Powe v. Powe

525 N.E.2d 845, 38 Ohio Misc. 2d 5, 1987 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 179
CourtCuyahoga County Common Pleas Court
DecidedOctober 19, 1987
DocketNo. 95754
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 525 N.E.2d 845 (Powe v. Powe) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Powe v. Powe, 525 N.E.2d 845, 38 Ohio Misc. 2d 5, 1987 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 179 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1987).

Opinion

Wells, J.

Simply stated, the issue is whether plaintiff, Judith Powe, the custodial parent, shall be permitted to remove Kenny, the parties’ son, to Florida. Defendant, Kenneth Powe, objects to his son’s removal, and a prior agreed-to order prohibits removal absent consent or court order. The agreed pattern and practice of the parties developed as the child grew, so that Kenny’s time became almost evenly divided between his parents, including substantial time with his father each week. Defendant does not seek custody of his son. The interest he seeks to protect is the relationship which he and his son have developed, and the frequent, ongoing contact as integral to that relationship.

Background

Kenny was born on March 7,1977. His parents separated in October 1978 when he was eighteen months old. Plaintiff was granted an uncontested divorce in February 1979 on grounds of defendant’s gross neglect of duty. Consistent with the parties’ separation agreement, incorporated into the divorce decree, plaintiff was granted custody and defendant reasonable visitation with weekly specification.

On August 7, 1982 defendant remarried. He and his wife have a young son, Joey, who is Kenny’s half-brother. On May 9,1983, plaintiff married Timothy Fitch. Mr. Fitch is the father of three children in the custody of his first wife.

On June 14,1983, defendant filed a motion to modify custody and, on August 1,1983, a motion to determine visitation rights. The parties reached an agreement on March 8,1984 and on April 13, 1984 Judge Whiting entered an agreed-to judgment in partial resolution of the parties’ dispute. The order expanded specified visitation rights and prohibited the child’s removal absent agreement or court order. On September 10, 1984, the court by order resolved the remaining visitation issues. On September 13, 1984, defendant withdrew his motion to modify custody.

Central to the present dispute is the parties’ 1984 expanded visitation and nonremoval agreement, ordered into effect by the court. Entered in resolution of visitation and custody issues, it included a specific provision: “Neither party shall remove the child from Cuyahoga County, Ohio, or con[6]*6tiguous counties without the written consent of the other, or order of this Court, vacations excepted.” The order also provided visitation rights on alternate weekends, four weeks during summer, alternate national holidays and birthdays, one half of Christmas vacation and “all other visitation as mutually agreed to by the parties.” The court ordered further visitation rights on Christmas Eve and alternate “Easter” school vacations.

Plaintiff permitted and defendant exercised expanded visitation privileges and eventually Kenny was dividing his time almost equally between his parents’ households.

On January 5,1986, plaintiffs husband moved to Florida.

On April 7, 1986, plaintiff sought-court permission to remove Kenny to Florida and modification of defendant’s visitation rights.

Defendant resisted the removal of Kenny, modification of his visitation rights and requested attorney fees. He obtained a temporary order, restraining plaintiff from removing the child.1

The matter came on for oral argument before this court on June 17, 1987. The parties waived any procedural irregularities, and the facts are not in dispute. The court reviewed the referee’s hearing transcript, briefs, family conciliation reports and the file. Jurisdiction and venue are proper. The fact of Kenny’s removal on the now expired interim order does not moot the matter.

The child’s removal to Florida is inconsistent with defendant’s visitation rights as set forth in the parties’ 1984 agreed-to court order and as developed by further agreement and practice of the parties. Defendant, therefore, seeks a court order denying plaintiff, the custodial parent, permission to remove their minor son to Florida and attendant modification of his visitation rights.

The following options are available to the court. Plaintiff may be prohibited from removing Kenny, custody may be changed to defendant, or the order may be modified to permit plaintiff’s removal of the child. Hauck v. Hauck (Mar. 31, 1983), Cuyahoga App. No. 44908, unreported, at 3-4; R.C. 3109.04; 3109.05(B).

The referee recommended permitting the removal. He ordered that defendant’s visitation rights be conditioned on two weeks’ notice to plaintiff, in the community where the child resides, during the first weekend of each month and alternate holidays, plus a week away for any scheduled Christmas or Easter vacation plus six continuous summer weeks on thirty days’ notice to plaintiff. No provision was made for expenses of travel.

Referee’s Report

The referee’s report, filed July 15, 1986, does not contain sufficient findings to permit the court to independently analyze the merits of plaintiff’s motions and defendant’s responses. Review of the full hearing transcript was necessary. Sufficient evidence was adduced at the referee’s hearing to support application of law and to issue orders.

[7]*7Defendant’s Objections to Referee’s Report

Defendant challenges, as against the manifest weight of the evidence, the referee’s findings regarding the best interest of the child. This challenge is well-taken.

The referee made two general findings regarding the child’s best interest. “It is in his best interest to remain with his mother where he receives the love and care of his mother and his stepfather.” This conclusory statement of sentiment is not determinative. “It would be in the child’s best interest to remain with his mother who has been his prime custodian since birth and for him to remain with his mother when she moves to the State of Florida with her new husband.” The familiar form is beguiling. However, although plaintiff has been Kenny’s custodian since his parents divorced, at the time his mother petitioned the court to remove Kenny to Florida, the boy’s time was almost evenly divided between his parents’ households' and he enjoyed “an unusually close” relationship with each parent. The referee’s “findings” beg the question and are not supported by the evidence. Reiteration of catchwords is inadequate to support the recommended order granting removal. Nolte v. Nolle (1978), 60 Ohio App. 2d 227, 14 O.O. 3d 215, 396 N.E. 2d 807.

The 1984 agreed-to visitation order cannot be swept aside lightly on the custodial parent’s application. To do so makes such orders vain acts. The parties here agreed to resolve post-decree custody and visitation rights issues. The non-removal order was not compelled by an independent fact-finder. Defendant bargained for and secured plaintiff’s consent to a provision which ensured frequency of contact with his son, subject to his later relinquishment or a court order altering the 1984 agreed-to order. Plaintiff agreed to the order even though she had considered a move to Florida a possibility since before her marriage to Mr. Fitch and “knew that at some point, I wanted to live in Florida.” The agreed-to order constitutes a condition upon plaintiff’s custodial authority to make parental decisions.

In addition, defendant challenges, as against the manifest weight of the evidence, the referee’s finding that removal would not disrupt or damage the relationship between defendant and his son.

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

Related

Rozborski v. Rozborski
686 N.E.2d 546 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1996)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
525 N.E.2d 845, 38 Ohio Misc. 2d 5, 1987 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 179, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/powe-v-powe-ohctcomplcuyaho-1987.