Johnson v. Kiloh

704 S.W.2d 705, 1986 Mo. App. LEXIS 3639
Missouri Court of Appeals·Decided February 4, 1986·No. No. WD 36860·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

PRITCHARD, Judge.

This case represents one of the interminable and traumatic disputes over which party is entitled to custody of children born of a marriage, after the marriage is dissolved.

The marriage here was dissolved by decree on March 12, 1982, in Clay County, Missouri, in which the custody of a son, now almost eleven years of age, was awarded to appellant. The trial court thereafter granted leave to appellant to remove the child from Missouri to Texas, where she and her new husband would be living. In that order, respondent was granted certain visitation rights.

In September, 1984, appellant filed in the District Court of Callahan County, Texas, an “Original Suit Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship — Motion to Modify and Specify Non-Texas Visitation Order”. In the case respondent filed an answer setting forth a general denial.

On November 28, 1984, respondent filed in the Clay County, Missouri, Circuit Court a motion to modify requesting that the care, custody and control of the child be transferred to him, alleging, among other things, that appellant denied him his court ordered visitation rights. On December 26, 1984, respondent filed an Emergency Temporary Motion to Modify, alleging that there had been a substantial change of conditions such that he feared for the health, well-being and emotional stability of the child should he be returned to Texas. On that same date, the trial court ordered that custody of the child be immediately and temporarily transferred to respondent until a full hearing could be had on the motion to modify.

On January 15, 1985, appellant made a Special Entry of Appearance in which she challenged the court's jurisdiction to enter the December 26, 1984 order. A like special entry was filed to respondent’s second motion for temporary transfer of custody filed on January 17, 1985.

On January 25, 1985, the court sustained appellant’s motion to set aside the December 26, 1984, temporary order; overruled appellant’s motion to dismiss respondent’s motion for temporary transfer of custody and sustained it with provisions for appellant’s visitation rights. The hearing on the permanent motion was continued until February 15, 1985, but the final hearing was had on June 5, 1985. It was ordered that the custody be transferred to respondent, with certain visitation rights to appellant. The sole issue is whether the trial court had jurisdiction over the matter under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act, § 452.450, RSMo 1978.

Under § 452.450.1, Missouri must be the “home state” of the child in order to assume jurisdiction of the child custody proceedings. Section 452.445(4) defines “home state” as being “the state in which, immediately preceding the filing of custody proceeding, the child lived with his parents, a parent, an institution; or a person acting as parent, for at least six consecutive months; * * Appellant contends that Texas, not Missouri, meets this definition because the child has resided in Texas with her since June 15, 1982.

Appellant’s contention fails because § 452.450.1(2) must also be considered in [707] determining jurisdiction over the child custody proceedings. This section provides that a Missouri court can assume jurisdiction if “It is in the best interest of the child that a court of this state assume jurisdiction because: (a) The child and his parents, or the child and at least one litigant, have a significant connection with this state; and (b) There is available in this state substantial evidence concerning the child’s present or future care, protection, training, and personal relationships.”

Section 452.450.1(2), and its New Jersey UCCJA counterpart, were applied in the case of In Re B.R.F., 669 S.W.2d 240 (Mo.App.1984), where it was held at page 247(6) that New Jersey, by reason of the child having lived there for 6 years, had significant contacts with that jurisdiction, hence the holding that habeas corpus, at the instance of the grandmother, did lie, and the father of the child was not entitled to Missouri proceedings for child custody, the converse of the facts of this case as below set forth. See also Timmings v. Tim-mings, 628 S.W.2d 724, 727 (Mo.App.1982), holding that Missouri lacked jurisdiction because the child had been gone from Missouri for 6 years and those who had a greater opportunity to observe the child could be found in Iowa (friends, neighbors, teachers). Note also the adoption case, Matter of T.C.M., 651 S.W.2d 525, 529 (Mo.App.1983), holding that the Missouri court correctly exercised jurisdiction under § 452.-450.1(2), and North Carolina did not have jurisdiction because the children had not lived there for over two years and were not likely to return there, although the natural mother lived there. In Lustig v. Lustig, 99 Mich.App. 716, 299 N.W.2d 375 (1980), it was held, comparable to the facts here, where the father resided in Michigan, where the child was visiting him at the time of the proceedings, a Michigan psychiatrist had made a report about his observations of the child whose brother and paternal grandparents resided in Michigan, and the child expressed a preference to stay in Michigan, that the trial court was authorized to take jurisdiction for child custody modification, on the ground that the child and his father had significant connection with Michigan, there being substantial evidence available in Michigan concerning the child’s present or future care, even though California was its home state for 7 years, its mother, maternal grandparents, medical and school records, and involvement in special educational programs were located there. See also Joseph E.H. v. Jane E.H., 283 Pa.Super. 109, 423 A.2d 739 (1980); and Hofer v. Agner, 373 So.2d 48 (Fla.App.1979), both involving the same jurisdictional issue.

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