DC v. Co.
Decision Date | 15 May 1998 |
Citation | 721 So.2d 195 |
Parties | D.C. v. C.O. |
Court | Alabama Court of Civil Appeals |
Leon Garmon, Gadsden, for appellant.
Jack Floyd, Gadsden, for appellee.
Alabama Supreme Court 1971715.
In January 1990, C.O. (the "mother"), gave birth to A.O. (the "child"). The mother and the child lived with the mother's parents, B.O. (the "grandmother") and L.O. Although the mother lived in the home, the grandparents reared the child and were the primary caregivers. In early 1997, when the child was 7 years old, the State Department of Human Resources, on behalf of the mother, brought a paternity and child support action against D.C., alleging that he was the father of the child. D.C. denied paternity. The trial court, after considering the results of D.N.A. testing, found D.C. to be the father and ordered that he pay $174 in monthly child support, commencing in May 1997.
D.C. paid one month's child support and then petitioned for a change in custody in June 1997, when the mother, who had previously been convicted of possession of marijuana, was jailed for a probation violation. D.C. sought and received temporary custody of the child. The grandmother moved to intervene, seeking custody of the child. The trial court granted the grandmother's motion to intervene and held a two-day trial. At the conclusion of the trial, the trial court found the mother unfit because of her admitted drug use, which included the use of marijuana and crack cocaine. The trial court also found the father unfit and awarded custody of the child to the grandmother. Only the father appeals.
The grandmother argues that the trial court found the child dependent and that this is a dependency case. However, the facts of this case do not support her assertion. None of the parties have alleged that the child is dependent. This is a custody dispute. Our supreme court set forth the standard that a trial court must apply to a custody dispute between a parent and nonparents in Ex parte Terry, 494 So.2d 628 (Ala.1986):
""
Ex parte Terry, 494 So.2d at 632 (quoting Ex parte Mathews, 428 So.2d 58, 59 (Ala.1983)). This presumption in favor of the natural parent is not affected by the fact that the child was born out of wedlock. Ex parte D.J., 645 So.2d 303 (Ala.1994).
The trial court, in its order, found the father to be unfit, thus defeating the presumption in his favor afforded by Ex parte Terry. Although the father argues on appeal that the trial court's award of custody to the grandmother was "not in the child's best interests," the true issue in this case is whether the trial court's finding of the father's unfitness is supported by clear and convincing evidence. Ex parte Berryhill, 410 So.2d 416, 417 (Ala.1982); Ex parte Terry, supra
. We hold that it is, and we affirm.
The trial judge wrote a conscientious and thoughtful order that detailed the basis for his judgment. The portion of the trial court's order that is relevant to this appeal reads as follows:
(Some emphasis supplied.)
The trial court's findings based upon conflicting ore tenus evidence are afforded a presumption of correctness on appeal, and its judgment based on those findings will not be reversed unless it is so unsupported by the evidence as to be plainly and palpably wrong. I.M. v. J.P.F., 668 So.2d 843 (Ala.Civ.App. 1995). The trial judge is in a unique position to view the witnesses and evaluate their credibility as the testimony and other evidence are presented; it is because of this unique ability to evaluate the credibility of witnesses that the trial court's judgment based on the evidence is afforded a presumption of correctness on appeal. Ex parte Bryowsky, 676 So.2d 1322 (Ala.1996); Ex parte Murphy, 670 So.2d 51 (Ala.1995).
The trial court believed the mother's testimony rather than the father's testimony. In addition to admitting that throughout the years he had heard rumors that the child was his daughter, the father never denied that the mother told him that she was pregnant; he testified that he did not remember that conversation:
The very basis for the standard set forth in Ex parte Terry is the assumption that the child's natural parent is the one who is most interested in the child's welfare and proper upbringing and is the one who feels the most affection for the child.
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