Nixon v. Nixon

862 F. Supp. 2d 1168, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 155217, 2011 WL 7972481
CourtDistrict Court, D. New Mexico
DecidedOctober 18, 2011
DocketCivil No. 11-cv-890 MV-LFG
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 862 F. Supp. 2d 1168 (Nixon v. Nixon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. New Mexico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Nixon v. Nixon, 862 F. Supp. 2d 1168, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 155217, 2011 WL 7972481 (D.N.M. 2011).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

MARTHA VAZQUEZ, District Judge.

THIS MATTER comes before the Court on the Petition Pursuant to the Hague Convention and Pursuant to the International Child Abduction Remedies Act (the “Petition”) [Doc. 1]. The Court, having considered the Petition, the relevant law and being otherwise fully informed, finds the Petition is well taken and will be GRANTED.

BACKGROUND

Petitioner Mark Nixon is Australian. Respondent Gail Nixon is from the United States. On or about November 24, 2007, Mr. and Mrs. Nixon were married in Aztec, New Mexico. Transcript (“Tr.”) Tr. 14:12.1 On December 25, 2007, Mr. and Mrs. Nixon left for Sydney, Australia, where they have lived together ever since. Tr. 14:18. On or about July 15, 2010, in Australia, their son, Aidin Casey Nixon, was born. Aidin did not leave Australia until on or about July 2, 2011, when Mr. and Mrs. Nixon and Aidin traveled to New Mexico to visit Mrs. Nixon’s family, who live in Aztec. The parties had planned that Mr. Nixon would return to Sydney on July 10, 2011 because of work obligations, and that Mrs. Nixon and Aidin would stay on until August 31, 2011 with Mrs. Nixon’s parents. Mrs. Nixon had a return ticket booked for August 31, 2011. On August 16, 2011, however, Mrs. Nixon canceled her return flight. On or about August 29, 2011, Mrs. Nixon filed a divorce action in the Eleventh Judicial District Court of [1174]*1174New Mexico. On or about August 31, 2011, Mrs. Nixon informed Mr. Nixon by telephone that she was not coming back to Australia, and that she had filed a divorce action in order to simplify custody. On September 29, 2011, Mrs. Nixon’s counsel advised Mr. Nixon’s counsel that she would return to Australia. On October 4, 2011, however, Mrs. Nixon’s counsel advised Mr. Nixon’s counsel that Mrs. Nixon had changed her mind and intended to remain in New Mexico. Mr. Nixon did not consent to Mrs. Nixon’s retention of Aidin in the United States.

On October 5, 2011, Mr. Nixon filed the Petition, seeking, inter alia, an order directing that federal marshals and/or other law enforcement personnel be ordered to assist in picking up Aidin and returning him to the custody of Mr. Nixon, allowing the prompt return of Mr. Nixon and Aidin to Australia, directing that Aidin’s travel documents be surrendered with him, and requiring Mrs. Nixon to pay Mr. Nixon’s costs and attorney fees. Along with the Petition, Mr. Nixon filed an Emergency Motion for Issuance of Order Ex Parte [Doc. 4], requesting that the Court grant the relief sought in the Petition on an emergency, ex parte basis. Because the Court found that Mr. Nixon did not provide an adequate basis for his request for emergency relief, the Court entered an Order denying the Emergency Motion [Doc. 7]. In the Order, however, the Court found that the nature of the Petition was such as to require expedited briefing and an expedited evidentiary hearing. Accordingly, the Court ordered that an evidentiary hearing be held on October 14, 2011, and a copy of the Order and the Petition be served personally upon Mrs. Nixon by October 10, 2011. The Court further ordered that Mrs. Nixon file any opposition in writing no later than October 11, 2011. Mrs. Nixon did not file any written opposition.

On October 11, 2011, Mr. Nixon filed a Second Emergency Motion for Issuance of Order Ex Parte alleging that: his counsel contacted the San Juan County Sheriff on October 7, 2011 to arrange for personal service of the Order and the Petition on Mrs. Nixon; Mrs. Nixon appears to be evading personal service, but, upon information and belief, she received a copy of the Order and the Petition via email, and her attorney in the state case received copies as well; Mrs. Nixon advised Mr. Nixon, via email, that she would be “traveling for a few days,” but did not disclose any information about where she would be traveling; Mrs. Nixon is not answering her telephone or returning Mr. Nixon’s telephone calls; and Mrs. Nixon’s current whereabouts are unknown. The Second Emergency Motion requested an emergency order directing that: Aidin’s name be entered into the national police computer database (“NCIC”) missing person section; Mrs. Nixon and Aidin remain within the jurisdiction of New Mexico until the underlying matter was heard; and Aidin’s travel documents be surrendered to the Court. On October 12, 2011, the Court granted the Second Emergency Motion, finding that Mr. Nixon met the requirements necessary to entitle him to ex parte relief [Doc. 10]. The Court, inter alia, prohibited Mrs. Nixon from removing the child from this jurisdiction pending a determination on the Petition; directed Mrs. Nixon to personally appear and to provide for the appearance and physical presence of the child at the hearing; directed Mrs. Nixon to show cause why the child should not be returned to the custody of Mr. Nixon; and directed Mrs. Nixon to surrender to this Court all of the child’s travel documents.

On October 13, 2011, the U.S. Marshals Service personally served Mrs. Nixon with the Order on the Second Emergency Motion and the Petition. Also on October 13, [1175]*11752011, an attorney entered an appearance on behalf of Mrs. Nixon [Doc. 13].

On October 14, 2011, the Court held an evidentiary hearing at which both parties testified. After hearing testimony and argument, the Court took custody of Aidin’s United States and Australian passports, and issued a general ruling, to be followed by a more specific, written order to be entered no later than October 18, 2011. Tr. 105:5-9. The Court found that Mr. Nixon met his burden of showing by a preponderance of the evidence that Mrs. Nixon’s retention of Aidin in the United States was wrongful. Tr. 105:17-18. The Court further found that Mrs. Nixon did not show by clear and convincing evidence that Aidin’s return to Australia would either expose him to physical or psychological harm, or conflict with the fundamental principles of the United States related to the protection of human rights. Tr. 105:22-24. Accordingly, the Court ordered that Aidin be returned to Australia. Tr. 105:20-21. Pending entry of the Court’s written order, the Court directed that Aidin be returned to both parents and have equal time with both parents, and that Mrs. Nixon be permitted to nurse Aidin. Tr. 107:21-108:21. The Court ordered that Mr. Nixon pay for Mrs. Nixon’s flight back to Australia, and that he provide the Court with the parties’ travel arrangements. Tr. 109: 3-9.

JURISDICTION UNDER THE HAGUE CONVENTION

The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction “seeks to deter parents who are dissatisfied with current custodial arrangements from abducting their children and seeking a more favorable custodial ruling in another country.” Navani v. Shahani, 496 F.3d 1121, 1124 (10th Cir.2007). Generally, it “creates an international legal mechanism requiring contracting states to promptly return children who have been wrongfully removed to, or wrongfully retained in, their jurisdiction, without deciding anew the issue of custody.” Id. Both the United States and Australia are signatory nations to the Hague Convention. Feder v. Evans-Feder, 63 F.3d 217, 221 (3d Cir.1995). The International Child Abduction Remedies Act (“ICARA”), 42 U.S.C. § 11601 et seq.,

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Bluebook (online)
862 F. Supp. 2d 1168, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 155217, 2011 WL 7972481, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nixon-v-nixon-nmd-2011.