Skaug and Skaug

CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedApril 1, 2026
DocketA180893
StatusPublished

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

Bluebook
Skaug and Skaug, (Or. Ct. App. 2026).

Opinion

38 April 1, 2026 No. 230

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF OREGON

In the Matter of the Marriage of Elizabeth A. SKAUG, Petitioner-Appellant, and Brian Z. SKAUG, Respondent-Respondent. Deschutes County Circuit Court 20DR01955; A180893

Walter Randolph Miller, Jr., Judge. Argued and submitted January 22, 2025. Elizabeth A. Skaug argued the cause and filed the briefs pro se. Peter Bunch argued the cause for respondent. Also on the brief was The Law Firm of Peter Bunch, LLC. Before Aoyagi, Presiding Judge, Egan, Judge, and Joyce, Judge. EGAN, J. Affirmed. Cite as 348 Or App 38 (2026) 39

EGAN, J. In this child custody dispute, mother appeals an Order Appointing Parenting Coordinator (the PC order). Mother makes two arguments on appeal. First, mother argues that the court erred in determining that it had exclusive, continuing subject matter jurisdiction to modify the initial child-custody determination under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA), codified at ORS 109.701 to 109.834. Second, mother argues that the trial court erred under ORS 19.270 when it issued the PC order while an appeal from the underlying dissolu- tion of marriage judgment was pending. Father argues that the trial court retained subject matter jurisdiction under the UCCJEA and that, because the PC order enforced the provision of the dissolution judgment that required father to select a parenting coordinator, the trial court retained authority under ORS 19.270(1)(b) to enter the order while the judgment of dissolution was pending appeal. For the reasons that follow, we have determined that the sole question we must answer to decide the outcome of this appeal is whether the PC order modified the parent- ing time provision of the dissolution judgment or, alterna- tively, enforced it. We must answer that question separately for both the UCCJEA and ORS 19.270. We conclude that, under both statutes, the order enforced the dissolution judg- ment and consequently affirm the trial court’s order. I. BACKGROUND FACTS On January 30, 2020, mother filed a petition for dis- solution of marriage in Deschutes County, where she and father lived with their children. After the petition was filed but before trial, father and children relocated to Washington, and mother relocated to California. A trial was held in early 2022, and the trial court entered a general judgment of dis- solution, which included a child-custody determination and provision of parenting time. The trial court determined it had subject matter jurisdiction under the UCCJEA to make the custody determination, awarded custody to father, and explicitly allowed father to relocate with the children to Washington. 40 Skaug and Skaug

The dissolution judgment ordered father to select a parenting time coordinator (the coordinator). The coordina- tor, along with the children’s therapist, was given consider- able authority to help facilitate parenting time with mother within a framework provided by the dissolution judgment. According to the dissolution judgment, visits were first to be “for 4 hours * * * in a public place” and then could “increase to 8 hours of supervised time when the children [were] able to cope reasonably well.” At the next stage, “[p]arenting time would then move to unsupervised time for 8 hours and then to an overnight (noon to noon) every other weekend once [the coordinator] and the children’s therapist determine[d] the children [were] ready for an overnight visit.” Next, “[a]fter the children * * * acclimated to * * * overnight par- enting time visits with Mother per the determination of [the coordinator] and children’s therapist, the parenting time [would] expand to full weekend visits * * *.” Finally, par- enting time would graduate to “expansion to holiday and Summer parenting time per the Deschutes County Basic Parenting Plan when [the coordinator] and children’s ther- apist agree[d] the children [were] ready * * *.” Additionally, in the event of the children experiencing “an unmanageable level of anxiety, [the coordinator] would reduce the time back to the prior level until the [children’s therapist] indi- cate[d] that the children ha[d] developed a plan for coping.” Costs for the coordinator’s services were to be shared evenly by both parents. In a separate proceeding, mother appealed the general judgment of dissolution of marriage; we recently affirmed. Skaug and Skaug, 340 Or App 11, 569 P3d 1002 (2025). On appeal, the trial court’s award of custody to father was at issue, but for reasons other than an asserted lack of subject matter jurisdiction under the UCCJEA. On August 19, 2022, while the appeal of the disso- lution judgment was still pending, mother moved the trial court to issue an order to show cause regarding “expedited enforcement of parenting time” pursuant to ORS 107.434. Following a hearing on the motion, the trial court found that, despite father’s diligent efforts, there had been an unreason- able delay in the selection of a parenting coordinator and Cite as 348 Or App 38 (2026) 41

ordered father to identify and hire a coordinator within 30 days. Father moved for an order appointing a parenting time coordinator on November 22, 2022. Father included a proposed order with his motion. The proposed order included a fee arrangement that provided for a for-cause deviation from a baseline of even cost-sharing between the parents. In addition to that fee arrangement, the proposed order con- tained a provision that allowed the coordinator to “make recommendations and work to resolve conflicts between the Parties involving [issues designated in the order] that do not affect the Court’s exclusive jurisdiction to deter- mine fundamental issues of custody and parenting time.” Mother objected to father’s motion to appoint the coordina- tor. Following a hearing, the trial court adopted and entered father’s proposed order. Mother appeals the PC order, arguing that the trial court erred in issuing the order because the court lacked subject matter jurisdiction under the UCCJEA. Mother argues that the trial court lacked subject matter jurisdiction because, as of 2020, neither party nor the children “pres- ently reside” in Oregon. Mother also argues that, under ORS 19.270(1)(b), the court erred in issuing the order because it substantially altered the rights of the parties while an appeal of the underlying dissolution of marriage judgment was pending. In support of her argument, mother argues that the order altered the cost-sharing provision of the ini- tial custody determination and extended to the parenting coordinator more authority than the initial determination designated. Father argues that the trial court properly estab- lished initial subject matter jurisdiction under the UCCJEA because the children and both parties lived in Oregon for more than sixth months prior to the commencement of the divorce proceedings. He further argues that the trial court maintains exclusive, continuing jurisdiction under the stat- ute because neither Oregon nor any other state has made the determinations required to relinquish jurisdiction. Father argues that, pursuant to ORS 109.744

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Related

Matter of Marriage of Medill
40 P.3d 1087 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2002)
Dept. of Human Services v. J. S.
368 Or. 516 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2021)
Skaug and Skaug
340 Or. App. 11 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2025)
Dept. of Human Services v. J. A. G.
344 Or. App. 511 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2025)
Puhl and Axel
345 Or. App. 670 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2025)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Skaug and Skaug, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/skaug-and-skaug-orctapp-2026.