Langley v. Denton

568 S.W.2d 19, 263 Ark. 904, 1978 Ark. LEXIS 2096
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedJuly 10, 1978
Docket78-25
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 568 S.W.2d 19 (Langley v. Denton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Langley v. Denton, 568 S.W.2d 19, 263 Ark. 904, 1978 Ark. LEXIS 2096 (Ark. 1978).

Opinions

Conley Byrd, Justice.

The plaintiff and the defendant were divorced on August 15, 1974, at which time a property settlement was reached and it was agreed that Patricia Den-ton would have custody of the two children, Michael Denton and Jennifer Denton, and that neither party could take the children out of the State of Arkansas without prior approval of the court.

Subsequent, thereto, the plaintiff, Patricia Denton, married Jerry Sossamon and established a residence in Mesquite, Texas, and asked that she be permitted to take the two minor children with her to her residence there.

On December 27, 1974, the court in granting the plaintiff permission to take the children to Texas, required that the plaintiff make a bond in the sum of $1,000.00 with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Vernie Langley, Jr., as sureties, which was done. The order entered provided:

“4. Patricia Denton Sossamon shall deliver the children to the Defendant, Dale Allen Denton, at his home in Clark County, Arkansas, on the Sunday afternoon one week after the closing of school, where they shall remain until the Sunday two weeks before school shall start. During this summer visitation Patricia Denton Sossamon shall have the right to visit her children on every other weekend and Dale Allen Denton shall not be required to pay any support money.”

Thereafter on May 29, 1975, the plaintiff, Patricia Den-ton Sossamon, appeared with her husband, Jerry Sossamon, before the court in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, accompanied by her attorney, Travis Mathis, and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Vernie Langley, Jr. This appearance was without notice to the defendant who had no opportunity to appear and be heard.

The court made the following docket entry:.

“5-29-75 Mr. and Mrs. Sossamon before court. The older child needs to get special reading course at Garland, Texas, and court thinks he should be permitted to do this. Both children be left with the father today until June 8, hopefully Mr. Denton will agree, keep the girl and let the boy (go) and if a hearing is necessary will be held June 12.”

After the entry of the docket notation, Mrs. Sossamon called and told appellee that she had a court order to permit the boy to go to school and she didn’t think it would be right to split the children and appellee reluctantly agreed not to split the children.

Dale Allen Denton on August 15, 1975, learned that school in Garland, Texas, would open on Monday, August 18, 1975, and therefore, it would be completely impossible for him to have his children visit with him before school started. With this information he advised the court and upon instruction of the court summons was issued for Mr. and Mrs. Langley and Mrs. Sossamon.

Mr. Travis Mathis, attorney for the plaintiff, was notified and a hearing was had before the court on August 19, 1975, at which time Mr. and Mrs. Langley appeared in court. Mr. Langley testified and Mr. Mathis advised the court, as did Mr. Langley, that they were unable to communicate with Mrs. Patricia Denton Sossamon and did not know how to get in touch with her by telephone. The court was further advised that no one knew when the special school had been out.

After the hearing and apparently during the afternoon of August 19, 1975, Mr. Mathis wrote a letter to the court, that the school got out July 25.

On August 19, 1975, the court on its own motion inquired of the Superintendent of Schools at Garland, Texas, when the special class ended and was advised it ended July 25th.

In the latter part of 1976, appellee had some financial difficulties and got behind on his child support.

April 28, 1977, Jerry West Sossamon and Patricia Lou (Denton) Sossamon filed Suit No. 77-360 JUV 2 in the Juvenile Court of Dallas County, Texas, seeking to have the parent-child relationship between Dale Allen Denton and his minor children, Michael Allen Denton and Jennifer Lenea Denton, terminated. May 6, 1977, appellee filed the present petition to forfeit the bond. Summons was served on Mr. and Mrs. Langley and Travis Mathis was notified of the filing of the petition.

On May 19, 1977, at Dale Allen Denton’s request and without notice the court reaffirmed that “at all times (it had) retained jurisdiction of this cause.”

On June 3, 1977, upon motion of Patricia Denton (Sossamon) by her attorney, W. Kelvin Wyrick, and without notice to defendant, the court held that its order of May 19, 1977, was not to be construed as an attempt to prevent the Texas Court from properly (performing its duty) under the Texas law proceeding.

On June 10, 1977, the Juvenile Court of Dallas County, Texas, entered an order that “the petitioners Jerry Wayne Sossamon and Patricia Denton Sossamon and the Respondent Dale Allen Denton are all hereby restrained and enjoined from removing Michael Allen Denton and Jennifer Lenea Denton . . . from the jurisdiction of this court until such further orders of this court or until such time as the above styled and numbered cause has been disposed of.”

August 23, 1977, Travis Mathis notified appellee and the court that he did not represent Mrs. Sossamon. On that day appellee notified Mrs. Sossamon by registered mail, return receipt requested, of the hearing on this petition to forfeit the bond. The registered letter was returned marked “Refused.”

Mr. Langley testified that Mr. Mathis had been employed to represent Mrs. Sossamon before the petition to forfeit the bond was filed and that he had loaned her the $300 to pay her attorney’s fee. Mr. Langley acted as Mrs. Sossamon’s conduit in firing Mr. Mathis and accepting the refund of the 8300 fee previously paid. Mr. Langley could not place the time of the firing of Mr. Mathis but stated that it was after he employed Mr. W. Kelvin Wyrick.

Appellee testified that Mrs. Sossamon had again changed her telephone number to an unlisted number and that he was unable to contact either Mrs. Sossamon or his children by phone. He also introduced a box, containing a birthday present for the boy and some money for the daughter, that had been returned marked “refused.”

At the hearing on the bond forfeiture the court found:

“a. That the Chancery Court of Clark County, Arkansas has had continuing jurisdiction of these children and the subject matter of this litigation at all times since the filing of the original petition for divorce.

“b. That the purpose of the bond was to prevent the Defendant, Dale Allen Denton, from having to go into Texas to defend any litigation or to take any legal action to protect his rights to his children; but if he had to do so to enforce his rights under this court’s decree to use the bond proceeds to help defray his expense as set out in Herring v. Nyle Morton, 248 Ark. 718.

“c. The plaintiff, Patricia Denton Sossamon, well knew this, and her action in proceeding in the Texas Juvenile Court and having the court issue a restraining order or creating a situation where the court might issue such restraining order, was in direct and strict violation of the orders of this court.

“d.

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Related

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
568 S.W.2d 19, 263 Ark. 904, 1978 Ark. LEXIS 2096, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/langley-v-denton-ark-1978.