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DENYING FATHER’S REQUEST FOR AN ADJOURNMENT IN THIS CUSTODY MODIFICATION PROCEEDING EFFECTIVELY DEPRIVED HIM OF HIS RIGHT TO TESTIFY AND HIS RIGHT TO A FULL AND FAIR EVIDENTIARY HEARING (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Family Court, determined the court improvidently exercised its discretion when it denied father’s request for an adjournment of the custody modification proceedings. Father was effectively denied his right to testify:

“The granting of an adjournment rests in the sound discretion of the hearing court upon a balanced consideration of all relevant factors” … . “The determination to grant or deny an adjournment will not be overturned absent an improvident exercise of discretion” … . While adjournments are within the discretion of the hearing court, the range of that discretion is narrowed where a fundamental right of the parties is involved … . Generally, in a proceeding pursuant to Family Court Act article 6 seeking modification of a prior custody and visitation order, a full and comprehensive hearing is required, where due process requires that a parent be afforded a full and fair opportunity to be heard … .

After balancing the relevant factors, we find that under the circumstances of this case, the Family Court improvidently exercised its discretion in denying the father’s request for an adjournment, as the court’s denial of the requests for adjournment deprived the father entirely of his right to testify on his own behalf in the custody modification hearing, thereby depriving him of a full and fair evidentiary hearing … . Matter of Panizo v Douglas, 2025 NY Slip Op 00966, Second Dept, 2-19-25

Practice Point: Although the decision to grant or deny a request for an adjournment is discretionary, here the denial of the request effectively deprived father of his right to a full and fair evidentiary hearing in this custody modification proceeding, requiring reversal.

 

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