Sandoval Quintana v. Quintana Dolores

CourtDistrict Court, D. Nevada
DecidedDecember 12, 2019
Docket3:19-cv-00730
StatusUnknown

This text of Sandoval Quintana v. Quintana Dolores (Sandoval Quintana v. Quintana Dolores) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Nevada primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sandoval Quintana v. Quintana Dolores, (D. Nev. 2019).

Opinion

2 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 3 DISTRICT OF NEVADA 4 * * * 5 CESAR OMAR SANDOVAL QUINTANA, Case No. 3:19-cv-00730-MMD-WGC 6 Petitioner, ORDER 7 v.

8 JOCELYN MERCEDES QUINTANA DOLORES, et al., 9 Respondent. 10 11 I. SUMMARY 12 Petitioner Cesar Omar Sandoval Quintana, a citizen and resident of Peru, filed a 13 petition and Verified Complaint against Respondent Jocelyn Mercedes Quintana Dolores 14 under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, done 15 at the Hague on October 25, 1980 (the “Convention”), as implemented by the International 16 Child Abduction Remedies Act, 22 U.S.C. §§ 9001-9011 (the “ICARA”). (ECF No. 1 (the 17 “Verified Complaint”).) Petitioner seeks the return of his minor child, A.O.S.Q., to Peru, so 18 that an ongoing custody dispute between Petitioner and Respondent may be resolved 19 there. (Id.) Respondent is allegedly residing with A.O.S.Q. in Fallon, Nevada. (Id. at 2.) 20 Before the Court is Petitioner’s ex parte motion for entry of a temporary restraining order, 21 which includes an application for a warrant seeking physical custody of A.O.S.Q., and a 22 request for an expedited hearing (the “Motion”). (ECF No. 5.) The Court held a hearing 23 on the Motion at 8 a.m. on Thursday, December 12, 2019 (the “Hearing”). (ECF No. 7.) 24 Because Petitioner has demonstrated entitlement to a temporary restraining order, and 25 as further explained below, the Court will grant the Motion. 26 /// 27 /// 28 2 The following facts are taken from the Verified Complaint. (ECF No. 1.) Petitioner 3 and Respondent were married in Peru, and lived there with their son A.O.S.Q, who is 4 currently nine years old. (Id. at 2.) They had been living separately, but sharing custody 5 of A.O.S.Q., since 2012. (Id. at 3.) The parties were formally granted joint custody of 6 A.O.S.Q. by a Peruvian court in 2014. (Id.) Petitioner paid child support to Respondent, 7 and covered A.O.S.Q.’s expenses like school and insurance. (Id.) 8 In March 2017, Respondent and her then-boyfriend Mariano admitted to 9 psychologically abusing A.O.S.Q. by fighting in front of him, and Petitioner was awarded 10 temporary sole custody of A.O.S.Q in April 2017. (Id. at 4.) In 2016, Respondent filed a 11 request with a Peruvian court to take A.O.S.Q. out of Peru—to visit Respondent’s mother 12 in Oregon—but her request was denied in November 2017 after Respondent failed to 13 attend a hearing. (Id. at 5.) Nonetheless, Respondent left Peru for the United States in 14 September 2018 with A.O.S.Q. (Id.) In two emails to Petitioner, she alleged that Petitioner 15 had abused her, mislead the Peruvian court that made the custody determinations, and 16 attempted to turn A.O.S.Q. against her. (Id.; see also ECF No. 1-5 at 55-58.) She also 17 stated she intended to keep A.O.S.Q. in the United States in those emails. (ECF No. 1-5 18 at 58.) 19 Petitioner has not seen A.O.S.Q. since. (ECF No. 1 at 6.) In October 2018, he filed 20 a criminal complaint against Respondent for child abduction in Peru, a separate criminal 21 case for kidnapping was opened against Respondent, a court banned Respondent from 22 travelling outside of Peru, and awarded Petitioner temporary sole custody of A.O.S.Q. (Id. 23 at 6.) In April 2019, the U.S. Embassy confirmed to Peruvian officials that Respondent 24 and A.O.S.Q. entered the U.S. in October 2018. (Id.) Petitioner alleges Respondent only 25 had a tourist visa to enter the U.S. and thus committed fraud to enter the country because 26 she intended to—and has—remained there. (Id.) Petitioner asserts that it took him several 27 months to learn that Respondent had abducted their child and removed him to the United 28 2 contact with his child since and expressed concerns about the psychological damage that 3 the separation has caused to his son. (Id. at 6.) 4 Petitioner then requested A.O.S.Q.’s return to Peru through the Convention 5 process, where his request to the Peruvian Ministry of Vulnerable Populations was 6 transmitted to the U.S. State Department. (Id. at 6-7.) Petitioner then filed this petition, 7 alleging that Respondent wrongfully took A.O.S.Q. to the U.S., and is wrongfully retaining 8 him in Fallon, Nevada where Petitioner believes Respondent and A.O.S.Q. are residing 9 with Respondent’s mother—against Petitioner’s wishes and in violation of the custody 10 rights awarded to him by Peruvian courts. (Id. at 2, 7-10.) Petitioner also seeks recovery 11 of his attorneys’ fees and costs. (Id. at 10-12.) 12 III. LEGAL STANDARD 13 Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65 governs preliminary injunctions and temporary 14 restraining orders, and requires that a motion for a temporary restraining order include 15 “specific facts in an affidavit or a verified complaint [that] clearly show that immediate and 16 irreparable injury, loss, or damage will result to the movant before the adverse party can 17 be heard in opposition,” as well as written certification from the movant’s attorney stating 18 “any efforts made to give notice and the reasons why it should not be required.” Fed. R. 19 Civ. P. 65(b). 20 Temporary restraining orders are governed by the same standard applicable to 21 preliminary injunctions. See Cal. Indep. Sys. Operator Corp. v. Reliant Energy Servs., 22 Inc., 181 F. Supp. 2d 1111, 1126 (E.D. Cal. 2001). Further, a temporary restraining order 23 “should be restricted to serving [its] underlying purpose of preserving the status quo and 24 preventing irreparable harm just so long as is necessary to hold a hearing, and no longer.” 25

26 1In September 2018, Respondent told Petitioner A.O.S.Q. would miss the first 27 week of school in October and that Petitioner could pick A.O.S.Q. at her house on October 7, 2018. (ECF No. 1 at 5.) However, Respondent and A.O.S.Q. were not at the house on 28 the arranged date. (Id.) 2 U.S. 423, 439 (1974). 3 A preliminary injunction may be issued if a plaintiff establishes: (1) likelihood of 4 success on the merits; (2) likelihood of irreparable harm in the absence of preliminary 5 relief; (3) that the balance of equities tips in his favor; and (4) that an injunction is in the 6 public interest. See Winter v. Nat. Res. Def. Council, Inc., 555 U.S. 7, 20 (2008). 7 “Injunctive relief [is] an extraordinary remedy that may only be awarded upon a clear 8 showing that the plaintiff is entitled to such relief.” Id. at 22. The Ninth Circuit has held 9 that “‘serious questions going to the merits’ and a hardship balance that tips sharply 10 toward the plaintiff can support issuance of an injunction, assuming the other two 11 elements of the Winter test are also met.” Alliance for the Wild Rockies v. Cottrell, 632 12 F.3d 1127, 1132 (9th Cir. 2011). 13 IV. DISCUSSION 14 The Winter factors favor entering an ex parte temporary restraining order here. But 15 the Court first addresses the notice requirement under Fed. R. Civ. P. 65(b).2 Petitioner 16 explains that he has not attempted to provide notice of the Motion to Respondent because 17 Respondent removed Petitioner’s son from Peru without his consent, and in contravention 18 of a Peruvian court’s denial of her request, and smuggled him into the U.S. on a visa that 19 required her to return after six months, which she has not done. (ECF No. 5 at 2.) 20 Petitioner further argues that Respondent may try to further secret herself and the child 21 away to avoid being returned to Peru.

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Sandoval Quintana v. Quintana Dolores, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sandoval-quintana-v-quintana-dolores-nvd-2019.