Salmon v. Salmon

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 6, 2022
DocketE075748
StatusPublished

This text of Salmon v. Salmon (Salmon v. Salmon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Salmon v. Salmon, (Cal. Ct. App. 2022).

Opinion

Filed 11/14/22; ordered published 12/6/22 (order attached)

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION TWO

MELISSA BETH SALMON,

Respondent, E075748

v. (Super.Ct.No. DVHE1906683)

STEPHEN SALMON, OPINION

Appellant.

APPEAL from the Superior Court of Riverside County. James T. Warren, Judge.

Affirmed.

Stephen Salmon, in pro. per.; Westover Law Group and Andrew L. Westover for

Steven S. Kondo for Respondent.

1 I. INTRODUCTION

Stephen Salmon (Husband) and Melissa Beth Salmon (Wife) filed competing

requests for domestic violence restraining orders against each other pursuant to the

Domestic Violence Prevention Act (DVPA). (Fam. Code, § 6200 et seq.)1 The trial

court held a joint hearing on both petitions that included live witness testimony presented

over the course of multiple days. At the conclusion of the hearing, the trial court issued

an order granting Wife’s petition and denying Husband’s petition. Husband appeals from

this order.

On appeal, Husband does not challenge the sufficiency of the evidence to support

the trial court’s factual findings or to support the issuance of a DVPA restraining order in

favor of Wife. Instead, he challenges only the trial court’s denial of his petition, arguing

(1) the trial court misunderstood the scope of its discretion to the extent it believed

section 6305 constrained its authority to simultaneously grant both requests for protective

orders in this case; (2) even if section 6305 applies, the trial court abused its discretion by

choosing between two identified aggressors in order to grant relief to only one of them;

and (3) the trial court abused its discretion by failing to grant Husband’s request for

custody of the parties’ children.

We conclude that section 6305 does govern the parties’ competing requests for

protective orders; the statute expressly permits the trial court to weigh the acts of the

parties to determine if one should be considered the dominant aggressor before issuing a

1 Undesignated statutory references are to the Family Code.

2 mutual restraining order; and the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying

Husband’s custody request. As such, we affirm the order.

II. PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On October 30, 2019, Wife filed a petition seeking a domestic violence restraining

order against Husband. Wife alleged that on October 28, Husband had attempted to

physically discipline one of their children with a belt; Wife had attempted to intervene;

and Husband physically battered Wife as a result. Police eventually arrived at the scene

and arrested Husband for domestic violence.

On November 27, 2019, Husband filed his own petition seeking a domestic

violence restraining order against Wife. With respect to the October 28, 2019 incident,

Husband alleged that Wife had initiated the conflict, and he only struck Wife accidentally

when acting in self-defense. Husband also alleged that Wife had committed various acts

of physical abuse in the past, with the most recent act of abuse occurring in April 2019.

In addition to his request for a DVPA restraining order to protect himself, Husband also

requested the trial court make an order awarding him sole legal and physical custody of

the parties’ four minor children.

The trial court held a hearing on both petitions that included live witness

testimony presented over the course of multiple days. At the conclusion of the hearing,

the trial court granted Wife’s petition and denied Husband’s petition. In a written minute

order, the trial court made the following findings: (1) Husband was the primary

aggressor with respect to the October 28, 2019 incident; (2) Wife was the primary

aggressor with respect to the alleged April 2019 incident; (3) Wife had previously

3 inflicted injuries to the parties’ minor children that would qualify for a presumption under

section 3044; (4) Husband was “grossly derelict” in permitting corporal punishment by

Wife against their children; and (5) Husband was “grossly negligent” for leaving loaded

firearms in the home accessible to the parties’ children.

Other than setting forth findings of fact, the written order did not explain the

reasons for the trial court’s decision. However, the trial court provided an oral

explanation of its reasons on the record at the hearing. The trial court explained that its

findings meant that both Husband and Wife had committed acts of domestic violence

within the meaning of section 3044; that while Wife had inflicted unnecessary and

inappropriate injuries to the children, Husband had also failed to protect the children from

this alleged abuse; and that the trial court believed Husband to be “the primary aggressor

in this case,” notwithstanding the fact that Wife had also committed acts of abuse in the

past.

III. DISCUSSION

A. General Legal Principles and Standard of Review

“Pursuant to the Domestic Violence Prevention Act (DVPA) (§ 6200 et seq.), a

court may issue a protective order to restrain any person for the purpose of preventing a

recurrence of domestic violence and ensuring a period of separation of the persons

involved.” (S.M. v. E.P. (2010) 184 Cal.App.4th 1249, 1264.) The trial court may issue

such an order “ ‘if the party seeking the order “shows, to the satisfaction of the court,

reasonable proof of a past act or acts of abuse.” ’ ” (K.L. v. R.H. (2021) 70 Cal.App.5th

965, 977 (K.L.).) A trial court is also empowered to make visitation or custody orders in

4 conjunction with a DVPA restraining order. (§ 6323 [custody orders authorized on ex

parte basis upon showing of immediate harm to child]; § 6340 [custody orders authorized

after notice and hearing].)

However, the statutory scheme also constrains the trial court’s ability to issue a

mutual protective order. Section 6305 provides that “the court shall not issue a mutual

order enjoining the parties from specific acts of abuse” unless it makes “detailed findings

of fact indicating that both parties acted as a primary aggressor and that neither party

acted primarily in self-defense.” (Id. at subd. (a).) “[I]n determining if both parties acted

primarily as aggressors, the court shall consider the provisions concerning dominant

aggressors set forth in [Penal Code section 836, subdivision (c)(3)].” (§ 6305, subd. (b).)

In turn, Penal Code section 836, subdivision (c)(3), explains that “[t]he dominant

aggressor is the person determined to be the most significant, rather than the first,

aggressor” and specifies various factors to consider in making such a determination,

including: “(A) the intent of the law to protect victims of domestic violence from

continuing abuse, (B) the threats creating fear of physical injury, (C) the history of

domestic violence between the persons involved, and (D) whether either person involved

acted in self-defense.” (Pen. Code, § 836, subd. (c)(3).)

“We review DVPA orders [citation] and custody and visitation orders [citation]

for abuse of discretion.” (K.L., supra, 70 Cal.App.5th at p. 979.) However, “[t]he abuse

of discretion standard is not a unified standard; the deference it calls for varies according

to the aspect of a trial court’s ruling under review.” (Haraguchi v. Superior Court (2008)

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Salmon v. Salmon, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/salmon-v-salmon-calctapp-2022.