J-A23035-19
NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37
A.C. : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
: PENNSYLVANIA
:
v. :
:
:
H.S.G. :
:
Appellant : No. 757 WDA 2019
Appeal from the Order Dated May 9, 2019
in the Court of Common Pleas of Westmoreland County
Civil Division at No(s): 1998 of 2016-D
BEFORE: BENDER, P.J.E., KUNSELMAN, J., and MUSMANNO, J.
MEMORANDUM BY MUSMANNO, J.: FILED JANUARY 13, 2020
H.S.G. (“Mother”) appeals from the Order dated May 9, 2019,1 which
granted A.C.’s (“Father”) Motion to transfer venue, and transferred venue to
the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, for a hearing on pending
custody matters related to the parties’ son, Z.O.C. (the “Child”), born in April
2016. We affirm.
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1 While the Order reflects that copies were sent to the parties, and the docket
reflects a filing date of May 10, 2019, there is no notation on the docket that
notice was given and that the Order was entered for purposes of Pa.R.C.P.
236(b). See Frazier v. City of Philadelphia, 735 A.2d 113, 115 (Pa. 1999)
(holding that “an order is not appealable until it is entered on the docket with
the required notation that appropriate notice has been given”); see also
Pa.R.A.P. 108(a) (entry of an order is designated as “the day on which the
clerk makes the notation in the docket that notice of entry of the order has
been given as required by Pa.R.C.P. 236(b).”). Thus, the Order here was not
entered and the appeal period not triggered. Although we consider the matter
on the merits, we caution the Court of Common Pleas of Westmoreland County
as to compliance with the rules concerning the entry of orders.
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After his birth in April 2016, Child resided with Mother in Westmoreland
County for approximately six months, until Mother was incarcerated for theft
and drug-related offenses. N.T., 3/11/19, at 11-12. Since then, Child has
resided with Father in Allegheny County, and never resided with Mother. Id.
Mother currently resides in Butler County.2 Id. at 9, 13.
Notably, Father filed the instant custody matter in November 2016, in
Westmoreland County.3 Id. at 12. The current custody Order, dated June
29, 2017, provides Father sole legal and primary physical custody, and Mother
supervised physical custody.4 Id. at 7-8, 13. On November 2, 2018, Father
filed a Notice of proposed relocation, indicating his intent to relocate with Child
to Venice Beach, California. Mother thereafter filed a Petition to Modify
custody on January 4, 2019.
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2 Upon her release from prison in approximately September 2017, Mother
moved to Butler County. Id. at 9, 13. Mother did not thereafter resume
residing in Westmoreland County. Id.
3 Father testified that he had filed the case in Westmoreland County due to
Mother being incarcerated in Westmoreland County, and due to Child’s
residence in Westmoreland County for the first six months of his life. Id. at
11, 12.
4 While this Order is not included as part of the certified record, it is included
as part of the reproduced record. As the veracity is not in dispute, we rely on
the copy contained within the reproduced record. See Commonwealth v.
Barnett, 121 A.3d 534, 544 n.3 (Pa. Super. 2015) (stating that “[w]hile this
Court generally may only consider facts that have been duly certified in the
record, where the accuracy of a document is undisputed and contained in the
reproduced record, we may consider it.”) (citations omitted).
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On January 29, 2019, Father filed a Motion to transfer venue from
Westmoreland County to Allegheny County. Following a hearing on March 11,
2019, the trial court denied Father’s Motion by an Order entered on March 20,
2019. Therein, the trial court explained that the Motion
was denied upon the finding that prior proceedings had been held
[in Westmoreland County,] and both [Father’s] relocation [N]otice
and [Mother’s] Petition to Modify were pending, and [Mother’s]
counsel had been obtained through the [Westmoreland County]
[B]ar [A]ssociation reduced fee program. The court accepted
[Mother’s] contention that litigation in Pittsburgh would be more
expensive [for Mother] and require new counsel.
Order, 3/20/19;5 see also N.T., 3/11/19, at 16 (wherein the trial court
concluded that “I’m going to deny the [M]otion to transfer for the reason that
[Father] chose Westmoreland County. I do think we’re faster and better than
Allegheny County. Pardon that, you can tell my fellow Judges that. And since
the relocation [P]etition is already pending[,] I’m just going to hear it ….”).
After Father attempted to register the current custody Order as a foreign
order in Allegheny County, and filed a Motion in Allegheny County for that
court to assume jurisdiction,6 Mother filed a Motion for contempt and sanctions
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5 Again, this Order, while not included as part of the certified record, is
included as part of the reproduced record and, therefore, we consider it, as its
veracity is not disputed. See Barnett, supra.
6 Father’s Motion for Allegheny County to assume jurisdiction was denied,
without prejudice, by an Order dated April 11, 2019. Additionally, pursuant
to Motion of Mother, the affidavit and notice of registration of foreign custody
Order was stricken from the record. As these Orders are included as part of
the reproduced record, and there is no dispute as to veracity, they are
considered. See Barnett, supra.
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on April 8, 2019. On April 11, 2019, the trial court filed an Order stating that
the court would reconsider its prior Order as to venue. By an Order entered
on May 10, 2019, the court granted Father’s Motion to transfer venue and
transferred venue to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas.
On May 14, 2019, Mother filed a timely Notice of Appeal, along with a
Concise Statement of errors complained of on appeal pursuant to Pa.R.A.P.
1925(a)(2)(i) and (b).7, 8
On appeal, Mother presents the following issues for our review:
I. Whether the trial court erred in transferring venue to Allegheny
County by failing to consider the appropriate factors set forth in
precedential and statutory authority?
II. Whether the trial court erred in sua sponte reconsidering an
Order properly sustaining venue in Westmoreland County absent
any motion, testimony, or other requests by the parties?
Mother’s Brief at 7 (unnecessary capitalization omitted).
Because these issues present pure questions of law, our standard of
review is de novo and our scope of review is plenary. S.K.C. v. J.L.C., 94
A.3d 402, 408 (Pa. Super. 2014); see also id. at 406 (stating that “when a
trial court possesses subject matter jurisdiction over a child custody dispute,
a trial court’s decision to exercise that jurisdiction is subject to an abuse of
discretion standard of review.”).
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7 By an Order entered on June 7, 2019, pursuant to an Application of Father,
this Court ruled that the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas may
proceed to adjudicate Father’s proposed relocation.
8 We observe that several Motions to withdraw as counsel were filed by counsel
for Mother during the pendency of this appeal, all of which were denied.
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Issues of venue in child custody cases are governed both by our Rules
of Civil Procedure, and by the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and
Enforcement Act (“UCCJEA”), 23 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 5401-5482. See J.K. v.
W.L.K., 102 A.3d 511, 514-17 (Pa. Super. 2014). Further, the Pennsylvania
Supreme Court
has promulgated specific rules for applying the provisions of the
UCCJEA to intrastate custody disputes. The rules recognize that
all counties within the Commonwealth maintain subject matter
jurisdiction of custody disputes. However, Pennsylvania Rule of
Civil Procedure 1915.2[,] governing venue of custody matters[,]
defines how and what county may properly exercise that
jurisdiction.
Id. at 514; see also id. at 513 (explaining that “[v]enue is the place in which
a particular action is to be brought and determined, and is a matter for the
convenience of the litigants. Jurisdiction denotes the power of the court[,]
whereas venue considers the practicalities to determine the appropriate
forum.”).
Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 1915.2, governing venue, provides,
in relevant part, as follows:
(a) An action may be brought in any county
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(1)
(i) which is the home county[9] of the child at
the time of commencement of the proceeding,
or
(ii) which had been the child’s home county
within six months before commencement of the
proceeding and the child is absent from the
county but a parent or person acting as parent
continues to live in the county; or
(2) when the court of another county does not have
venue under subdivision (1), and the child and the
child’s parents, or the child and at least one parent or
a person acting as a parent, have a significant
connection with the county other than mere physical
presence and there is available within the county
substantial evidence concerning the child’s,
protection, training and personal relationships; or
(3) when all counties in which venue is proper
pursuant to subdivisions (1) and (2) have found that
the court before which the action is pending is the
more appropriate forum to determine the custody of
the child; or
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9 Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 1915.1(b) provides the following
definition of a child’s “home county”:
“[H]ome county” means the county in which the child immediately
preceding the time involved lived with the child’s parents, a
parent, or a person acting as a parent, or in an institution, for at
least six consecutive months, and in the case of a child less than
six months old, the county in which the child lived from birth with
any of the persons mentioned. A period of temporary absence of
the child from the physical custody of the parent, institution, or
person acting as parent shall not affect the six-month or other
period[.]
Pa.R.C.P. 1915.1(b).
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(4) when it appears that venue would not be proper
in any other county under prerequisites substantially
in accordance with paragraphs (1), (2) or (3); or
...
(c) The court at any time may transfer an action to the appropriate
court of any other county where the action could originally have
been brought or could be brought if it determines that it is an
inconvenient forum under the circumstances and the court of
another county is the more appropriate forum. …
Pa.R.C.P. 1915.2 (footnote added).
Once a trial court in a proper venue makes an initial child custody
determination pursuant to Rule 1915.2, that court retains exclusive,
continuing venue unless or until certain conditions are met. J.K., 102 A.3d at
515-16. Exclusive, continuing venue is governed by Section 5422 of the
UCCJEA.10 Id. The J.K. Court provided the following adapted version of
Section 5422, to clarify how that statute should be interpreted in intrastate
custody cases:
(a) General rule.—Except as otherwise provided in section 5424
(relating to temporary emergency jurisdiction), a court of this
Commonwealth which has made a child custody determination
consistent with section 5421 (relating to initial child custody
jurisdiction) or 5423 (relating to jurisdiction to modify
determination) has exclusive, continuing jurisdiction over the
determination until:
(1) a court of the county which made the initial
custody order determines that neither the child, nor
the child and one parent, nor the child and a person
____________________________________________
10Although the UCCJEA speaks of jurisdiction, “it is axiomatic that ‘all counties
within the Commonwealth maintain subject matter jurisdiction of custody
disputes.’” B.A.B. v. J.J.B., 166 A.3d 395, 401 n.10 (Pa. Super. 2017) (citing
J.K., supra at 514). Thus, we apply the provisions here to determine venue.
B.A.B., 166 A.3d at 401 n.10.
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acting as a parent have a significant connection with
its county and that substantial evidence is no longer
available in its county concerning the child’s care,
protection, training and personal relationships; or
(2) a court of the county which made the initial
custody order or a court of another county determines
that the child, the child’s parents and any person
acting as a parent do not presently reside in this
county which made the initial custody order.
(b) Modification where court does not have exclusive,
continuing jurisdiction.—A court of a county which has made a
child custody determination and does not have exclusive,
continuing jurisdiction under this section may modify that
determination only if it has jurisdiction to make an initial
determination under section 5421.
Id. at 516 (brackets omitted).
However, a trial court may transfer venue to another county if it
concludes that the current county is an inconvenient forum. Id. at 516-17;
Pa.R.C.P. 1915.2(c). When determining whether a county is an inconvenient
forum, courts must consider the list of factors set forth at Section 5427(b) of
the UCCJEA. J.K., 102 A.3d at 516-17; 23 Pa.C.S.A. § 5427(b). The section
5427(b) factors, as adapted to fit intrastate custody requirements, include the
following:
(1) whether domestic violence has occurred and is likely to
continue in the future and which [county] could best protect the
parties and the child;
(2) the length of time the child has resided outside [of] th[e
jurisdiction];
(3) the distance between the [county which made the initial
custody order] … and the [other county] that would assume
jurisdiction;
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(4) the relative financial circumstances of the parties;
(5) any agreement of the parties as to which [county court] should
assume jurisdiction;
(6) the nature and location of the evidence required to resolve the
pending litigation, including testimony of the child;
(7) the ability of the court of each [county] to decide the issue
expeditiously and the procedures necessary to present the
evidence; and
(8) the familiarity of the court of each [county] with the facts and
issues in the pending litigation.
23 Pa.C.S.A. § 5427(b).
Turning to Mother’s claims, she argues in her first issue that the trial
court erred in transferring venue to Allegheny County, where it failed to
consider the appropriate factors set forth in precedential and statutory
authority. See Mother’s Brief at 16-26. Mother contends that Westmoreland
County has substantial ties to the Child, is a convenient forum as it relates to
both parties, and is a more appropriate forum in light of Mother’s financial
situation. Id. at 18. Mother further contends that “[a]lthough no party
currently resides in Westmoreland County, with Mother residing in Butler
County and Father residing in Allegheny County, Westmoreland County has
specialized knowledge of the parties’ custodial situation and issues occurring
since the [C]hild’s birth ….” Id. at 20. Mother argues that
had the trial court not abused its discretion, heard testimony, and
reviewed all the factors, the court would have not reconsidered its
initial [O]rder[,] which properly considered the Section 5427(b)
factors[,] and would have maintained that Westmoreland County
is the only venue that meets the requirements of statutory
authority in that the custodial parent, Mother, [] resided in
Westmoreland County when the custody action first began, a
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multitude of proceedings occurred in Westmoreland County[,]
including even an intervenor trial, [Mother]’s financial
circumstances are such that she cannot maintain an action in
Allegheny County with counsel, the parties have agreed
throughout proceedings[,] up until now[,] to maintain the action
in Westmoreland County, … the distance for the parties is
insignificant[,] with Father actually having a much longer travel
time to the Courts in Allegheny County, and Westmoreland County
already had the relocation hearing scheduled in less than a month.
Moreover, [Father] appears to be engaged in improper forum
shopping[,] where he always resided in Allegheny County and had
no issue with Westmoreland County exercising jurisdiction – in
fact[,] recently filing his own [Petition for] relocation in
Westmoreland County – until [Mother] filed to modify the custody
arrangement and obtained counsel.
Id. at 25-26.
In the trial court’s Memorandum accompanying its Order transferring
venue to Allegheny County, the court stated as follows:
The court has re-considered its Order denying the Motion
for Change of Venue. While the court accepts the argument in
[Mother’s] Memorandum (1) that [] Westmoreland [County] is
actually more convenient than Allegheny[] [County] for [Father,]
who resides in Natrona Heights, [Allegheny County;] and (2) that
there is a possible financial burden on [Mother], who has counsel
pursuant to the Westmoreland Bar Association reduced fee
program, [J.K., supra,] requires a strict UCCJEA-like analysis.
Under this case and the prescribed test, venue is properly set in
Allegheny County. J.K. does not permit an analysis of the many
factors which can affect issues of “fairness.”
Even when considering the somewhat differing
considerations of Pa.R.C.P. 1915.2, one must recognize that
[Father] and the Child have lived in Allegheny County for two
years, and even though [Father] originally chose Westmoreland
[County] as the venue, there is no compelling reason to retain
venue in Westmoreland [County], such as might be the case if
[Father] were moving for a transfer to Pike County, for
example.[FN]
Personally, I believe the issue of convenient forum
[FN]
must be given great weight in some circumstances,
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especially when change is sought in the midst of
ongoing proceedings; however, in the within case, a
transfer can be viewed as not overly burdensome to
[] Mother. The 23 Pa.C.S.A. § 5427 factors (relating
to considerations of forum convenience) would
support venue in Allegheny County.
Memorandum and Order, 5/10/19, at 1 (footnote in original; some
capitalization altered). We discern no error or abuse of the trial court’s
discretion, and the record supports its reasons for transferring the case to
Allegheny County.
When Father commenced the custody proceedings in November 2016,
Child had resided with Father in Allegheny County for approximately one
month, since October 2016, after previously residing with Mother in
Westmoreland County since his birth in April 2016. At that time,
Westmoreland County was Child’s “home county” pursuant Rule 1915.1(b),
supra, and the proper venue for this case.
However, Child has resided with Father in Allegheny County since
October 2016, approximately two years and seven months at the time that
the trial court issued the Order at issue. Further, Mother resides in Butler
County. Because Child has resided in Allegheny County for at least six
consecutive months, it is now Child’s “home county.” As a result,
Westmoreland County does not have proper venue to make an initial child
custody determination pursuant to Rule 1915.2, and may only exercise venue
in this case if it retains exclusive, continuing venue pursuant to Section 5422.
We conclude that the plain language of Section 5422 confirms that the
Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas does not retain exclusive,
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continuing venue. Under Section 5422(a), “a trial court vested with initial
custody venue maintains the exclusive continuing ability to exercise its venue
until a court determines that significant connections no longer exist in, or
determines that the child and the parties are no longer residents of, the initial
county.” J.K., 102 A.3d at 516 (emphasis added). Once again, neither Child,
nor Mother, nor Father, resides in Westmoreland County. That by itself
defeats exclusive, continuing venue.
Moreover, given that the trial court did not have proper venue pursuant
to Rule 1915.2 and Section 5422, it would not be appropriate for the court to
undertake an inconvenient forum analysis. As this Court has explained, “in
order for Rule 1915.2(c) to apply, as with Section 5427, the court determining
inconvenient forum must have venue in the first instance[.]” Id. at 517.
Accordingly, Mother’s first issue entitles her to no relief.
In her second issue, Mother argues that the trial court erred in sua
sponte reconsidering its prior Order sustaining venue in Westmoreland County
without any motion, testimony, or other requests by the parties. See Mother’s
Brief at 26-27; see also id. at 27 (maintaining that no “proper reasons [were]
given for the reconsideration.”).
Section 5505 of our Judicial Code provides as follows regarding
modification of orders: “Except as otherwise provided or prescribed by law, a
court upon notice to the parties may modify or rescind any order within 30
days after its entry, notwithstanding the prior termination of any term of court,
if no appeal from such order has been taken or allowed.” 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 5505.
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Instantly, on April 11, 2019, within thirty days of its Order dated March
18, 2019, the trial court indicated that it was reconsidering its prior Order.
Critically, Mother did not appeal this ruling. As such, her second issue lacks
merit.
Order affirmed.
Judgment Entered.
Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.
Prothonotary
Date: 1/13/2020
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