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FAMILY COURT DID NOT FOLLOW THE PROCEDURE MANDATED BY THE UNIFORM CHILD CUSTODY JURISDICTION AND ENFORCEMENT ACT BEFORE RULING OHIO HAD JURISDICTION IN THE CUSTODY MATTER; MOTHER’S NEW YORK FAMILY OFFENSE PETITION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DISMISSED BECAUSE NEW YORK HAS SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION OVER FAMILY OFFENSES OCCURRING IN OHIO (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department, reversing Family Court, determined: (1) Family Court did not follow the procedure required by the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) before ruling that Ohio had jurisdiction based on father’s custody petition there and dismissing mother’s New York child support and custody petitions: and (2) Family Court should not have dismissed mother’s New York family offense petition, even though the majority of alleged offenses occurred in Ohio:

Family Court failed to satisfy the procedural mechanisms required by the UCCJEA when a custody petition is pending in another state. After becoming aware of the Ohio proceeding, Family Court properly communicated with the Ohio court … . The extent of these communications is unclear; however, they apparently resulted in the transmittance of the Ohio order to Family Court. Although the contents of the Ohio order strongly implied that the Ohio court intended to retain jurisdiction, as evidenced by its scheduling of the matter for trial, this did not absolve Family Court of its obligation to create a record of its communications and to provide that record to the parties … . Family Court’s brief summary of its determination following the communication, which was not placed on the record in the presence of the parties, does not satisfy this statutory mandate … . Moreover, although it was a permissible exercise of discretion for Family Court not to permit the parties to participate in its communication with the Ohio court … , the court was then required to allow the parties an opportunity to present facts and legal arguments before it rendered a decision, which it failed to do … . Thus, “[i]nasmuch as we cannot discern from the record whether Family Court erred in determining that it lacked jurisdiction and, on that basis, dismissing the mother’s custody petition, we reverse and remit” for Family Court to render a determination after creating an appropriate record and, if required, affording the parties an opportunity to present facts and legal arguments … . …

… [A]lthough the majority of the acts alleged in the family offense petition occurred in Ohio, Family Court’s jurisdiction is not subject to the same geographic limitations as placed on that of the criminal courts, as nothing “requires the predicate acts of a family offense to have occurred in a particular county, state, or country in order for the Family Court to possess subject matter jurisdiction” … . Matter of Vashon H. v Bret I.2021 NY Slip Op 01103, Third Dept 2-18-21

 

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THE CHILD’S STATEMENTS ABOUT SEXUAL TOUCHING WERE ADEQUATELY CORROBORATED AND FATHER’S EXPLANATION FOR THE TOUCHING WAS NOT SUPPORTED BY THE EVIDENCE (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department, reversing Family Court, determined the evidence supported sexual abuse and neglect by respondent-father. The child’s statements were sufficiently corroborated and the father’s explanation for touching the child was not credible:

… [T]he proof of the child’s consistent descriptions of the inappropriate touching to various individuals, the child’s dramatic change in behavior, the reenactment of the touching through sand and play therapy and respondent’s admissions satisfied the relatively low threshold of corroboration … . Matter of Lily BB. (Stephen BB.), 021 NY Slip Op 01106, Third Dept 2-18-21

 

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AN AMENDED STIPULATED ORDER CONCERNING THE WIFE’S INTEREST IN THE HUSBAND’S LIFE INSURANCE AND 401k IN THE CONTEXT OF AN ONGOING DIVORCE ACTION, ISSUED AFTER THE HUSBAND’S DEATH, WAS WITHOUT EFFECT EVEN THOUGH THE ORGINAL STIPULATED ORDER WAS ISSUED ONE DAY BEFORE THE HUSBAND’S DEATH; THE DIVORCE ACTION ABATED UPON THE HUSBAND’S DEATH (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined that the death of the husband abated the divorce action and an “amended stipulated order” issued after the husband’s death concerning the wife’s interest in the husband’s insurance policy and 401k account was without effect. The original stipulated order had been issued one day before the husband’s death:

It is well settled that “where one party to a divorce action dies prior to the rendering of a judicial determination which dissolves or terminates the marriage, the action abates inasmuch as the marital relationship between the parties no longer exists” … . “Although an exception to this rule exists where the court has made a final adjudication of divorce but has not performed ‘the mere ministerial act of entering the final judgment,’ ” that exception does not apply here inasmuch as the court had merely granted some pretrial orders but had not made any final adjudication of divorce … . In this instance, the husband’s death “abated the . . . action for a divorce and ancillary relief” … . Adams v Margulis, 2021 NY Slip Op 00971, Fourth Dept 2-11-21

 

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FAMILY COURT SHOULD HAVE APPOINTED AN ATTORNEY FOR THE CHILDREN IN THIS CONTESTED CUSTODY MATTER (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Family Court, determined an attorney should have been appointed for the children in this contested custody matter:

The appointment of an attorney for the child in a contested custody matter is “the strongly preferred practice” … . An attorney for the child “is tasked with advocating for the child’s wishes and best interests, precisely because the child has a real and vital interest in the outcome and a voice that should be heard”… . Nevertheless, the appointment of an attorney for the child “is discretionary, not mandatory” … . In making the determination whether the appointment of an attorney for the child is warranted, courts should consider, inter alia, the age of the child and the possibility of prejudice to the child … .

Here, the Family Court improvidently exercised its discretion in declining to appoint an attorney for the children in light of the ages of the children, ranging from 12 to 16 years old at the time of the hearing, the antagonistic nature of the parties’ relationship, and the parties’ conflicting assertions regarding each other’s conduct … . Matter of Weilert v Weilert, 2021 NY Slip Op 00850, Second Dept 2-10-21

 

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THE CONTEMPT FINDING AND THE $535,000 FINE WERE BASED ON AN ORDER WHICH SUPREME COURT DID NOT HAVE THE JURISDICTION TO ISSUE (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing (modifying) Supreme Court, determined the contempt finding and the imposition of a $535,000 fine could not be enforced because it was based on an order which Supreme Court did not have jurisdiction to issue:

… [A]fter the entry of the order on appeal, this Court modified the prior order upon an appeal by defendant … . Defendant had transferred title to the … property to her children while reserving a life interest for herself, and she transferred title to … property to an LLC of which she was the sole owner, but later gifted that LLC to her children … . We stated in our decision that Supreme Court … equitably distributed the … properties “by directing defendant to prepare and execute deeds listing plaintiff as a one-half owner of those properties” … . We held that “[t]he court, however, lacked jurisdiction to do so inasmuch as the children and the LLC were not named as parties to this action” … . We therefore conclude in this appeal that the directive in the prior order requiring defendant to sign those deeds cannot be a basis for a finding of contempt, and we therefore modify the order by vacating the finding of contempt and the imposition of a fine upon that contempt. Jolley v Lando, 2021 NY Slip Op 00679, Fourth Dept 2-5-21

 

ONCE PETITIONER’S PATERNITY HAD BEEN ESTABLISHED BY GENETIC TESTING FAMILY COURT HAD THE AUTHORITY TO VACATE THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF PATERNITY (AOP) PREVIOUSLY EXECUTED BY MOTHER’S BOYFRIEND (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing (modifying) Family Court, determined that once petitioner had been established to be the father of the child by court-ordered genetic testing Family Court had the power to vacate mother’s boyfriend’s acknowledgment of paternity (AOP):

… [G]iven the continued existence of the AOP, we acknowledge respondents’ concern that the order of filiation might have effectively created an impermissible three-parent arrangement for the subject child … . The court … had the power to vacate the AOP to address that concern … , and we conclude that the AOP should be vacated in order to eliminate any question that petitioner is the child’s only legal father. We therefore modify the order by granting petitioner’s motion in its entirety and vacating the AOP. Matter of Ryan M. E. v Shelby S., 2021 NY Slip Op 00717, Fourth Dept 2-5-21

 

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THE ESTATE OF A PARTY TO A SEPARATION AGREEMENT MAY SEEK A DOWNWARD MODIFICATION OF THE AGREED MAINTENANCE PAYMENTS; THE DISSENT ARGUED ONLY THE PARTY, NOT THE ESTATE OF THE PARTY, CAN SEEK A DOWNWARD MODIFICATION AND THE MATTER SHOULD BE HANDLED IN PROBATE (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, over a dissent, determined that the estate of a party to a separation agreement that was merged but not incorporated into a judgment of divorce could seek a downward modification of the maintenance payments. The dissent argued only the party to the agreement, not the estate of the party, could seek a downward modification based on extreme hardship:

FROM THE DISSENT:

… [T]his Court recently held that plaintiff and defendant’s decedent entered into a Separation and Property Settlement Agreement (settlement agreement), which was incorporated but not merged into a judgment of divorce, whereby decedent agreed to pay lifetime maintenance to plaintiff that continued even in the event of decedent’s death … . * * *

Pursuant to the Domestic Relations Law, “[w]here . . . [a separation agreement] remains in force, no modification of an order or judgment incorporating the terms of said agreement shall be made as to maintenance without a showing of extreme hardship on either party” (§ 236 [B] [9] [b] [1] …). A modification of maintenance based on extreme hardship is thus, personal to the parties who contracted as to the amount of maintenance in the separation agreement and, as noted, a modification of that amount has only been awarded in situations involving personal hardships. In my view, an “estate” can never establish a personal hardship and thus, is never entitled to a downward modification of maintenance. While defendant in this case submitted evidence that the continued payment of the maintenance obligation would pose a hardship on the estate, such a hardship is not upon any party to the settlement agreement. Indeed, it is only a hardship upon the beneficiaries of decedent’s estate who wish to maximize their inheritance. In my view, any difficulty in the estate’s ability to pay the amount of lifetime maintenance agreed to by decedent is an issue that should be raised by the estate in the probate court when determining the reserve funds to be set aside to satisfy the maintenance obligation. Gardner v Zammit, 2021 NY Slip Op 00707, Fourth Dept 2-5-21

 

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A PLENARY ACTION WAS REQUIRED TO SET ASIDE THE STIPULATION OF SETTLEMENT WHICH WAS INCORPORATED BUT NOT MERGED INTO THE JUDGMENT OF DIVORCE (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined Supreme Court did not have the authority to declare certain portions of the stipulation of settlement invalid. A plenary action was necessary:

… [A] plenary action was required to seek to set aside the stipulation of settlement, which was incorporated but not merged into the judgment of divorce … . There are exceptions to this general rule, such as where reformation of a separation agreement is sought to conform the agreement with the intent of the parties … , or where the matrimonial action is still pending and was not terminated with entry of a judgment … , or in certain circumstances where enforcement of child support is sought … . None of these exceptions are applicable here.

In view of the foregoing, those branches of the plaintiff’s cross motion which were to vacate the provisions of the stipulation of settlement concerning equitable distribution and maintenance should have been denied. Jagassar v Deonarine, 2021 NY Slip Op 00549, Second Dept 2-3-21

 

THE VIRGINIA DIVORCE DID NOT CHANGE THE PARTIES’ STATUS FROM TENANTS BY THE ENTIRETY TO TENANTS IN COMMON FOR THEIR NEW YORK MARITAL RESIDENCE; NEW YORK FOLLOWS THE “DIVISIBLE DIVORCE” DOCTRINE (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department determined that the Virginia divorce did not affect the couple’s status as tenants by the entirety for the marital home n New York:

The plaintiff contends that the tenancy by the entirety dissolved by operation of law when the Virginia divorce decree was entered, and that the ownership interest in the subject property transformed from a tenancy by the entirety to a tenancy in common … . New York, however, follows the “divisible divorce” doctrine, pursuant to which the ex parte Virginia divorce decree, obtained without personal jurisdiction over the defendant, terminated the parties’ status as husband and wife, but had no effect on the defendant’s property rights … . In conformity with this doctrine, it is well established that an ex parte foreign divorce decree cannot divest the nonappearing spouse of his or her rights in a New York tenancy by the entirety … . Contrary to the plaintiff’s contention, the full faith and credit clause of the federal constitution requires only that New York recognize that the Virginia divorce decree dissolved the parties’ marital status … . Thus, the tenancy by the entirety in which the parties own their marital home has not been terminated. Bernhardt v Schneider, 2021 NY Slip Op 00407, Second Dept 1-27-21

 

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THE EVIDENCE DID NOT SUPPORT THE FINDING OF NEGLECT ON MOTHER’S PART (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department, reversing Family Court, determined the evidence did not support a finding of neglect on the part of mother (respondent). Although mother’s husband (Bradley CC.) had been violent on two occasions, the children did not witness the incidents:

Respondent’s handling of the domestic abuse and Bradley CC.’s alcohol and substance misuse gave petitioner reasonable cause for concern. Indeed, the evidence established that respondent — a recovering heroin addict — was aware that Bradley CC. had a substance and alcohol abuse problem but failed to acknowledge — or minimized — the impact that such problem was having or could have on her and the children. Respondent admitted to coping with the circumstances by habitually using marihuana, but was resistant to treatment and mental health counseling and failed to recognize the problematic nature of her chosen coping mechanism, particularly given her history of addiction. Despite the concern that respondent was not dealing with the circumstances in a healthy manner, there was no evidence that she used marihuana in the presence of the children or that her usage had ever rendered her unable to care for the children … . While engaged with preventative services with petitioner, respondent seemingly understood the potential impact that Bradley CC.’s drinking could have on the children and agreed to a safety plan stating that he was not to be left alone to care for the children. … * * *

Respondent’s failings … do not rise to such a level to support the conclusion that her actions and inactions actually impaired the children’s physical, mental or emotional conditions or placed the children at imminent risk of such impairment … . Matter of Lexie CC. (Liane CC.), 2021 NY Slip Op 00342, Third Dept 1-21-21

 

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