Heather Alicia Roach Thomson v. Patrick James Thomson - Concurring

I N T H E C O U R T O F A P P E A L S
A T K N O X V I L L E
FILED
August 4, 1998
Cecil Crowson, Jr.
H E A T H E R A L I C I A R O A C H T H O M S O N , ) U N I O N C H A N C E R Appellate C ourt Clerk
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v s . ) H O N . B I L L Y J O E W H I T E
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P A T R I C K J A M E S T H O M S O N , ) A F F I R M E D A N D R E M A N D E D
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A . T H O M A S M O N C E R E T , K n o x v i l l e , f o r A p p e l l a n t
F . D . G I B S O N , M a r y v i l l e , f o r A p p e l l e e
O P I N I O N
M c M u r r a y , J .
T h i s i s a n a p p e a l f r o m a p o s t - d i v o r c e p r o c e e d i n g w h e r e i n t h e
a p p e l l a n t s o u g h t a c h a n g e i n c u s t o d y o f t h e p a r t i e s m i n o r c h i l d o n
t h e g r o u n d s t h a t t h e r e h a d b e e n a m a t e r i a l c h a n g e o f c i r c u m s t a n c e s
j u s t i f y i n g s u c h a c h a n g e . T h e t r i a l c o u r t d i s m i s s e d t h e c o m p l a i n t
a n d t h i s a p p e a l r e s u l t e d . W e a f f i r m t h e j u d g m e n t o f t h e t r i a l
c o u r t .
T h e a p p e l l a n t s t a t e s h e r i s s u e a s f o l l o w s :
T h e t r i a l c o u r t e r r e d b y n o t f i n d i n g a s a m a t t e r o f
l a w a m a t e r i a l c h a n g e o f c i r c u m s t a n c e s j u s t i f y i n g a
c h a n g e o f c u s t o d y w h e n a c u s t o d i a l f a t h e r e n d a n g e r s t h e
h e a l t h s a f e t y a n d w e l f a r e o f t h e c h i l d b y n e g l e c t i n g t h e
c h i l d , e n g a g i n g i n v i o l e n t b e h a v i o r i n f r o n t o f t h e c h i l d
a n d c o h a b i t a t i n g [ s i c ] w i t h a n u n r e l a t e d f e m a l e .
W e f i r s t w i s h t o m a k e t h e o b s e r v a t i o n t h a t t h e i s s u e a s f r a m e d
i s s t a t e d a r g u m e n t a t i v e l y a n d t h e a l l e g e d e r r o r o f l a w a s s e r t e d i s
n e c e s s a r i l y b a s e d u p o n f a c t s t h a t m u s t b e d e t e r m i n e d b y t h e c o u r t
b e f o r e t h e l a w c a n b e a p p l i e d . T h e r e f o r e , w e c h o o s e t o t r e a t t h e
i s s u e a s a c h a l l e n g e t o t h e s u f f i c i e n c y o f t h e e v i d e n c e .
O u r s t a n d a r d o f r e v i e w i s a s f o l l o w s : "Unless otherwise
required by statute, review of findings of fact by the trial court
in civil actions shall be de novo upon the record of the trial
court, accompanied by a presumption of the correctness of the
finding, unless the preponderance of the evidence is otherwise."
Rule 13(d), Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure. In a de novo
review, the parties are entitled to a reexamination of the whole
matter of law and fact and this court should render the judgment
warranted by the law and evidence. Thornburg v. Chase, 606 S.W.2d
672 (Tenn. App. 1980); American Buildings Co. v. White, 640 S.W.2d
569 (Tenn. App. 1982); Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure, Rule
36. We note, however, that no such presumption attaches to
conclusions of law. See Adams v. Dean Roofing Co., 715 S.W.2d
341, 343 (Tenn. App. 1986).
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T h e j u d g m e n t o f t h e t r i a l c o u r t r e f l e c t s t h a t t h e c o u r t f o u n d
t h a t o n l y o n e c h a n g e o f c i r c u m s t a n c e h a d o c c u r r e d s i n c e t h e
p r e v i o u s h e a r i n g w h e r e i n c u s t o d y w a s e s t a b l i s h e d . T h a t c h a n g e w a s
t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t h a d s i n c e m a r r i e d . U p o n d u e c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f
t h e e n t i r e r e c o r d i n t h i s c a u s e , w e d o n o t f i n d t h a t t h e e v i d e n c e
p r e p o n d e r a t e s a g a i n s t t h e f i n d i n g o f t h e t r i a l c o u r t . W e f u r t h e r
a r e o f t h e o p i n i o n t h a t t h e e v i d e n c e d o e s e s t a b l i s h b y a p r e -
p o n d e r a n c e o f t h e e v i d e n c e , t h e f a c t s a s s e r t e d i n t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s
i s s u e . A f i n d i n g o f t h e s e f a c t s w o u l d b e n e c e s s a r y b e f o r e t h e
a p p e l l a n t c a n s u c c e s s f u l l y c h a l l e n g e t h e j u d g m e n t o f t h e c o u r t . I n
e s s e n c e , t h e a p p e l l a n t f a i l e d t o c a r r y h e r b u r d e n o f p r o o f . T h u s ,
w e f i n d n o e r r o r o n t h e p a r t o f t h e t r i a l c o u r t .
W e a f f i r m t h e j u d g m e n t o f t h e t r i a l c o u r t i n a l l r e s p e c t s .
C o s t s a r e t a x e d t o t h e a p p e l l a n t a n d t h i s c a s e i s r e m a n d e d t o t h e
t r i a l c o u r t .
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D o n T . M c M u r r a y , J u d g e
C O N C U R :
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H o u s t o n M . G o d d a r d , P r e s i d i n g J u d g e
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H e r s c h e l P . F r a n k s , J u d g e
3
I N T H E C O U R T O F A P P E A L S
A T K N O X V I L L E
H E A T H E R A L I C I A R O A C H T H O M S O N , ) U N I O N C H A N C E R Y
) C . A . N O . 0 3 A 0 1 - 9 7 0 5 - C H - 0 0 1 6 5
A p p e l l a n t )
)
)
)
)
)
v s . ) H O N . B I L L Y J O E W H I T E
) C H A N C E L L O R
)
)
)
)
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P A T R I C K J A M E S T H O M S O N , ) A F F I R M E D A N D R E M A N D E D
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A p p e l l e e )
J U D G M E N T
T h i s a p p e a l c a m e o n t o b e h e a r d u p o n t h e r e c o r d f r o m t h e
C h a n c e r y C o u r t o f U n i o n C o u n t y , b r i e f s a n d a r g u m e n t o f c o u n s e l .
U p o n c o n s i d e r a t i o n t h e r e o f , t h i s C o u r t i s o f o p i n i o n t h a t t h e r e w a s
n o r e v e r s i b l e e r r o r i n t h e t r i a l c o u r t .
W e a f f i r m t h e j u d g m e n t o f t h e t r i a l c o u r t i n a l l r e s p e c t s .
C o s t s a r e t a x e d t o t h e a p p e l l a n t a n d t h i s c a s e i s r e m a n d e d t o t h e
t r i a l c o u r t .
P E R C U R I A M