MoreLaw collects and publishes civil and criminal litigation information from the state and federal courts nationwide. Publication is free and access to the information is free to the public.
MoreLaw will publish litigation reports submitted by you free of charge
Info@MoreLaw.com - 855-853-4800

Defendant's Attorney: Jeremy B. Lowrey

Description:

Little Rock, Arkansas divorce lawyer represented defendant appealing child custody order.

R.M. was born out of wedlock on February 1, 2020, in Washington County to
Shawna and Michael. Shawna brought R.M. to Michael’s house when she was three weeks
old and left her with him. Shawna briefly moved in with appellee when R.M. was two months
old but stayed only two weeks.
2
On April 30, Michael filed a petition to establish paternity in the Washington County
Circuit Court alleging that he is the biological father of R.M. and was bringing the action to
establish paternity under Ark. Code Ann. § 9-10-104 (Repl. 2020). Michael alleged that
under Ark. Code Ann. § 9-10-113 (Repl. 2020), it was in R.M.’s best interest for him to have
temporary and primary custody with appropriate visitation for Shawna and that he had met
all of the statutory requirements. He also asked the circuit court to order Shawna to pay child
support, provide health insurance, and for the appointment of an ad litem.
On May 6, John Powers, Shawna’s grandfather, filed a petition for emergency relief
on Shawna’s behalf (she was a minor at this time) in the Marion County Circuit Court
alleging that under Ark. Code Ann. § 9-10-113(a), Shawna was the proper legal custodian of
R.M. In his petition, John alleged that he was Shawna’s custodian. He also alleged that
Michael would not allow Shawna to have custody of R.M., and the lack of stability in
Michael’s home life necessitated an emergency hearing on the matter. On May 7, the Marion
County Circuit Court issued an ex parte order awarding custody of R.M. to Shawna under
Ark. Code Ann. § 9-10-113(a).
On May 11, Michael filed an amended and substituted petition to establish paternity
in Washington County requesting that he be adjudicated R.M.’s biological father and
alleging that it is in R.M.’s best interest that he be awarded temporary and permanent
custody, subject to appropriate visitation, because irreparable harm could occur if R.M.
remained in Shawna’s care. Michael attached an affidavit explaining the reasons he believed
Shawna to be unfit to care for R.M. Also on May 11, Michael filed a motion for an emergency
3
hearing requesting temporary custody of R.M. based upon his contemporaneously filed
amended petition to establish paternity alleging that Shawna did not have reliable housing
or employment and that he believed she was using illegal drugs.
On May 12, Shawna filed a motion to dismiss the Washington County case based on
venue and Arkansas Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) alleging that she had been unaware of
the Washington County lawsuit until May 11, that the Marion County action had been filed
without knowledge of the Washington County petition, that Michael had been served with
the Marion County ex parte order on May 8, and that she had not been served with Michael’s
petition. Shawna also argued that venue in paternity cases is proper in the jurisdiction where
the child resides, and Michael can obtain custody only after he establishes paternity in a
court of competent jurisdiction, which would be Marion County. She requested that the
case be dismissed or transferred to Marion County.
Michael filed a response to the motion to dismiss on May 18 arguing that Shawna’s
attorney was emailed a copy of the filed petition on May 11. Michael testified that he had
been served with Shawna’s petition for emergency relief, not an action seeking an
adjudication of paternity. He explained that Shawna’s attorney represented to his counsel
that he would be representing her in this matter on May 11, so personal service had not been
made. In his response, Michael argued that venue was only proper in Washington County
because that is where R.M. resided when the petition for paternity was filed.
On May 21, the Washington County Circuit Court entered an agreed temporary
order between the parties. In this agreed order, the parties agreed that the court had
4
jurisdiction over the parties and subject matter and that venue was proper. The parties
stipulated that Michael is R.M.’s biological father, and he was adjudicated R.M.’s father. An
attorney ad litem was appointed by the circuit court to represent R.M.’s interests. The parties
were to share joint legal and physical custody of R.M. The parties were ordered to try and
coordinate any doctor’s appointments to allow both parents to attend, child support was not
awarded to either party because both parties were economically stressed due to the COVID19 pandemic, and they were ordered to practice social distancing and to not take R.M. out
of their homes unless necessary (e.g., doctor’s appointments).
A telephonic hearing on Michael’s petition to establish paternity was held in
Washington County on October 14. Michael testified that he lives in a house on the
outskirts of Fayetteville with his mother and father. He said he bought the home with money
he received from a life insurance policy after his grandmother passed away. His home is 3300
square feet and has four bedrooms and three bathrooms. R.M. has a crib in his bedroom
and in his parents’ bedroom in case he has to work late. He is employed by Arkansas Support
Network taking care of people in home-assisted living places and people who have special
needs or are handicapped. He works Monday through Friday and usually has the weekends
off.
He stated that he and Shawna have one child together. They were not together when
R.M. was born; however, he was present for her birth. For the first three weeks of R.M.’s life,
she lived in the home with Shawna at her mother, Jennifer Converse. During these three
weeks, Michael would go over and see R.M. when he got off of work at Auto Zone (his prior
5
employer). After three weeks, Shawna texted Michael and said Jennifer’s house had bedbugs,
and she wanted to live with him.
Shawna brought R.M. to Michael, but she did not move in herself until R.M. was two
months old. Shawna would come and visit during this time but would not see R.M. Shawna
was not working at this time. Michael testified that he had concerns about Shawna’s
parenting ability during this time. His first concern is that when R.M. would start crying,
Shawna would blow in her face to take her breath away from her to make her stop crying.
Shawna would get angry when he told her not to do that. He testified that “if anybody in the
house tried to get her to hold R.M., to actually try being a mother, she got very upset.”
Michael said that Shawna absolutely refused to feed R.M. or change her diaper, would hardly
hold her, and did not want R.M. sleeping in the bedroom with her and Michael.
Michael said that initially when Shawna moved out, she did not have any contact with
R.M. She eventually called and asked about her but did not ask to see her. He unsuccessfully
tried to set up a place for Shawna and R.M. to get together on a couple of occasions. Shawna
did not tell Michael that she was going to go live with her grandfather. Michael stated that
he had already filed his petition to establish paternity in Washington County when the
sheriff arrived at his house with the ex parte order awarding Shawna custody of R.M. He said
that shortly after R.M. was taken from his care, there was an emergency hearing at which
they both agreed to shared physical custody of R.M. They agreed to a “2/2/3 schedule” that
he said at first worked okay. Michael said they would meet in Huntsville for pick up and
drop off. He explained that the communication between Shawna and him was horrible.
6
When they met to drop off and pick up R.M., Shawna did not talk. John would always
answer any questions.
Michael’s mother, Peggy Martin, testified that R.M. came to live with her when she
was three weeks old. She said Michael tried very hard to be a good parent. He cared for R.M.
without complaint, and if he didn’t know what to do, he would ask her. Peggy said that if
R.M. cried, Shawna would either put a pacifier in her mouth or blow in her face, and that
you could not get Shawna to stop from blowing in R.M.’s face.
Peggy testified that she takes care of R.M. when Michael is at work. When he comes
home, he takes over changing, feeding, and playing with her. Peggy described her house as
disruptive when Shawna is there. Peggy said one thing that concerns her about Shawna’s
parenting is that she does not like to hold R.M.
Shawna testified that she lives with her grandfather, John Powers, in Yellville. She
was eighteen years old at the time and had obtained her GED. She said that she would take
care of R.M. when she lived at Michael’s when he and his parents “allowed” her to do so.
She denied smoking cigarettes during her pregnancy. She admitted smoking marijuana but
said that she and Michael smoked it together from December 2018 until April 2019.
Shawna said that when she left Michael’s house, she tried to take R.M. with her, but
he would not let her. She claims she called every day to ask how R.M. was doing but that
Michael would not let her talk to her or see her. She testified that she had her learner’s
driving permit but did not have the time to go take the driver’s-license test. Shawna said that
she worked at Sonic for one to two months but left after learning that R.M. had COVID-19
7
because she was “totally stressed out.” She testified that she had completed an online
parenting class. When asked about her communication with Michael, Shawna said that she
was comfortable talking to him over text or the telephone but would “freeze up” when they
spoke face to face, so her grandfather would have to fill in the gaps.
She admitted that when her grandfather filed the petition for emergency relief in
Marion County on May 6 that R.M. had “never stepped foot” in Marion County as of that
date. She denied manipulating the legal system. She denied that she had not communicated
with Michael since the agreed temporary order was entered.
The circuit court asked Shawna a couple of questions about her mental health. She
testified that she heard voices in her head when she smoked marijuana but does not have
any mental-health issues when she is sober. She admitted trying to hurt herself when she was
fourteen or fifteen by cutting herself with a row of staples. She did not receive any therapy
after that event.
The attorney ad litem then made her recommendation to the circuit court. She stated
that one of the major issues in this case is there are two young parents. She believed that
Michael had made an effort to step up and take care of R.M. She believed that he had been
R.M.’s primary caregiver since her birth. She did not find Shawna’s allegations of abuse and
a dominant/submissive relationship against Michael to be credible. She stated that Shawna
has problems expressing her own thoughts, and John Powers would often talk over her and
for her. She believed that the abuse allegations against Michael were initiated by John.
8
The attorney ad litem stated that Michael is the more stable parent. He owns his own
home, has been consistently employed, has transportation, and has taken responsibility for
R.M. She stated that Shawna has not always taken responsibility. She recommended that
Michael have primary custody and Shawna have standard visitation.
The circuit court issued an oral ruling finding that paternity of R.M. had been
established in the agreed temporary order. The circuit court awarded Michael custody of
R.M. under Ark. Code Ann. § 9-10-113(b) finding that (1) Michael had proved he is a fit
and proper parent to raise R.M.; (2) he had assumed responsibility for providing, protecting,
and financially supporting R.M.; and (3) it was in R.M.’s best interest to award him custody.
The circuit court noted that Michael had assumed responsibility from day one, he is more
stable, and R.M. had spent the majority of her life with him.
The circuit court noted that Shawna would not be able to take R.M. to a hospital or
doctor in the event of an emergency because she does not have a driver’s license. Shawna
was awarded standard visitation, ordered to pay child support based on a minimum-wage
income, and ordered to pay half of medical expenses not covered by the ARKids program.
Both parties were prohibited from smoking around R.M. A final order was entered on
November 5. Shawna appeals from that order.
The primary consideration in child-custody and visitation cases is the welfare and best
interest of the child involved. Ryan v. White, 2015 Ark. App. 494, 471 S.W.3d 243. All other
considerations are secondary. Id. On appeal, this court reviews the evidence de novo, but we
will not reverse unless the findings are clearly erroneous. Id. This necessarily turns, in large
9
part, on credibility determinations, and we give special deference to the superior position of
the circuit court to evaluate the witnesses, their testimony, and the child’s best interest. Id.
There are no cases in which the superior position, ability, and opportunity of the circuit
court to observe the parties carry as great a weight as those involving children. Id. We do not
reverse unless there is clear error, meaning that after conducting a de novo review, we are
left with a definite and firm conviction that a mistake was made. Id.
Arkansas Code Annotated section 9-10-113 sets forth the law regarding custody of a
child born out of wedlock:
(a) When a child is born to an unmarried woman, legal custody of that child shall
be in the woman giving birth to the child until the child reaches the age of eighteen
(18) years unless a court of competent jurisdiction enters an order placing the child
in the custody of another party.
(b) A biological father, provided he has established paternity in a court of
competent jurisdiction, may petition the circuit court in the county where the child
resides for custody of the child.
(c) The court may award custody to the biological father upon a showing that:
(1) He is a fit parent to raise the child;
(2)He has assumed his responsibilities toward the child by providing care,
supervision protection, and financial support for the child; and
(3) It is in the best interest of the child to award custody to the biological father.
Ark. Code Ann. § 9-10-113.
I. Proper Venue and Jurisdiction, Personal and Subject Matter
A. Personal Jurisdiction
10
For her first subpoint on appeal, Shawna argues that the Washington County Circuit
Court lacked authority to hear this case because she was never properly served; therefore,
Washington County was the incorrect venue and did not have jurisdiction over her
personally or over the subject matter. We disagree.
Shawna argues that under Ark. R. Civ. P. 4(i), Michael had 120 days to serve her with
the petition to establish paternity that was filed on April 30. She argues that she raised this
issue of service in her motion to dismiss Michael’s petition to establish paternity. According
to appellant, there is no evidence of service in the record; therefore, the Washington County
Circuit Court should have dismissed the petition at the conclusion of the 120 days.
Shawna also alleges that the Washington County Circuit Court’s finding in the May
21 temporary order that the court had jurisdiction over the parties and subject matter and
that venue was proper constituted a ruling below. In our review of the record, there is no
evidence of a ruling by the circuit court regarding personal jurisdiction. In fact, there is no
written order regarding appellant’s motion to dismiss. The only reference to the motion to
dismiss is in the final order, which states that the circuit court previously denied a motion
to dismiss for lack of venue.
It is well established that valid service of process is necessary to give a court jurisdiction
over a defendant in Arkansas. Goodson v. Bennett, 2018 Ark. App. 444, 562 S.W.3d 847. The
defense of personal jurisdiction, however, may be waived by the appearance of the defendant
without raising an objection. Id. Our court has “long recognized that any action on the part
of a defendant, except to object to jurisdiction, which recognizes the case in court, will
11
amount to an appearance.” Id. at 7, 562 S.W.3d at 855 (quoting Affordable Bail Bonds, Inc.
v. State, 2015 Ark. App. 44, at 4). “In deciding whether a defendant has waived his rights
and entered an appearance, a determining factor is whether the defendant seeks affirmative
relief.” Id. A request for affirmative relief is “something more than a ‘defensive action’ that
is inconsistent with the defendant’s assertion that the circuit court lacked personal
jurisdiction over that person.” Johnson v. Schumacher Grp. of Ark., 2019 Ark. App. 545, at 11–
12, 589 S.W.3d 470, 477. The most obvious examples are counterclaims, cross-claims, and
third party claims in which a defendant “invokes the jurisdiction of the court” and thereby
“submits to it.” Id. at 12, 589 S.W.3d at 477.
As indicated above, Shawna entered into an agreed temporary order of custody with
Michael prior to the paternity hearing awarding Michael primary custody of R.M. The
temporary order found that the Washington County Circuit Court had jurisdiction over
both the parties and the subject matter of the dispute. There was no objection to jurisdiction
during the final hearing on October 14. We hold that Shawna thereby waived any objection
to personal jurisdiction. Shawna clearly acquiesced to the Washington County Circuit
Court’s jurisdiction by agreeing to the temporary order of custody that was entered by the
circuit court, which is inconsistent with her claims of improper jurisdiction and venue. Id.
Accordingly, the Washington County Circuit Court had personal jurisdiction over Shawna.
B. Venue and Subject Matter Jurisdiction under the UCCJEA
Shawna’s next argument is that the Marion County Circuit Court had priority over
any custody proceeding under both Arkansas venue jurisprudence and the subject-matter-
12
jurisdiction provisions of the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act
(UCCJEA), codified at Ark. Code Ann. § 9-19-101 to -401 (Repl. 2020). We disagree.
Shawna argues that Marion County has proper venue because Michael was served
with John Powers’s petition for emergency relief, and she was never served with Michael’s
petition to establish paternity. She relies on Carnes v. Strait, 223 Ark. 962, 270 S.W.2d 920
(1954), as support for this argument, which she intimates is virtually identical to the events
in this case. Carnes involved two petitions for prohibition in actions based on the same
automobile accident where one petition was filed in Arkansas County in July, but the
defendants were not served until December; and one petition was filed in Pope County, and
all the defendants were served by October 14. Id. The supreme court held that the Pope
County Circuit Court retained jurisdiction because the service of summons was first, which
determined the forum. Shawna’s reliance on Carnes is unpersuasive as being identical to the
facts of this case.
Venue of paternity actions shall be in the county in which the plaintiff resides or in
cases involving a juvenile, in the county when the juvenile resides. Ark. Code Ann. § 9-10-
102(c) (Repl. 2020). According to the testimony before the court, R.M. was born in
Washington County and lived there until R.M. was taken from Michael’s custody after the
Marion County Circuit Court entered the ex parte order awarding custody of R.M. to
Shawna under Ark. Code Ann. § 9-10-113(a).
As with personal jurisdiction, Shawna has waived any argument regarding venue by
entering into the temporary agreed order, which found that venue was proper. Furthermore,
13
the record is clear that R.M. spent the majority of her life at the time of the hearing with her
father in Washington County and only spent a short amount of time with Shawna in Marion
County and only after her grandfather filed the petition for emergency relief. Therefore,
under Ark. Code Ann. § 9-10-102(c), Washington County has proper venue for the paternity
determination.
Shawna also argues that the Marion County Circuit Court had exclusive subjectmatter jurisdiction under the UCCJEA. Specifically, she contends that jurisdiction under
the UCCJEA is not waivable, and when a court has made an “initial determination” of child
custody “as the Marion County Court did here” that court has exclusive and continuing
jurisdiction over the matter. However, the UCCJEA does not apply to intrastate custody
disputes such as this one. Seamans v. Seamans, 73 Ark. App. 27, 37 S.W.3d 693 (2001); Abeyta
v. Abeyta, 2013 Ark. App. 726..
II. Joint Custody
Shawna’s second point on appeal is that the circuit court erred by failing to consider
awarding both parties joint custody of R.M. She argues that under Arkansas law, joint
custody is favored and that the evidence presented showed that joint custody was not in
R.M.’s best interest. We disagree. While there is a statutory preference for joint custody, this
preference does not override the ultimate guiding principle, which is to set custody that
comports with the best interest of the child. See Ark. Code Ann. § 9-13-101(a)(1)(A)(i); Carillo
v. Morales Ibarra, 2019 Ark. App. 189, 575 S.W.3d 151. An award of joint custody is favored
in Arkansas, but joint custody is by no means mandatory, and a failure by the circuit court
14
to award joint custody does not mean that the circuit court failed to consider awarding joint
custody. Carillo, 2019 Ark. App. 189, 575 S.W.3d 151.
Shawna points to the attorney ad litem’s testimony that both parties were making
affirmative efforts to parent R.M. Moreover, Shawna contends that the concerns about her
parenting abilities were from the two-week period when she lived with Michael and his
parents. She also argues that the circuit court failed to consider the “power dynamics” of a
twenty-three-year-old father and an eighteen-year-old mother “beginning to take control of
her own life.” These arguments ask us to reweigh the evidence and the credibility of the
testimony in a manner that is more favorable to her, which is not our function on appeal.
Id.
In addition, once paternity is established, the presumption of awarding custody to
the mother is erased, and the biological father is afforded the same right to establish a
parental and custodial relationship with the child to which a married parent is entitled. Ryan
v. White, 2015 Ark. App. 494, 471 S.W.3 243 (2015). Here, Michael clearly presented
evidence that it was in R.M.’s best interest that he be awarded custody. Michael owned his
own home, was employed, had transportation, and had been R.M.’s primary caretaker for
the majority of her life. The circuit court explained its reasons for awarding custody to
Michael and emphasized Shawna’s lack of a driver’s license and employment. Giving
deference to the circuit court’s superior position to evaluate the credibility of the witnesses
and evidence, we do not believe the circuit court’s decision to award Michael primary custody
of R.M. was clearly erroneous.

Outcome: Affirmed.

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

Comments: