Hermann v. Chakurmanian

• Decision Date: 30 October 1997
• Citation: 663 N.Y.S.2d 413,243 A.D.2d 1003
• Parties: , 1997 N.Y. Slip Op. 9041 In the Matter of Colleen HERMANN, Appellant, v. John CHAKURMANIAN, Respondent.
• Court: New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division

Page 413

663 N.Y.S.2d 413

243 A.D.2d 1003, 1997 N.Y. Slip Op. 9041

In the Matter of Colleen HERMANN, Appellant, v. John CHAKURMANIAN, Respondent.

Supreme Court, Appellate Division Third Department.

Oct. 30, 1997.

John H. Ciulla Jr., Public Defender (Keith Ferrara, of counsel), Saratoga Springs, for appellant.

Lawrence J. Mahar, Burnt Hills, for respondent.

Alvin E. Dunnem, Law Guardian, Cambridge, for Nicholas Chakurmanian.

Before MIKOLL, J.P., and CREW, CASEY, YESAWICH and SPAIN, JJ.

YESAWICH, Justice.

Appeal from an order of the Family Court of Saratoga County (James, J.), entered October 18, 1996, which, inter alia, granted respondent's application, in a proceeding pursuant to Family Court Act article 6, for modification of a prior custody order.

Petitioner and respondent entered into a stipulation in open court on August 6, 1996 by the terms of which they agreed to joint legal custody of their minor son, with primary physical custody to be with petitioner; respondent was to have liberal visitation. ¹ Shortly thereafter petitioner secretly relocated to South Carolina, taking the parties' son. Upon learning this, respondent made various applications to Family Court seeking, inter alia, sole custody of the child. The applications were made returnable on October 17, 1996. Petitioner, who was served with copies thereof in South Carolina, informed the court by letter dated October 2, 1996 that she would be unable to appear on the return date.

On October 17, 1996, respondent, his attorney, the Law Guardian appointed to represent the parties' son and petitioner's attorney appeared before Family Court. An application to withdraw as counsel, previously made by petitioner's attorney with her client's knowledge, was granted by Family Court at the start of the proceedings. After considering the recommendation of the Law Guardian, Family Court granted respondent's application for sole custody of his son. Petitioner appeals, contending that Family Court should not have granted respondent's application in the absence of counsel representing her interests and without conducting a full evidentiary hearing.

Petitioner's failure to appear before Family Court on the return date constituted a default. Inasmuch as petitioner has not moved to reopen or vacate her default, she is precluded from appealing Family Court's order (see, Matter of Mitchell v. Morris, 177 A.D.2d 579, 576 N.Y.S.2d 295; Matter of Menaldino v. Johnson, 162 A.D.2d 758, 557 N.Y.S.2d 671, lv. dismissed 76 N.Y.2d 933, 563 N.Y.S.2d 59, 564 N.E.2d 669). Notwithstanding petitioner's contrary suggestion, we do not read her October 2, 1996 letter as a request for an adjournment or for new counsel (see, Matter of Menaldino v. Johnson, supra ).

Were we to consider petitioner's substantive claim, we would find it to be without merit. "While generally an evidentiary hearing would be necessary concerning a modification of a prior custody...