Heather Alicia Roach Thomson v. Patrick James Thomson - Concurring

I N T H E C O U R T O F A P P E A L S A T K N O X V I L L E FILED August 4, 1998 Cecil Crowson, Jr. H E A T H E R A L I C I A R O A C H T H O M S O N , ) U N I O N C H A N C E R Appellate C ourt Clerk Y ) C . A . N O . 0 3 A 0 1 - 9 7 0 5 - C H - 0 0 1 6 5 A p p e l l a n t ) ) ) ) ) v s . ) H O N . B I L L Y J O E W H I T E ) C H A N C E L L O R ) ) ) ) P A T R I C K J A M E S T H O M S O N , ) A F F I R M E D A N D R E M A N D E D ) A p p e l l e e ) A . T H O M A S M O N C E R E T , K n o x v i l l e , f o r A p p e l l a n t F . D . G I B S O N , M a r y v i l l e , f o r A p p e l l e e O P I N I O N M c M u r r a y , J . T h i s i s a n a p p e a l f r o m a p o s t - d i v o r c e p r o c e e d i n g w h e r e i n t h e a p p e l l a n t s o u g h t a c h a n g e i n c u s t o d y o f t h e p a r t i e s m i n o r c h i l d o n t h e g r o u n d s t h a t t h e r e h a d b e e n a m a t e r i a l c h a n g e o f c i r c u m s t a n c e s j u s t i f y i n g s u c h a c h a n g e . T h e t r i a l c o u r t d i s m i s s e d t h e c o m p l a i n t a n d t h i s a p p e a l r e s u l t e d . W e a f f i r m t h e j u d g m e n t o f t h e t r i a l c o u r t . T h e a p p e l l a n t s t a t e s h e r i s s u e a s f o l l o w s : T h e t r i a l c o u r t e r r e d b y n o t f i n d i n g a s a m a t t e r o f l a w a m a t e r i a l c h a n g e o f c i r c u m s t a n c e s j u s t i f y i n g a c h a n g e o f c u s t o d y w h e n a c u s t o d i a l f a t h e r e n d a n g e r s t h e h e a l t h s a f e t y a n d w e l f a r e o f t h e c h i l d b y n e g l e c t i n g t h e c h i l d , e n g a g i n g i n v i o l e n t b e h a v i o r i n f r o n t o f t h e c h i l d a n d c o h a b i t a t i n g [ s i c ] w i t h a n u n r e l a t e d f e m a l e . W e f i r s t w i s h t o m a k e t h e o b s e r v a t i o n t h a t t h e i s s u e a s f r a m e d i s s t a t e d a r g u m e n t a t i v e l y a n d t h e a l l e g e d e r r o r o f l a w a s s e r t e d i s n e c e s s a r i l y b a s e d u p o n f a c t s t h a t m u s t b e d e t e r m i n e d b y t h e c o u r t b e f o r e t h e l a w c a n b e a p p l i e d . T h e r e f o r e , w e c h o o s e t o t r e a t t h e i s s u e a s a c h a l l e n g e t o t h e s u f f i c i e n c y o f t h e e v i d e n c e . O u r s t a n d a r d o f r e v i e w i s a s f o l l o w s : "Unless otherwise required by statute, review of findings of fact by the trial court in civil actions shall be de novo upon the record of the trial court, accompanied by a presumption of the correctness of the finding, unless the preponderance of the evidence is otherwise." Rule 13(d), Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure. In a de novo review, the parties are entitled to a reexamination of the whole matter of law and fact and this court should render the judgment warranted by the law and evidence. Thornburg v. Chase, 606 S.W.2d 672 (Tenn. App. 1980); American Buildings Co. v. White, 640 S.W.2d 569 (Tenn. App. 1982); Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure, Rule 36. We note, however, that no such presumption attaches to conclusions of law. See Adams v. Dean Roofing Co., 715 S.W.2d 341, 343 (Tenn. App. 1986). 2 T h e j u d g m e n t o f t h e t r i a l c o u r t r e f l e c t s t h a t t h e c o u r t f o u n d t h a t o n l y o n e c h a n g e o f c i r c u m s t a n c e h a d o c c u r r e d s i n c e t h e p r e v i o u s h e a r i n g w h e r e i n c u s t o d y w a s e s t a b l i s h e d . T h a t c h a n g e w a s t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t h a d s i n c e m a r r i e d . U p o n d u e c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f t h e e n t i r e r e c o r d i n t h i s c a u s e , w e d o n o t f i n d t h a t t h e e v i d e n c e p r e p o n d e r a t e s a g a i n s t t h e f i n d i n g o f t h e t r i a l c o u r t . W e f u r t h e r a r e o f t h e o p i n i o n t h a t t h e e v i d e n c e d o e s e s t a b l i s h b y a p r e - p o n d e r a n c e o f t h e e v i d e n c e , t h e f a c t s a s s e r t e d i n t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s i s s u e . A f i n d i n g o f t h e s e f a c t s w o u l d b e n e c e s s a r y b e f o r e t h e a p p e l l a n t c a n s u c c e s s f u l l y c h a l l e n g e t h e j u d g m e n t o f t h e c o u r t . I n e s s e n c e , t h e a p p e l l a n t f a i l e d t o c a r r y h e r b u r d e n o f p r o o f . T h u s , w e f i n d n o e r r o r o n t h e p a r t o f t h e t r i a l c o u r t . W e a f f i r m t h e j u d g m e n t o f t h e t r i a l c o u r t i n a l l r e s p e c t s . C o s t s a r e t a x e d t o t h e a p p e l l a n t a n d t h i s c a s e i s r e m a n d e d t o t h e t r i a l c o u r t . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ D o n T . M c M u r r a y , J u d g e C O N C U R : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ H o u s t o n M . G o d d a r d , P r e s i d i n g J u d g e _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ H e r s c h e l P . F r a n k s , J u d g e 3 I N T H E C O U R T O F A P P E A L S A T K N O X V I L L E H E A T H E R A L I C I A R O A C H T H O M S O N , ) U N I O N C H A N C E R Y ) C . A . N O . 0 3 A 0 1 - 9 7 0 5 - C H - 0 0 1 6 5 A p p e l l a n t ) ) ) ) ) ) v s . ) H O N . B I L L Y J O E W H I T E ) C H A N C E L L O R ) ) ) ) ) P A T R I C K J A M E S T H O M S O N , ) A F F I R M E D A N D R E M A N D E D ) A p p e l l e e ) J U D G M E N T T h i s a p p e a l c a m e o n t o b e h e a r d u p o n t h e r e c o r d f r o m t h e C h a n c e r y C o u r t o f U n i o n C o u n t y , b r i e f s a n d a r g u m e n t o f c o u n s e l . U p o n c o n s i d e r a t i o n t h e r e o f , t h i s C o u r t i s o f o p i n i o n t h a t t h e r e w a s n o r e v e r s i b l e e r r o r i n t h e t r i a l c o u r t . W e a f f i r m t h e j u d g m e n t o f t h e t r i a l c o u r t i n a l l r e s p e c t s . C o s t s a r e t a x e d t o t h e a p p e l l a n t a n d t h i s c a s e i s r e m a n d e d t o t h e t r i a l c o u r t . P E R C U R I A M