denied Mother’s Petition, and scheduled a relocation trial for a later date.

Mother filed an Emergency Petition to Modify Custody Order on July 10, 2020,

which the trial court denied on July 14, 2020.

The trial court held a custody and relocation trial on July 31, 2020,

where both Father and Mother were represented by counsel, testified, and

presented evidence. On September 14, 2020, the trial court entered an Order

denying Mother’s request for relocation. However, the trial court awarded

Mother and Father shared legal custody, Father primary physical custody, and

Mother partial physical custody every Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to Wednesday

at 4:00 p.m., with exchanges at Father’s residence and Mother being

responsible for all transportation.

____________________________________________

1 Mother filed a Notice of proposed relocation two days prior to vacating the

residence, but the Notice had not been served on Father prior to Mother’s departure with Child. See N.T., 7/21/20, at 37, 47, 66, 112-13.

-2- J-S12031-21

Mother filed a Motion for Reconsideration on October 5, 2020, which the

trial court denied. On October 8, 2020, Mother filed a timely Notice of Appeal,

as well as a Concise Statement of errors complained of on appeal pursuant to

Pa.R.A.P. 1925(a)(2)(i) and (b).

On appeal, Mother raises the following issues for our review:2

1. Did the [trial] court abuse its discretion by awarding primary physical custody to [Father]?

2. Did the [trial c]ourt err in stating that [sic] proximity of residence factor favors Father[,] when Mother agreed to do all of the driving transportation?

3. Did the [trial c]ourt err in stating that Mother displayed an unwillingness to work with Father?

4. Did the [trial c]ourt err in stating that Father was willing to work with Mother?

5. Did the [trial c]ourt err in stating that Father was awarded primary physical custody because he was credible in his testimony regarding his willingness to work with Mother, his conduct prior to the entry of the Temporary Order was measured and reasonable and in the best interest of [C]hild, that he remains in the home ____________________________________________

2 Father argues that Mother waived all issues on appeal as a result of procedural and substantive deficiencies relating to her Concise Statement, Designation of Contents of Reproduced Record, and appellate brief. Father’s Brief at 15-24. Our review confirms Mother’s failure to file a Designation of Contents of Reproduced Record and procedural deficiencies related to Mother’s brief (in particular, Mother’s Argument section is devoid of the required distinctive organizational headings separating each issue, as well as citation to applicable law, except for initial generalized reference, and, when applicable, citation to where she raised such issues below). Nevertheless, we decline to find waiver, and proceed with the merits of Mother’s appeal. See Pa.R.A.P. 2101 (stating that “[b]riefs and reproduced records shall conform in all material respects with the requirements of these rules as nearly as the circumstances of the particular case will admit, otherwise they may be suppressed….”).

-3- J-S12031-21

where [C]hild has lived his whole life, that he would only need child care at night when [C]hild was sleeping and his residence is in a better school district?

Mother’s Brief at 4 (suggested answers omitted).3

We will address Mother’s issues together. First, Mother argues that the

trial court erred in finding that Father was the more likely party to encourage

and permit frequent and continuing contact between Child and the other

parent. Id. at 11-12. Mother asserts that the trial court ignored testimony

that Mother communicated with Father during the period of time during which

she was not permitting Father to see Child, and that the trial court was

punishing Mother for her uncertainty as to whether Father would have

returned Child to Mother if Mother had allowed Father to see Child. Id. at 11.

Mother asserts that Father’s unwillingness to agree to contact with Mother

3 While Mother states her issues somewhat differently in her appellate brief

than in her Rule 1925(b) Statement, we nevertheless find that Mother preserved her challenge to the trial court’s award of primary physical custody to Father. Mother did not present a challenge to the denial of relocation, as she failed to raise the issue in her appellate brief. She also failed to preserve in her Rule 1925(b) Concise Statement and Statement of Questions Involved separate challenges related to the analysis of custody factors 9 and 10; that the Order was punitive and lacked relation to Mother’s and Father’s work schedules; and consideration of school district. See Krebs v. United Refining Co., 893 A.2d 776, 797 (Pa. Super. 2006) (stating that a failure to preserve issues by raising them both in the concise statement of errors complained of on appeal and statement of questions involved portion of the appellate brief results in a waiver of those issues); see also In re M.Z.T.M.W., 163 A.3d 462, 465-66 (Pa. Super. 2017). Accordingly, we will address such issues only to the extent that Mother incorporates them within the context of her preserved challenges.

-4- J-S12031-21

beyond the court-ordered two nights per week should not have resulted in the

trial court favoring Father in this regard. Id. at 12.

Second, Mother argues that the trial court erred in finding that Father

was better able to provide stability and continuity for Child’s education, family,

and community life. Id.

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J.D. v. J.B., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jd-v-jb-pasuperct-2021.