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EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS A PRIOR STIPULATED ORDER OF CUSTODY AND VISITATION GRANTING PRIMARY CUSTODY TO GRANDMOTHER, THE NONPARENT (GRANDMOTHER), NOT THE FATHER, HAS THE BURDEN TO SHOW EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES JUSTIFYING THE DENIAL OF FATHER’S SUPERIOR RIGHT TO CUSTODY BEFORE THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE CHILDREN CAN BE CONSIDERED PURSUANT TO FATHER’S PETITION TO MODIFY CUSTODY (FOURTH DEPT). ​

The Fourth Department, reversing (modifying) Family Court, determined, in a modification of custody case, the nonparent (grandmother here), not the father, has the burden to demonstrate extraordinary circumstances exist before the court can consider the best interests of the children:

Pursuant to the prior order, the parties share joint legal custody of the subject children, with the grandmother having primary physical custody and the mother and the father having visitation under separate visitation schedules. …

Petitioner father appeals from an order granting the motion of respondent Dawn M. Freeland (grandmother), made at the close of the father’s case at a hearing, to dismiss his petition seeking modification of a prior stipulated order of custody and visitation, and his petition alleging that the grandmother violated that prior order. …

… [T]he court erred in requiring the father to prove that there had been a change in circumstances prior to making a determination regarding extraordinary circumstances … . “It is well settled that, as between a parent and a nonparent, the parent has a superior right to custody that cannot be denied unless the nonparent establishes that the parent has relinquished that right because of surrender, abandonment, persisting neglect, unfitness or other like extraordinary circumstances” … . “The nonparent has the burden of establishing that extraordinary circumstances exist,” and “it is only after a court has determined that extraordinary circumstances exist that the custody inquiry becomes ‘whether there has been a change [in] circumstances [warranting further inquiry into] the best interests of the child[ren]’ ” … . “The foregoing rule applies even if there is an existing order of custody concerning th[e] child[ren] unless there is a prior determination that extraordinary circumstances exist” … . Here, “there is no indication in the record that, in the history of the parties’ litigation, the court previously made a determination of extraordinary circumstances divesting the [father] of [his] superior right to custody” … . Matter of Wells v Freeland, 2022 NY Slip Op 07375, Fourth Dept 12-23-22

Practice Point: Here father brought a violation-of-visitation petition against grandmother and petitioned for a modification of custody which had been agreed to by a stipulated order. Family Court held the father had the burden to show extraordinary circumstances justifying modification of custody. The appellate division disagreed and held the nonparent (grandmother) had that burden because father still had the superior right to custody which could not be disturbed absent extraordinary circumstances. The prior stipulated order of custody and visitation was not a substitute for an extraordinary-circumstances finding.

 

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