Marriage of Battles

Colorado Court of Appeals·Decided November 14, 2024·No. 23CA1879·Unknown

Opinion

23CA1879 Marriage of Battles 11-14-2024 COLORADO COURT OF APPEALS

Court of Appeals No. 23CA1879 Arapahoe County District Court No. 21DR31702 Honorable Cajardo Lindsey, Judge

In re the Marriage of Meghann Mary Ward Battles, n/k/a Meghann Mary Ward McPherson, Appellee, and Cort Owen Battles, Appellant.

JUDGMENT AFFIRMED IN PART, REVERSED IN PART, AND CASE REMANDED WITH DIRECTIONS

Division V

Opinion by JUDGE LUM

Freyre and Grove, JJ., concur

NOT PUBLISHED PURSUANT TO C.A.R. 35(e)

Announced November 14, 2024

Meghann Mary Ward McPherson, Pro Se Caroline C. Cooley, Christopher J. Linas, Castle Rock, Colorado, for Appellant

¶1 In this dissolution of marriage proceeding, Cort Owen Battles (father) appeals the portion of the permanent orders that allocate parental responsibilities for the two minor children to Meghann Mary Ward McPherson, f/k/a Meghann Mary Ward Battles (mother). Father also appeals the trial court’s denial of his motion for a new trial. ¶2 We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand for further proceedings.

I. Background

¶3 Mother and father are the parents of two minor children, C.B. and F.B., who were thirteen and eleven (respectively) at the time of permanent orders. Because of allegations that father had verbally (and sometimes physically) abused the children, the children’s therapist made a report to the Department of Human Services. Early in the case, the court ordered that father’s parenting time be supervised by a reintegration therapist. The court also appointed Dr. Edward Budd as the parental responsibilities evaluator (PRE). ¶4 During the pendency of the case, both children participated in individual therapy, along with sessions with the reintegration therapist. F.B. participated in some sessions with the reintegration

therapist and father, while C.B. refused to have contact with father. After the permanent orders hearing, the court ordered that father would not have any parenting time with either child, and mother would have sole decision-making responsibility. ¶5 Father filed a C.R.C.P. 59 motion based on newly discovered evidence; namely, a status report from the reintegration therapist. The court denied father’s motion. ¶6 Father now appeals. He contends the trial court erred by restricting his parenting time, allocating sole decision-making authority to mother, and denying the motion for a new trial.

II. Parenting Time

¶7 Father contends that the trial court erred by (1) restricting his parenting time without applying the endangerment standard; (2) restricting his parenting time without considering less detrimental alternatives; (3) improperly delegating parenting time decisions to the children; and (4) failing to consider his constitutional rights.

A. Applicable Law and Standard of Review ¶8 In all cases, the trial court must determine the allocation of parenting time according to the child’s best interests, “giving paramount consideration to the child’s safety and the physical,

mental, and emotional conditions and needs of the child.” § 14-10- 124(1.5), C.R.S. 2024. In making the best interests determination, the court must consider the factors set forth in section 14-10- 124(1.5)(a)(I)-(XI). In re Marriage of Finer, 920 P.2d 325, 327 (Colo. App. 1996). ¶9 However, for a court to “impos[e] . . . a parenting time restriction,” the court must also find “that parenting time by the [restricted] party would endanger the child’s physical health or significantly impair the child’s emotional development” and “enumerate the specific factual findings supporting the restriction,” including findings related to child abuse. § 14-10-124(1.5)(a). “[W]hat constitutes endangerment to a particular child’s physical or emotional health is a highly individualized determination . . . .” In re Marriage of Parr, 240 P.3d 509, 512 (Colo. App. 2010). ¶ 10 The determination of parenting time falls within the broad discretion of the trial court, and we will exercise every presumption that supports upholding the court’s decision. In re Marriage of Hatton, 160 P.3d 326, 330 (Colo. App. 2007). A court abuses its discretion if its decision is manifestly arbitrary, unreasonable, or

unfair, or if it misapplies the law. In re Marriage of Badawiyeh, 2023 COA 4, ¶ 9. ¶ 11 “It is the responsibility of the trial court as the trier of fact to determine the credibility of the witnesses and the sufficiency, probative effect, and weight of the evidence.” Hatton, 160 P.3d at 330. We review de novo, however, whether the court applied the correct legal standards in determining parenting time. In re Parental Responsibilities Concerning B.R.D., 2012 COA 63, ¶ 15.

B. Additional Facts

¶ 12 During the permanent orders hearing, the court heard testimony from mother; father; Dr. Budd; and Dr. Shelley Bresnick, the children’s reintegration therapist. By agreement, the court also considered the deposition testimony of Dr. Andrew Loizeaux, an expert retained by father to review Dr. Budd’s work. The court found all the professional witnesses credible and concluded that Dr. Budd was more credible than Dr. Loizeaux. ¶ 13 Regarding the children’s progress in reintegration therapy during the pendency of the case, the court found that • C.B. had adamantly refused any contact with father, including in a therapeutic setting;

• F.B. and father had attended reintegration therapy together and “interact in a positive and affectionate manner”;

• during F.B.’s sessions with father, “[b]oth appear very happy to see one another”; and • regarding F.B., father had taken Dr. Bresnick’s feedback well and “demonstrated insight into his behaviors.”

¶ 14 Mother requested that father have no parenting time with C.B. Father proposed that C.B. continue to work with his individual therapist and with the reintegration therapist on an individual basis. After three months, father proposed that he and C.B. have joint reunification sessions every other week. Father also urged the court to set periodic status conferences regarding C.B.’s parenting time. ¶ 15 Mother proposed that father and F.B. continue having joint reintegration therapy sessions and that the parties could reassess moving beyond reintegration therapy when and if Dr. Bresnick and F.B.’s therapist believed F.B. was ready. Father proposed a step-up plan in which he would receive supervised visits after a month of reintegration therapy, followed by unsupervised visits, which would gradually increase until the parties had equal parenting time.

¶ 16 In considering the children’s best interest, the court made the following additional relevant findings1:

• On one occasion, father forcibly stuffed candy wrappers in C.B.’s mouth while holding him against the wall by his neck.

• The children described “verbal derogation by [father] on a more or less daily basis.”

• Father “verbally belittled and physically intimidated the [children], on a frequent basis, over a period of years . . . .

[Father’s] behavior produced father-child relationships so troubling for the [children] that whether the damage can be repaired is unclear.”

• Father had “grabb[ed] [the children] by the necks and arms and call[ed] them cocksuckers, pussies, bitches, fuck holes, ass holes, retarded fucks, and pieces of shit.”

• Father committed child abuse.

1 Some of the court’s findings were adopted from Dr. Budd’s PRE

report, Dr. Bresnick’s status reports, or from statements made by the parties.

• C.B. had been taken to the emergency room on two previous occasions with suicidal ideation.

• C.B. told Dr. Budd that he did not want to see father “ever again under any circumstances.”

• F.B. told Dr. Budd that he wanted to see father “every two weeks and only in the presence of a supervisor.”

• Both children would strongly prefer to live with mother.

• “Each party has psychological limitations that helped cause and perpetuate problems in the family. Each externalizes responsibility.”

• “Neither party is especially supportive of the other’s relationship with the children.”

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