C.S. v. J.B. v. C.J.B. and R.A.B.

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NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37
C.S., N/B/M C.Y. IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
PENNSYLVANIA
APPELLANT
v.
J.B.
v.
C.J.B. and R.A.B. No. 1534 WDA 2016
Appeal from the Order Entered September 7, 2016,
in the Court of Common Pleas of Crawford County
Civil Division at No(s): A.D. 2009-313-S
BEFORE: BENDER, P.J.E., SHOGAN, J. and MOULTON, J.
MEMORANDUM BY BENDER, P.J.E.: FILED APRIL 11, 2017
C.S., n/b/m C.Y. (“Mother”), appeals from the order entered on
September 7, 2016, that awarded shared legal and physical custody of
K.M.B. (“Child”), born in October of 2008, to Mother and C.J.B. (“Paternal
Grandmother”).1 We affirm.
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1
Although both Paternal Grandmother and R.A.B. (Paternal Grandfather)
were parties in this matter, the trial court’s order only named Grandmother
and Mother as the parties who would share both legal and physical custody
of the Child.
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The relevant factual and procedural history was set forth in the trial
court’s memorandum and order issued subsequent to the custody hearing
held on August 23, 2016, and on August 31, 2016. The court stated:
Plaintiff, [C.S.], now by marriage C.Y. … requested a de novo
custody trial, contending that the minor child, [K.M.B.,] … should
be in her primary care and custody. The Defendant, [J.B.
(“Father”)] did not participate in the trial. The Intervenors,
[C.J.B. and R.A.B. (“Paternal Grandparents”)] are currently
sharing physical custody of the Child with Mother. The [c]ourt
previously allowed the maternal grandparents, [R.H. and M.S.],
to withdraw from any further involvement in the case.
Mother and her husband, [C.Y.], testified in support of Mother’s
petition. Paternal Grandmother testified in support of her
assertion that the current order dated December 22, 2015
should remain materially unchanged. The December 22 Order
provides that the Child is to be in the shared physical custody of
Mother and Paternal Grandparents, alternating physical custody
of the Child on a weekly basis beginning on Sundays at 6:00
p.m. Mother’s initial position was that she alone should be given
primary physical custody of the Child, possibly with weekend
periods of partial custody with Father and then such partial
custody with Paternal Grandparents as the parents believe would
be appropriate. Mother later changed course and suggested that
she would be willing to concede that the Paternal Grandparents
should have the Child on weekends rather than Father, after
learning that Father is currently either homeless at the present
time, residing at a shelter known as the Saint James Haven or,
alternatively, residing at some temporary residence pending
further approval by his parole officer.
The Child was born [in October of 2008]. She was a twin child.
Her twin brother, [A.B.,] died on March 5, 2009 when he was
approximately 4 months old. Mother was charged with criminal
homicide. The criminal information alleged that Mother placed
the child down on a pillow on a bed and “then placed another
pillow on top of” [A.B.] and then left [A.B.] unattended, during
which time he suffocated and died. At the custody trial, Mother
said nothing about placing a pillow on top of [A.B.], but did
admit that she left the child unattended to take a shower and
discovered him nonresponsive when she returned from her
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shower. During the custody trial, she offered no explanation as
to how [A.B.] could have suffocated, other than to suggest that
the child rolled over. No testimony was provided as to where
[K.M.B.], the Child of these proceedings, was at the time.
Mother [pled] guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was
sentenced on February 24, 2010 to a term of imprisonment of 25
months to 120 months.
Mother has given birth to a total of four children. The oldest,
[L.], is believed to be around 8 years of age. His father is not in
his life to any measurable degree. It is unclear who had custody
of [L.] while Mother was incarcerated. The next two children
were [Child] and [A.B.]. Mother gave birth to a fourth child,
[K.], who she made available for adoption. He is residing in
Philadelphia with his adoptive parents. Mother sees [K.]
approximately six to eight hours annually under what is believed
to be a Post Adoption Contact Agreement.
As noted above, Mother's husband is [C.Y.]. Her marriage to
[C.Y.] took place on August 16, 2014. She was previously
married to [C.Y.] in February of 2009, however, that marriage
ended in divorce approximately five months later due to Mother’s
admitted infidelity with two other persons, neither of whom are
the father of [K.].
While Mother was incarcerated, the Child was in the shared
physical custody of the Paternal and Maternal Grandparents who
alternated having the Child each week. This continued until
Mother was released on parole in the Spring of 2012. Mother
was paroled to live with her parents.
To Mother’s credit, she applied herself toward the in-home
parenting and homemaking programs afforded to her through
Crawford County Children and Youth Services (“CYS”). These
services were successfully discontinued in May of 2013. Mother
is currently a full-time homemaker, caring for her son, [L.], and
stepson, [Q.], who is 10 years of age. She relies on her
husband for financial support. Her husband is employed with a
pipeline company. He works at various job sites and is home on
weekends, sometimes only on either Saturday or Sunday. The
Maternal Grandparents are now divorced. They relinquished
their shared custody [of the Child] to their daughter after her
release from prison. Mother testified that her father is closer to
the Child than her mother.
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. . .
When asked to summarize her reasons why she should have
primary physical custody of the Child, Mother indicated the
following:
a) She is the Mother;
b) The Child should be with her siblings;
c) The Child should be raised by a parent, rather than a
grandparent;
d) There would be more stability for the Child who would
not be required to move from one residence to another
every week.
Absent from Mother’s reasons is any mention of the child’s best
interests. Mother was apprised of the fact that the Child
provided the [c]ourt with testimony of her sincere interest in
maintaining the status quo and continuing to be in the shared
physical custody of her Mother and her Paternal Grandparents.
Mother coldly disregards the Child’s feelings, saying simply that
the Child would adapt because the Child is so good at adapting
to things. Absent from Mother’s analysis is any concern
whatsoever as to the [e]ffect on the Child if she was suddenly
removed from the shared care of the only two people in her life
who have always been there for her. Mother’s testimonial
demeanor lacked empathy for the Child.
Mother’s past speaks for itself. Her recent decision to allow the
Child to be in the care of Father, without full appreciation for
Father’s circumstances[,] is consistent with her pattern of
behavior.
The Child is delightful but, as the [c]ourt noted during the
hearing, troubled by these proceedings. Paternal Grandparents,
consistent with their high level of cooperation, have expressed
their consent to the present Order. Mother, with little regard for
the Child’s sensitivity and little appreciation for the care and
comfort provided by Paternal Grandparents throughout the life of
the Child, insists on eliminating the Paternal Grandparents from
any meaningful role in the Child’s life.
The success the Child has had in adapting to the death of her
twin brother; the adopting-out of her youngest brother; the
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incarceration of her Mother; the incarceration of her Father;
witnessing her Father’s rage against Paternal Grandmother;
knowledge of her Father’s drug use; the marriage, then divorce,
then remarriage of Mother to [CY]; Mother’s several boyfriends;
the appearance of CYS in-home parenting consultants weekly for
a period of one year; and an absent Father who has probably
stolen from her and her Grandmother, is all the consequence of
the Paternal Grandparents’ guidance and not Mother’s. To place
this Child in the primary care of Mother, given her past history,
her occasional poor judgment and her insensitivity, is not
warranted.
Trial Court Memorandum (TCM), 9/7/16, at 1-5.2 Based upon its findings
and conclusions, the court awarded joint legal custody of the Child to Mother
and Paternal Grandmother and determined that Mother and Paternal
Grandmother would share physical custody on a week-on/week-off basis.
The court’s order also provided that Mother and Paternal Grandmother could
arrange custodial time for all holidays; however, if the parties could not
agree, they were to abide by the court’s schedule included in its order.
Mother filed a timely appeal, and raises the following issue for our
review: “Whether the [t]rial [c]ourt abused its discretion in failing to
presume that Mother is fit, and therefore, her parenting decisions are made
in her child’s best interest.” Mother’s brief at 4.
When presented with child custody matters, we are guided by the
following scope and standard of review:
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2
In addition to setting forth its factual and procedural discussion, the court
also listed the factors enumerated in 23 Pa.C.S. § 5328(a)(1)-(16) of the
Child Custody Act, 23 Pa.C.S. §§ 5321-5340 and discussed its findings and
its reasoning with regard to each factor.
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[O]ur scope is of the broadest type and our standard is abuse of
discretion. This Court must accept findings of the trial court that
are supported by competent evidence of record, as our role does
not include making independent factual determinations. In
addition, with regard to issues of credibility and weight of the
evidence, this Court must defer to the trial judge who presided
over the proceedings and thus viewed the witnesses first hand.
However, we are not bound by the trial court's deductions or
inferences from its factual findings. Ultimately, the test is
whether the trial court's conclusions are unreasonable as shown
by the evidence of record. We may reject the conclusions of the
trial court only if they involve an error of law, or are
unreasonable in light of the sustainable findings of the trial
court.
E.D. v. M.P. 33 A.3d 73, 76 (Pa. Super. 2011) (quoting A.D. v. M.A.B., 989
A.2d 32, 35-36 (Pa. Super. 2010)). Furthermore, we note that:
The discretion that a trial court employs in custody
matters should be accorded the utmost respect,
given the special nature of the proceeding and the
lasting impact the result will have on the lives of the
parties concerned. Indeed, the knowledge gained by
a trial court in observing witnesses in a custody
proceeding cannot adequately be imparted to an
appellate court by a printed record.
Ketterer v. Seifert, 902 A.2d 533, 540 (Pa. Super. 2006)
(quoting Jackson v. Beck, 858 A.2d 1250, 1254 (Pa. Super.
2004)).
A.H. v. C.M., 58 A.3d 823, 825 (Pa. Super. 2012).
The primary concern in any custody case is the best interests of the
child. The best-interests standard, decided on a case-by-case basis,
considers all factors that legitimately have an effect upon the child’s
physical, intellectual, moral, and spiritual well-being. Saintz v. Rinker, 902
A.2d 509, 512 (Pa. Super. 2006) (citing Arnold v. Arnold, 847 A.2d 674,
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677 (Pa. Super. 2004)). Furthermore, we recognize that the Child Custody
Act governs all proceedings commenced after January 24, 2011. The
specific factors that a court must consider are listed at 23 Pa.C.S. §
5328(a)(1)–(16). See E.D., 33 A.3d at 79-80 (holding that “best interests
of the child” analysis requires consideration of all section 5328(a) factors).
Essentially, Mother claims that a presumption exists with regard to
custody matters between parents and third parties, as provided for in 23
Pa.C.S. § 5327(b), which states in pertinent part:
(b) Between a parent and third party.—In any action
regarding the custody of the child between a parent of the child
and a nonparent, there shall be a presumption that custody shall
be awarded to the parent. The presumption in favor of the
parent may be rebutted by clear and convincing evidence.
Also, as part of Mother’s argument, she contends that “the law presumes
parents are fit and, as such, that their parenting decisions are made in their
children’s best interests.” Mother’s brief at 16 (citing Parham v. J.R., 442
U.S. 584, 602-03 (1979)). Thus, Mother argues that it was improper for the
trial court to analyze the best interest factors listed in 23 Pa.C.S. § 5328
because this “simply allows the [t]rial [c]ourt to overturn Mother’s decisions
based on the [t]rial [c]ourt’s determination of what is in the best interest of
the subject minor child, in conflict with the presumption that fit parents act
in the best interests of the child, and hinder[s] Mother’s ability and
constitutionally protected right to make decisions concerning the care,
custody, and control of the subject minor child.” Mother’s brief at 18.
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In response to Mother’s argument, the trial court recognized that the
thrust of Mother’s claim rested on the presumption as stated in 23 Pa.C.S. §
5327(b); however, the court explained its reasons for maintaining the
shared custody arrangement, stating:
This [c]ourt finds no hesitation in concluding that clear and
convincing evidence does not support allowing Mother to have
primary physical care of the Child. If anything, it is the Paternal
Grandparents, not Mother, who should have primary physical
custody of the Child. The [c]ourt would be inclined to order such
if it were not for the fact that this [c]ourt gives great weight to
the Child's expression of preference. The Child enjoys her time
with her Mother and Paternal Grandparents equally. She
perceives that each have much to offer her and that to select
one over the other would deprive her of that variety. She may
even grasp, at some level, that the presence of her Paternal
Grandparents acts as a safety net. Her Paternal Grandparents
have been the one constant in her life.
TCM at 5.
Additionally, in the context of its discussion of the various factors, the
trial court gave more insight into its reasons for its decision to maintain the
equally shared custody arrangement. For example, the court mentioned the
death of the Child’s twin while in Mother’s care. The court also relied heavily
on Paternal Grandparents’ performing of parental duties throughout the
Child’s life and its determination that they, rather than Mother, are better
able to attend to the Child’s daily needs. The court further found that
although Mother may not encourage frequent contact with Paternal
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Grandparents, the Grandparents would encourage such contact with Mother.
Specifically, with regard to factor (7)3 the court stated:
Considering what this Child has gone through in her short life,
her reasoned preference must be afforded substantial weight by
the [c]ourt. Her Paternal Grandparents have been the only two
people in her life who have always been there and have always
done the right thing by her. The Child understands this. The
Child also understands that she is properly cared for by her
Mother and enjoys her time with her siblings. The current
arrangement is serving the Child's best interests. To disregard
the Child's preference, as Mother requests, would be to introduce
more uncertainty in the life of the Child. Such disregard may
materially reduce her self-esteem. She expressed herself in
unequivocal terms. If the [c]ourt does not provide proper
weight in consideration for her preference, it would not be
surprising if the Child would be of the opinion that what she
thinks and feels does not matter. This [c]ourt is not prepared to
allow that to happen.
TCM at 7.
To address Mother’s argument relating to the section 5327(b)
presumption in favor of a parent in a custody matter as opposed to a third
party, we note our Supreme Court’s explanation in Charles v. Stehlik, 744
A.2d 1255 (Pa. 2000), wherein the Court explained:
It is axiomatic that in custody disputes, “the fundamental
issue is the best interest of the child.” Ellerbe v. Hooks, 490
Pa. 363, 416 A.2d 512, 513 (Pa. 1980). In a custody contest
between two biological parents, “the burden of proof is shared
equally by the contestants….” Id. Yet, where the custody
dispute is between a biological parent and a third party, the
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3
Factor (7), contained within the list of factors to be considered when
awarding custody, directs the court to address “[t]he well-reasoned
preference of the child, based on the child’s maturity and judgment.” 23
Pa.C.S. § 5328(a)(7).
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burden of proof is not evenly balanced. In such instances, “the
parents have a ‘prima facie right to custody,’ which will be
forfeited only if ‘convincing reasons’ appear that the child’s best
interest will be served by an award to the third party. Thus,
even before the proceedings start, the evidentiary scale is
tipped, and tipped hard, to the [biological] parents’ side.” 416
A.2d at 514 (quoting In re Hernandez, 249 Pa. Super. 274,
376 A.2d 648, 654 (1977)).
Id. at 1258. See also D.P. v. G.J.P., 146 A.3d 204, 212 (Pa. 2016)
(reaffirming that the presumption in favor of parents as against third parties
remains good law). However, the Charles decision further recognizes that
the Commonwealth has not adopted a standard whereby custody is always
awarded to a parent as opposed to a third party except if there is a showing
that the parent is unfit. Rather, the Charles Court explains:
[T]he biological parent’s prima facie right to custody
is not to be construed as precluding a custody award to
a non-parent, absent a demonstration of the parent’s
dereliction. We again emphasize that the standard
seeks only to stress the importance of parenthood as a
factor in determining the best interests of the child.
However, other factors which have significant impact on
the well[-]being of the child can justify a finding in favor
of the non-parent, even though the parent has not been
shown to have been unfit.
Charles, 744 A.2d at 1259 (quoting Albright v. Commonwealth ex rel.
Fetters, 421 A.2d 157, 161 (Pa. 1980)). In other words, the best interest
of the child trumps the biological parent’s right to custody. Id.
Here, the trial court so found, determining that the “presumption[]
[was] … rebutted by a consideration of the custodial situation during the
[C]hild’s lifetime, including but not limited to the parents’ periods of
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incarceration, sporadic irresponsibility, and overall lack of stability.” Trial
Court Pa.R.A.P. 1925(a) Opinion, 10/19/16, at 2. The court concluded that
Mother “ha[d] not consistently provided adequate care for her child….” Id.
Mother has not convinced us otherwise. We therefore conclude that the trial
court did not abuse its discretion in granting shared legal and physical
custody to Mother and Paternal Grandmother. Accordingly, we affirm the
trial court’s custody order.
Order affirmed.
Judgment Entered.
Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.
Prothonotary
Date: 4/11/2017
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