Mckayla Sativa Beecher, V. Matthew Wayne Meyers

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedNovember 29, 2021
Docket81788-4
StatusUnpublished

This text of Mckayla Sativa Beecher, V. Matthew Wayne Meyers (Mckayla Sativa Beecher, V. Matthew Wayne Meyers) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mckayla Sativa Beecher, V. Matthew Wayne Meyers, (Wash. Ct. App. 2021).

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON DIVISION ONE In re the Parenting and Support of: ) No. 81788-4-I ) M.M.M., ) ) Child, ) ) MATTHEW WAYNE MEYERS, ) ) Respondent, ) ) and ) ) MCKAYLA SATIVA BEECHER, ) UNPUBLISHED OPINION ) Appellant. ) )

VERELLEN, J. — When a court concludes the child’s best interests warrant

the imposition of restrictions under RCW 26.09.191 due to a parent’s conduct,

findings of fact about that parent’s conduct must be supported by substantial

evidence. Substantial evidence supports the finding that McKayla Beecher has a

long-term emotional impairment that affects her ability to perform parenting

functions, and restrictions based upon that finding were not an abuse of discretion.

But because the parenting plan imposed restrictions on Beecher based in part

upon findings of fact that lacked substantial evidence, remand is required to revisit

and revise the parenting plan to reflect Beecher’s conduct and her son’s best

interests. Because remand is required and recent developments likely impact a No. 81788-4-I/2

previous finding of abuse, the abuse finding and related restrictions should be

revisited.

Therefore, we affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand for further

proceedings.

FACTS

McKayla Beecher and Matthew Meyers began dating in April of 2016, her

senior year of high school. The relationship was getting “near the end” in the

spring of 2018 when they learned Beecher was pregnant.1 Their son, “M,” was

born in December of 2018. In May of 2019, when M was six months old, they

decided to separate because they were arguing about “everything” and “just

stopped wanting to be around each other.”2 They came to an arrangement to

share physical and legal custody of M.

In August of 2019, M was severely injured and hospitalized. Child

Protective Services (CPS) and the Arlington Police Department began

investigating. CPS filed a dependency petition, placing M with Meyers’s sister,

Jacquie Grogel, and then with Beecher’s extended family. Beecher later filed a

petition for a domestic violence protection order (DVPO) against Meyers.

In September of 2019, the police cleared Meyers from suspicion of injuring

his son. The dependency court found Meyers was “not a risk to the child” and

1 Report of Proceedings (RP) (July 9, 2020) at 88. 2 Id. at 92.

2 No. 81788-4-I/3

awarded him custody over M.3 It also did “not find the father to be the aggressor

of domestic violence in the relationship”4 and transferred the case to family court.

A superior court commissioner later denied the DVPO petition, concluding

Beecher failed to demonstrate domestic violence because she presented

“conflicting evidence” that called her credibility into question.5

In February of 2020, the Arlington police filed a certificate of probable cause

for Beecher, concluding probable cause existed to arrest her for first degree

assault of a child, making a false or misleading statement to a public servant, and

obstructing a law enforcement officer. In April, the family court entered a

temporary parenting plan which limited Beecher to three, two-hour supervised

visitation sessions each week. Meyers received sole decision-making authority

and the authority to approve all visitation supervisors. The dependency was

terminated.

A bench trial was held on a permanent parenting plan in June of 2020.

Beecher proffered an expert, Dr. JoAnne Solchany, who has a Ph.D. in nursing

and is an advanced registered nurse practitioner, to testify about her psychological

evaluation of Beecher. Dr. Solchany diagnosed Beecher with posttraumatic stress

disorder (PTSD) from M’s injury and from domestic violence inflicted on her by

3 Ex. 3, at 3. 4 Id. 5 Ex. 2, at 1.

3 No. 81788-4-I/4

Meyers. The court admitted Dr. Solchany’s testimony but found neither Beecher

nor any of her witnesses, including Dr. Solchany, were credible.

The court found Beecher abused and neglected M, used conflict in an

abusive manner, had a substance abuse problem that interfered with her ability to

parent, and had a long-term emotional problem that interfered with her ability to

parent.

Pursuant to RCW 26.09.191, it restricted her physical and legal custody

over M. The court limited Beecher to three weekly supervised visits with M, each

for three hours. It gave Meyers sole decision-making authority.

Beecher appeals.6

ANALYSIS

I. Evidentiary Rulings

Beecher argues the court abused its discretion by finding she and other

witnesses were not credible. We review evidentiary decisions for abuse of

discretion.7 A trial court abuses its discretion when its decision rests on untenable

evidentiary grounds or was made for untenable reasons, such as a ruling contrary

to law.8

6 Beecher also assigns error to the trial court “failing to enter a [DVPO] protecting the mother from the father.” Appellant’s Br. at 4. Because she makes no arguments in support of this assigned error, we decline to consider it. 7 In re Wagner, ___ Wn. App. 2d ___, 496 P.3d 742, 746 (2021) (citing Blomster v. Nordstrom, Inc., 103 Wn. App. 252, 259, 11 P.3d 883 (2000)). 8 Lakey v. Puget Sound Energy, Inc., 176 Wn.2d 909, 919, 296 P.3d 860 (2013) (citing Wash. State Physicians Ins. Exch. & Ass’n v. Fisons Corp., 122 Wn.2d 299, 339, 858 P.2d 1054 (1993)).

4 No. 81788-4-I/5

Citing an unpublished case, State v. Scott,9 Beecher asserts that the trial

court’s credibility determinations can be reviewed for substantial evidence. But

well-established and controlling Washington law holds that when a trial court takes

live testimony and weighs the evidence, a reviewing court does not reevaluate the

credibility of witnesses or reweigh evidence.10 When deciding child placement

decisions, a reviewing court should be particularly deferential to the trial court

“[b]ecause the trial court hears evidence firsthand and has a unique opportunity to

observe the witnesses.”11 Because, here, the trial court was acting as the

factfinder in a bench trial, we will not reevaluate its credibility determinations.

Beecher also argues the court abused its discretion by declining to admit

Dr. Solchany’s testimony under ER 702. Expert testimony can be admitted under

ER 702 when the witness qualifies as an expert and their testimony will assist the

9State v. Scott, No. 45944-2-II, slip op. at 7-8, Wash. Ct. App. June 30, 2015) (unpublished), https://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/D2%2045944-2- II%20%20Unpublished%20Opinion.pdf. 10E.g., In re A.W., 182 Wn.2d 689, 711, 344 P.3d 1186 (2015) (“The reviewing court should not decide the credibility of witnesses or weigh the evidence.”) (citing In re Dependency of A.V.D., 62 Wn. App. 562, 568, 815 P.2d 277 (1991)); Winter v. Dep’t of Soc. & Health Servs. on behalf of Winter, 12 Wn. App. 2d 815, 839, 460 P.3d 667 (“We cannot review a fact-finder’s credibility determinations on appeal.”) (citing Morse v.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Ferree v. Doric Co.
383 P.2d 900 (Washington Supreme Court, 1963)
In Re the Marriage of Greene
986 P.2d 144 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1999)
Matter of Marriage of Trichak
863 P.2d 585 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1993)
VanDam v. Department of Social & Health Services
815 P.2d 277 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1991)
State v. Cauthron
846 P.2d 502 (Washington Supreme Court, 1993)
In Re the Marriage of Thompson
646 P.2d 163 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1982)
In Re the Marriage of Little
634 P.2d 498 (Washington Supreme Court, 1981)
Anderson v. AKZO NOBEL COATINGS, INC.
260 P.3d 857 (Washington Supreme Court, 2011)
In Re Marriage of Possinger
19 P.3d 1109 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2001)
Blomster v. Nordstrom, Inc.
11 P.3d 883 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2000)
In Re Marriage of Zigler and Sidwell
226 P.3d 202 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2010)
KEEVER & ASSOCIATES, INC. v. Randall
119 P.3d 926 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2005)
In Re Marriage of Watson
130 P.3d 915 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2006)
In Re Parentage of Schroeder
22 P.3d 1280 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2001)
Burrill v. Burrill
56 P.3d 993 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2002)
Morse v. Antonellis
70 P.3d 125 (Washington Supreme Court, 2003)
In Re The Parenting & Support Of C.t.
193 Wash. App. 427 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2016)
In re the Marriage of Chandola
180 Wash. 2d 632 (Washington Supreme Court, 2014)
Organization to Preserve Agricultural Lands v. Adams County
913 P.2d 793 (Washington Supreme Court, 1996)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Mckayla Sativa Beecher, V. Matthew Wayne Meyers, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mckayla-sativa-beecher-v-matthew-wayne-meyers-washctapp-2021.