Kyle B. v. Denisa B.

CourtIntermediate Court of Appeals of West Virginia
DecidedMarch 24, 2025
Docket24-ica-235
StatusPublished

This text of Kyle B. v. Denisa B. (Kyle B. v. Denisa B.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Intermediate Court of Appeals of West Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kyle B. v. Denisa B., (W. Va. Ct. App. 2025).

Opinion

IN THE INTERMEDIATE COURT OF APPEALS OF WEST VIRGINIA FILED March 24, 2025 KYLE B., ASHLEY N. DEEM, CHIEF DEPUTY CLERK Respondent Below, Petitioner INTERMEDIATE COURT OF APPEALS OF WEST VIRGINIA

v.) No. 24-ICA-235 (Fam. Ct. Raleigh Cnty. Case No. FC-41-2019-D-276)

DENISA B., Petitioner Below, Respondent

MEMORANDUM DECISION

Petitioner Kyle B.1 (“Father”) appeals the Family Court of Raleigh County’s May 10, 2024, order that denied his petition for modification of custodial allocation and petition for contempt. Respondent Denisa B. (“Mother”) filed a response in support of the family court’s order. Father did not file a reply. The guardian ad litem (“GAL”) for the minor son did not participate in this appeal. The GAL for the minor daughters filed a response in support of the family court’s order.2

This Court has jurisdiction over this appeal pursuant to West Virginia Code § 51- 11-4 (2024). After considering the parties’ arguments, the record on appeal, and the applicable law, this Court finds that there is error in the family court’s decision but no substantial question of law. For the reasons set forth below, a memorandum decision vacating and remanding for further proceedings is appropriate under Rule 21 of the Rules of Appellate Procedure.

The parties were married in 2010, separated in 2019, and divorced in 2020. Three children were born of the marriage. They have one son, K.T.B., who was born in 2012, and twin daughters, K.M.B. and K.A.B., who were born in 2015. Mother was awarded primary custody of the children by order entered July 26, 2019. Father was awarded parenting time every other weekend. This custodial allocation was incorporated into the parties’ final divorce order entered on March 18, 2020.

1 To protect the confidentiality of the juveniles involved in this case, we refer to the parties’ last name by the first initial. See, e.g., W. Va. R. App. P. 40(e); State v. Edward Charles L., 183 W. Va. 641, 645 n.1, 398 S.E.2d 123, 127 n.1 (1990). 2 Both parties are self-represented. The GAL for the daughters is Marie C. Bechtel, Esq.

1 On June 11, 2021, one of the parties filed a petition for modification.3 On August 9, 2021, the family court entered an order appointing a GAL for the children.4 At some point not clear from the record, K.T.B. purportedly threatened to hurt himself if he continued living with Mother. On January 5, 2022, the family court entered a temporary order that awarded Father primary custody of K.T.B. and gave Father parenting time with the girls on every other weekend. Mother received parenting time with K.T.B. on every other weekend. The court ordered that all custody exchanges occur at the McDonalds in Sophia, West Virginia. The court noted that it was particularly concerned with the animosity between the parents and their discussions of court proceedings in the presence of the children.

Sometime before a hearing scheduled for June 6, 2022, Mother alleged that K.T.B. initiated sexual contact with K.A.B. during Mother’s parenting time in the presence of Mother’s boyfriend, who is a Child Protective Services (“CPS”) social worker, and a referral was sent to CPS. On July 5, 2022, the family court entered a temporary order from the June 6, 2022, hearing that modified the previous parenting plan by suspending Mother’s parenting time with K.T.B. In its order, the court stated that it was concerned with K.T.B.’s recent behavior and the welfare of the two girls. Father’s parenting time with the girls remained the same.

By letter dated July 15, 2022, CPS informed the family court that it completed its investigation regarding Mother’s allegations. CPS found that the allegations of K.T.B. assaulting K.A.B. were unsubstantiated. The report stated the following:

[K.A.B. was] asked if [K.T.B.] said to pull his pants down and [K.A.B.’s] pants down and sit on his lap. [K.A.B.] states she said “no” and that it never did actually happen. She reports no one was around when this happened. [K.A.B.] reports [K.T.B.] or anyone else has never touched her in her private parts.

The report further stated that the GAL, Mr. Houck, said that Mother has lied and been manipulative throughout the family court proceedings. Mr. Houck reported that “throughout the series of hearings regarding the children[,] there have been concerns that Mother is lying, making things up.” Mr. Houck “has concerns about whether the incident truly occurred, or i[f] [Mother is] creating stories in attempts to maintain full custody [of

3 The June 11, 2021, petition is not in the record before this Court. However, the docket sheet establishes that the petition was filed on that particular date but does not state which party filed the petition. 4 The court appointed G. Todd Houck, Esq. as GAL for all three children.

2 the girls]. That there is doubt as to whether this incident occurred.” The report went on to say the following:

At the June 6, 2022, hearing, [Mother] alleged that while [K.T.B.] was at her home visiting, that he pulled down his underwear and told one of his sisters to sit on his (genitals). . . Father became so upset he left the room. [Mr.] Houck asked [Mother] why she didn’t call [Father] and inform him of this incident when it occurred. [Mother] replied that she wanted to “surprise yall in court.”

However, a treatment summary from a Solutions Psychological Services therapist dated November 29, 2022, stated that K.A.B. verbalized that “[K.T.B.] told me to pull my shorts and panties down and he pulled his pants down and wanted me to sit on his lap. Mom walked in and I told her what [he] did. [K.T.B.] said it didn’t happen. He doesn’t want to get in trouble. [He] lies all the time.”

On July 25, 2023, Father filed a petition for modification of custody and a petition for contempt.5 In his petition to modify, Father requested primary custody of the girls, alleging that Mother was improperly medicating them with ADHD medicine and melatonin, and that the girls informed him that they were not treated as well as the daughter of Mother’s boyfriend. In his petition for contempt, Father attached numerous exhibits of correspondence and alleged that Mother continued to ignore his questions regarding the children’s doctors’ appointments and medications, which was in violation of the family court’s August 9, 2021, contempt order. On August 3, 2023, the family court entered an order appointing Ms. Bechtel as GAL for the girls. Mr. Houck remained GAL for the boy.

On December 13, 2023, the family court held a hearing.6 The court notified CPS by written referral that it had reasonable cause to suspect that the children had been abused and/or neglected. The court explained that Father had introduced photographs of one of the female children in an attempt to illustrate her substantial weight loss from ADHD medication. One photograph depicted the girl standing in underwear with her breasts exposed and nipples blacked out with a Sharpie marker. Although the photograph was intended to illustrate the child’s weight loss, since repeated sexual allegations had been alleged in the case and the children’s GALs requested a deeper investigation into the matter, the family court advised CPS to complete an investigative report. The family court

5 On July 6, 2023, a new family court judge was assigned to the case after the retirement of Judge Louise E. Goldston. 6 Although the record is unclear, the hearing held on this date was presumably for Father’s petitions for custodial modification and contempt.

3 also notified the circuit court pursuant to Rule 48 of the Rules of Practice and Procedure for Family Court.

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Bluebook (online)
Kyle B. v. Denisa B., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kyle-b-v-denisa-b-wvactapp-2025.