McDaniel v. McDaniel

240 N.E.2d 916, 16 Ohio Misc. 32, 45 Ohio Op. 2d 27, 1967 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 246
CourtHighland County Court of Common Pleas
DecidedMarch 31, 1967
DocketNo. 19711
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 240 N.E.2d 916 (McDaniel v. McDaniel) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Highland County Court of Common Pleas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McDaniel v. McDaniel, 240 N.E.2d 916, 16 Ohio Misc. 32, 45 Ohio Op. 2d 27, 1967 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 246 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1967).

Opinion

Hottle, J.

Defendant’s motion for change of custody having come on for hearing, upon the evidence, arguments and law the court overrules the same.

Because the question presented here is that of giving birth to an illegitimate child and its effect upon custody rights, let it be noted that this court, prior to the Court of Appeals holding in Wise v. Wise, Number 170, Highland County, would have thought that such occurrences forfeited the mother’s custodial rights, although the Wise decision did not involve the exact question. The court has [33]*33been unable to find any answer in the Ohio decisions and counsel have cited none. Therefore, this court must give every consideration to the Wise ruling, and starting on page 4 of the typewritten per curiam opinion:

“That we believe it quite unnecessary to repeat the observations made by this same Court of Appeals in those cases, as they are especially true in relation to the very young female child involved in this proceeding, except to reiterate his emphasis that so far as any young child is concerned there cannot be any substitute for a natural mother’s love and care. Again referring to Fitzpatrick v. Fitzpatrick, supra (4 Ohio App. 2d 279) we can do no more than reaffirm the position taken by this court at the time of the decision in the Fitzpatrick case on March 10,1965. Before the court may make a substantial change in the custody order there must be a substantial change in circumstances, and a mother who is not shown to be unfit has the natural right to nurture and care for her children of tender years. Ordinarily, the child’s best interests are served by her love, care, and attention, keeping in mind the guide line set up by the Fitzpatrick case, the Perry case and all other cases cited with approval by this Court of Appeals in the two cases heretofore refererd to, we are unanimously of the opinion that the evidence presented in this modification proceeding by the plaintiff appellee was not sufficient to warrant the trial court in changing the custody of the child involved in this proceeding from the mother to the father for the reason that there has not been a change of conditions nor a discovery of material facts existent at the time of entering the previous order and then unknown to the court. In arriving at this conclusion, we have been quite mindful of the possible psychological influence at play under the circumstances of this case, but we cannot forget that the testimony failed, in our opinion, to show any peculiar unfitness for the mother to retain custody of her child. As called for by the Fitzpatrick case, the case of Vincent v. Vincent, 6 N. P. 474, 8 O. D. 160, and the case of Grandon v. Grandon, 164 Ohio St. 234. Also, in the case of Coleclaser v. Coleclaser, 2 Ohio App. 2d pages 142-147, [34]*34the court said that other things being equal, the custody of a child of tender years, especially a female child, would ordinarily be awarded to the mother.”

Defendant’s home, since his remarriage, bears all good reports and the evidence discloses this — when I say reports, I mean the investigator’s reports.

The question, then, is whether or not the plaintiff’s having become pregnant and giving birth to an illegitimate child, both since the divorce and the award of the custody of the parties’ child to her, makes her unfit so as not to have “the natural right to nurture and care for her children of tender years.”

Turning to authorities outside the state of Ohio, the court has found the following which seem to be as closely applicable as any, and more so than the remainder. The court would make reference to 24 American Jurisprudence 2d, Section 788.

The Court of Appeals of Maryland in Oliver v. Oliver, 140 A. 2d 908, held in part:

9. “There is no absolute rule that one who has committed adultery is morally unfit to have custody of child, and circumstances of particular case may justfy awarding minor child to parent who has committed adultery.”

10. ‘ ‘ Guilt of wife may be overlooked in awarding custody of child where she is not grossly immoral.”

11. “Cessation of adulterous relationship is an important factor in determining whether custody of child should be awarded to erring spouse.”

12. “On record presented, in husband’s action for divorce on grounds of abandonment and adultery, chancellor could not have been charged with an abuse of discretion in awarding custody of three year old daughter of parties to her mother, even if she had committed adultery. ’ ’

13. “Where it appeared that mother had changed her way of life, chancellor was justified in overlooking her past indiscretions in determining whether she should have custody of child.”

(See also McCabe v. McCabe, 146 A. 2d 768, headnote 5.)

[35]*35The same court in Palmer v. Palmer, 207 A. 2d 481, stated in headnote 6:

“Rule by which custody is ordinarily awarded divorced husband instead of adulterous wife is not absolute when adulterous relationship has ceased and appears unlikely to be revived and court may overlook past indiscretions and give her custody of minor child.”

The Supreme Court of Illinois in Peck v. Peck, 157 N. E. 2d 249 at page 257, first column, stated pertinent observations in relation to the question before the court. See also Smilgus v. Smilgus, 35 N. W. 2d 148, second headnote. The Supreme Court of Iowa in Staggs v. Staggs, 96 N. W. 2d 736 stated in headnote 8:

“In proceeding to modify child custody provisions of divorce decree, the evidence, including evidence that mother had moved from a small town where children had plenty of room for play and recreation to a crowded apartment in the city and that mother had had an illegitimate child who would be present in the apartment and that father had remarried a religious woman and would keep the child on a farm in a spacious home and would take them to a religious school on Sunday, disclosed such changed conditions after divorce as would warrant changing custody from mother to father.”

The conduct of the mother is described at pages 740, 741, and 742. The same court in Wendel v. Wendel, 109 N. W. 2d 432, stated in headnotes:

2. “Best interest of child is usually served by granting custody to one not at fault in divorce proceedings but such must not be taken as a reward for the innocent and the punishment for the transgressor.”

5. “Evidence did not establish that the trial court abused its discretion in granting custody of an adopted 3% year-old child to the father.”

6. “It is not every act of indiscretion or immorality that should deprive a mother of the custody of her children in divorce action, but motherhood is a factor to be given weight in deciding questions of child custody.”

The Supreme Court of Nebraska in Baker v. Baker, 89 N. W. 2d 35, in headnote 5 states.:,

[36]*36“Where husband was entitled to divorce, on ground of wife’s adultery, wife was neither entitled to alimony nor to care and custody of minor children.”

And held in syllabus 2:

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Related

Whaley v. Whaley
399 N.E.2d 1270 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1978)
Gould v. Gould
316 So. 2d 210 (Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama, 1975)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
240 N.E.2d 916, 16 Ohio Misc. 32, 45 Ohio Op. 2d 27, 1967 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 246, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcdaniel-v-mcdaniel-ohctcomplhighla-1967.