No. 14610
IN THE SUPFEDE C O W O THE STATE O RDJSEAM1
F F
1979
I N THE MAllTER O THE GUARDIANSHIP
F
O IXXAID ASCHENBIIENNER, TERRI
F
LYNN ,- and JASON
JACOB ASCHENBRE3N33, Minors.
Appeal f r m : D i s t r i c t Court of the Second Judicial D i s t r i c t ,
Honorable Arnold O l s e n , Judge presiding.
Counsel of Record:
For Appellants:
Lewis RDtering argued, Butte, m t a n a
For Respondent:
Leonard J. Haxby argued, Butte, kbntana
Submitted: June 1 , 1979
1
Decided
r J m i 7 ~isrs
Filed: -
~ U aL t3;S
Mr. J u s t i c e John C. Sheehy d e l i v e r e d t h e Opinion of t h e C o u r t .
Mary Aschenbrenner, n a t u r a l mother of Ronald, T e r r i
Lynn, and J a s o n J a c o b Aschenbrenner, a p p e a l s from t h e f i n d -
i n g s , c o n c l u s i o n s and o r d e r of t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t , S i l v e r
Bow County, g r a n t i n g l e t t e r s of g u a r d i a n s h i p and c u s t o d y of
t h e t h r e e minor c h i l d r e n t o A. B. (Bud) and L. V. (Lillian)
Aschenbrenner, t h e p a t e r n a l g r a n d p a r e n t s .
The f a c t s l e a d i n g t o t h i s a p p e a l a r e :
On December 27, 1976, Mary Aschenbrenner by t h e t e r m s
o f a d i v o r c e d e c r e e was awarded t h e c a r e , c u s t o d y , and
c o n t r o l of h e r t h r e e minor c h i l d r e n , a t t h a t t i m e aged
e i g h t , f o u r , and one and a h a l f y e a r s o l d .
F o l l o w i n g t h e d i v o r c e , t h e mother l i v e d a l o n e w i t h t h e
c h i l d r e n u n t i l t h e m i d d l e of May 1977, when s h e began l i v i n g
w i t h one J a y McClosky. H e r r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h McClosky w a s
stormy and f o l l o w i n g one p a r t i c u l a r i n c i d e n t , t h e mother
a s k e d t h e g r a n d p a r e n t s t o c a r e f o r t h e c h i l d r e n w h i l e Mary
found a n o t h e r p l a c e f o r h e r s e l f and t h e c h i l d r e n t o l i v e .
The g r a n d p a r e n t s had c u s t o d y of t h e c h i l d r e n from May 19
u n t i l J u n e 9, 1977, when Mary resumed c u s t o d y . P a r t of t h i s
three-week p e r i o d a p p a r e n t l y c o i n c i d e d w i t h h e r ex-husband's
a n n u a l two-week summer v i s i t a t i o n p e r i o d d u r i n g which h e
sometimes l e f t t h e c h i l d r e n w i t h h i s p a r e n t s w h i l e h e was
o u t working on t h e r o a d .
Following a n o t h e r i n c i d e n t w i t h McClosky, Mary a g a i n
r e q u e s t e d t h e g r a n d p a r e n t s t o c a r e f o r t h e c h i l d r e n on J u n e
30, 1977. The whole f a m i l y , i n c l u d i n g Mary, h e r ex-husband,
t h e c h i l d r e n , and t h e g r a n d p a r e n t s , v a c a t i o n e d t o g e t h e r o v e r
t h e F o u r t h of J u l y weekend. When t h e mother a t t e m p t e d t o
o b t a i n t h e r e t u r n of t h e c h i l d r e n t h e f o l l o w i n g week, how-
e v e r , s h e was d e n i e d . When s h e t r i e d t o e n l i s t t h e assis-
t a n c e o f t h e c o u n t y a t t o r n e y , s h e was s e r v e d w i t h a c i t a t i o n
and o r d e r t o show c a u s e on J u l y 2 1 , 1977. The o r d e r t o show
c a u s e , d a t e d J u l y 21, 1977, and i s s u e d i n r e s p o n s e t o a
p e t i t i o n f o r a p p o i n t m e n t o f g u a r d i a n o f m i n o r s f i l e d by t h e
g r a n d p a r e n t s on J u n e 1 5 , c o n t a i n e d a p r o v i s i o n a w a r d i n g
temporary custody o f t h e c h i l d r e n t o t h e g r a n d p a r e n t s .
S u b s e q u e n t t o t h e i s s u a n c e o f t h i s o r d e r t o show c a u s e ,
s e v e r a l h e a r i n g s o v e r s e v e r a l months w e r e h e l d by t h e D i s -
t r i c t Court. A t these l a t e r hearings, t h e D i s t r i c t Court
h e a r d t e s t i m o n y from t h e p a r t i e s and from Roger LaVoie, a
c o u n t y s o c i a l worker. The c o u r t k e p t i n e f f e c t i t s g r a n t o f
t e m p o r a r y c u s t o d y , m o d i f y i n g i t a t t i m e s t o a l l o w t h e mother
r e a s o n a b l e v i s i t a t i o n r i g h t s t o h e r c h i l d r e n on weekends.
During t h e c o u r s e o f t h e p r o c e e d i n g s , t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p
between t h e mother and t h e g r a n d p a r e n t s , e s p e c i a l l y t h e
g r a n d f a t h e r , was s t r a i n e d . The g r a n d f a t h e r seemed t o embark
o n a c o u r s e of i n t e r f e r i n g w i t h o r h i n d e r i n g Mary's a t t e m p t s
t o t a l k t o t h e c h i l d r e n on t h e phone o r o t h e r w i s e v i s i t w i t h
them.
A s t o t h e c h i l d r e n ' s well-being, t h e c o u r t questioned
them i n chambers. They seemed t o e x p r e s s no s t r o n g p r e f e r -
e n c e f o r l i v i n g w i t h e i t h e r t h e i r mother o r g r a n d p a r e n t s .
According t o t h e s o c i a l w o r k e r ' s r e p o r t , however, t h e s c h o o l
work and a t t i t u d e of t h e e l d e s t c h i l d had markedly improved,
t h e m i d d l e c h i l d had a p o s i t i v e a t t i t u d e toward s c h o o l and
a l l t h r e e c h i l d r e n seemed t o b e b e t t e r c a r e d f o r by t h e
grandparents. Although d u r i n g h i s testimony t h e s o c i a l
worker d e c l i n e d t o l a b e l Mary a n " u n f i t " p a r e n t , h e d i d
c l a s s i f y h e r a s " d e f i c i e n t " i n some r e s p e c t s i n h e r a b i l i t y
a s a parent. T h i s c l a s s i f i c a t i o n was b a s e d on h e r t e n d e n c y
t o " p a r t y " e x c e s s i v e l y , l e a v i n g t h e c h i l d r e n a l o n e , on h e r
i n a b i l i t y t o make s u r e t h e c h i l d r e n a t t e n d e d s c h o o l , and on
h e r g e n e r a l l y u n s e t t l e d e m o t i o n a l s t a t u s and l i v i n g a r r a n g e -
ments. I t was h i s recommendation t h a t t h e c h i l d r e n r e m a i n
i n t h e custody of t h e g r a n d p a r e n t s .
A f t e r m a i n t a i n i n g t h e temporary c u s t o d y s t a t u s f o r o v e r
a y e a r , t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t , on August 1 4 , 1978, i s s u e d i t s
f i n d i n g s and c o n c l u s i o n s . S i g n i f i c a n t among i t s f i n d i n g s
were t h a t t h e r e had been a m a t e r i a l change i n t h e circum-
s t a n c e s of t h e mother s i n c e t h e e n t r y o f t h e d i v o r c e d e c r e e ;
t h a t s h e had n o t had a d e q u a t e , permanent h o u s i n g a a n d had n o t
>
c o n d u c t e d h e r s e l f a s a f i t and p r o p e r mother by c o n t i n u a l l y
g o i n g o u t and l e a v i n g t h e c h i l d r e n a l o n e and u n a t t e n d e d .
The D i s t r i c t C o u r t a l s o found t h a t w h i l e i n h i s m o t h e r ' s
c a r e , t h e e l d e s t c h i l d ' s schoolwork s u f f e r e d m a t e r i a l l y b u t
improved w h i l e i n t h e c a r e o f h i s g r a n d p a r e n t s . The c o u r t
found t h a t t h e mother was n o t a f i t and p r o p e r p e r s o n t o
have c u s t o d y of t h e c h i l d r e n by v i r t u e of h e r i r r e s p o n s i b l e
b e h a v i o r and c o n c l u d e d t h a t t h e c h i l d r e n w e r e d e p e n d e n t and
neglected.
Based on t h e s e f i n d i n g s , t h e c o u r t o r d e r e d t h a t t h e
grandparents be granted guardianship of t h e c h i l d r e n w i t h
r e a s o n a b l e r i g h t s of v i s i t a t i o n i n t h e m o t h e r , i n c l u d i n g
c u s t o d y of t h e c h i l d r e n d u r i n g J u n e and J u l y . From t h i s
o r d e r , t h e mother a p p e a l s .
The i s s u e s p r e s e n t e d f o r r e v i e w on a p p e a l are:
1. Whether t h e a p p e l l a n t was d e n i e d p r o c e d u r a l d u e
p r o c e s s by t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t ' s award o f a temporary c u s t o d y
o r d e r w i t h o u t p r i o r n o t i c e and o p p o r t u n i t y f o r a h e a r i n g ?
2. Whether a g u a r d i a n s h i p p r o c e e d i n g may b e u s e d t o
t e r m i n a t e t h e c u s t o d i a l r i g h t s of a n a t u r a l p a r e n t ?
3. Whether t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t a b u s e d i t s d i s c r e t i o n i n
awarding t h e g u a r d i a n s h i p and custody of t h e c h i l d r e n t o t h e
respondents?
The r i g h t o f a p a r e n t t o c u s t o d y o f h i s c h i l d h a s been
r e c o g n i z e d by t h i s C o u r t as b e i n g a f u n d a m e n t a l c o n s t i t u -
tional right. M a t t e r o f G u a r d i a n s h i p o f Doney ( 1 9 7 7 ) ,
Mont. 570 P.2d 575, 577, 34 St.Rep. 1 1 0 7 , 1110. In
v i e w o f t h i s , w e m u s t , l o o k c l o s e l y a t a n y a c t i o n by t h e
S t a t e which i n t e r f e r e s w i t h t h i s r i g h t . Our e x a m i n a t i o n o f
t h e p r o c e d u r e u t i l i z e d i n t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t i n t h i s case
l e a d s u s t o conclude t h a t t h e termination of t h e mother's
c u s t o d y and t h e award o f g u a r d i a n s h i p t o t h e g r a n d p a r e n t s
was i m p r o p e r and must b e r e v e r s e d .
The g r a n d p a r e n t s i n s t i t u t e d t h i s a c t i o n by f i l i n g a
p e t i t i o n f o r appointment of guardian of minors. W e thus
b e g i n o u r a n a l y s i s by examining t h e s t a t u t e s g o v e r n i n g t h e
appointment of such g u a r d i a n s . P a r t 2, C h a p t e r 5, T i t l e
91A, 1947 R e v i s e d Codes o f Montana, now P a r t 2, C h a p t e r 5 ,
T i t l e 72 Montana Code A n n o t a t e d .
I n i t i a l l y , w e n o t e t h a t u n d e r s e c t i o n 91A-5-204, R.C.M.
1 9 4 7 , now s e c t i o n 72-5-222(1) MCA, t h a t a " c o u r t may a p p o i n t
a g u a r d i a n f o r a n u n m a r r i e d minor i f - p a r e n t a l r i g h t s o f
all
c u s t o d y have been t e r m i n a t e d - s u s p e n d e d - c i r c u m s t a n c e s
or by
o r p r i o r court order." The D i s t r i c t C o u r t i s r e q u i r e d ,
however, t o f o l l o w i n g v e r y s p e c i f i c p r o c e d u r e s i n t h e ap-
p o i n t m e n t of t h e g u a r d i a n :
" (1) N o t i c e o f t h e t i m e and p l a c e o f h e a r i n g o f a
p e t i t i o n f o r t h e appointment of a guardian of a
minor i s t o be g i v e n by t h e p e t i t i o n e r i n t h e man-
n e r p r e s c r i b e d by s e c t i o n 91A-1-401 t o :
" ( a ) t h e m i n o r , i f h e i s f o u r t e e n ( 1 4 ) o r more
y e a r s of age;
" ( b ) t h e p e r s o n who h a s had t h e p r i n c i p a l c a r e and
c u s t o d y of t h e minor d u r i n g t h e s i x t y ( 6 0 ) d a y s
p r e c e d i n g t h e d a t e of t h e p e t i t i o n ; and
" ( c ) any l i v i n g p a r e n t o f t h e minor.
" ( 2 ) Upon h e a r i n g , i f t h e c o u r t f i n d s t h a t a qua-
l i f i e d p e r s o n s e e k s a p p o i n t m e n t , venue i s p r o p e r ,
t h e r e q u i r e d n o t i c e s have been g i v e n , t h e r e q u i r e -
ments of s e c t i o n 91A-5-204 have been m e t , and t h e
w e l f a r e and b e s t i n t e r e s t s of t h e minor w i l l b e
s e r v e d by t h e r e q u e s t e d a p p o i n t m e n t , i t s h a l l make
t h e appointment. I n o t h e r c a s e s t h e c o u r t may d i s -
m i s s t h e p r o c e e d i n g s , o r make any o t h e r d i s p o s i t i o n
of t h e m a t t e r t h a t w i l l b e s t s e r v e t h e i n t e r e s t of
t h e minor." S e c t i o n 91A-5-207, R.C.M. 1947, now
s e c t i o n 72-5-225 MCA.
Under s e c t i o n 91A-5-207(3), R.C.M. 1947, now s e c t i o n
72-5-224 MCA, t h e c o u r t i s authorized " i f necessary, [to]
a p p o i n t a temporary g u a r d i a n w i t h t h e s t a t u s of a n o r d i n a r y
g u a r d i a n of a m i n o r , - - a u t h o r i t y o f - temporary
but the -a
g u a r d i a n s h a l l --t l o n g e r - -n 6 months."
not l a s tha
With t h e s e p r i n c i p l e s i n mind, we examine t h e sequence
of events i n t h e D i s t r i c t Court. A s n o t e d above, b e f o r e any
g u a r d i a n may be a p p o i n t e d f o r a minor, - p a r e n t a l r i g h t s
all
o f c u s t o d y must b e t e r m i n a t e d o r suspended by c i r c u m s t a n c e s
o r prior court order. Both p a r t i e s concede t h a t t h e r e was
no p r i o r c o u r t o r d e r t e r m i n a t i n g o r s u s p e n d i n g t h e m o t h e r ' s
p a r e n t a l r i g h t of c u s t o d y . To t h e c o n t r a r y , o n l y s i x months
p r i o r t o t h e i n s t i t u t i o n of t h i s a c t i o n , t h e mother was
awarded c u s t o d y of t h e s e c h i l d r e n f o l l o w i n g h e r d i v o r c e .
I t t h u s becomes n e c e s s a r y t o d e t e r m i n e whether t h e
m o t h e r ' s p a r e n t a l r i g h t s of c u s t o d y were "suspended -
by
c i r c u m s t a n c e s " i n t h e l a n g u a g e of s e c t i o n 75-5-222 (1) MCA.
To s o d e t e r m i n e , we examine w i t h p a r t i c u l a r i t y t h e f o l l o w i n g
sequence of e v e n t s :
May 1 9 , 1977 -- The mother, a f t e r a f i g h t w i t h h e r
paramour, l e a v e s t h e c h i l d r e n w i t h t h e g r a n d p a r e n t s
while she looks f o r another p l a c e t o l i v e . This
p e r i o d of t i m e c o i n c i d e s w i t h h e r ex-husband's
a n n u a l two-week v i s i t a t i o n p e r i o d d u r i n g which h e
o f t e n l e f t t h e children with h i s parents, the
petitioners .
J u n e 9, 1977 -- The mother resumes c u s t o d y of t h e
children.
J u n e 1 5 , 1977 -- The g r a n d p a r e n t s f i l e t h e i r p e t i -
t i o n f o r a p p o i n t m e n t of g u a r d i a n of m i n o r s . This
p e t i t i o n s t a t e d , apparently inaccurately, t h a t
t h e c h i l d r e n were p r e s e n t l y i n t h e c a r e and cus-
t o d y of t h e i r p a t e r n a l g r a n d p a r e n t s and had been
i n t h e i r c u s t o d y s i n c e a b o u t May 1 8 .
June 20, 1977 -- The D i s t r i c t C o u r t , based e x c l u -
s i v e l y on t h e g r a n d p a r e n t s ' p e t i t i o n and a f f o r d i n g
n e i t h e r n o t i c e n o r h e a r i n g t o t h e mother, awards
temporary c u s t o d y of t h e c h i l d r e n t o t h e grand-
p a r e n t s and sets J u l y 30 a s t h e h e a r i n g d a t e on
whether t h e g r a n d p a r e n t s s h o u l d b e awarded perma-
nent custody.
J u n e 30, 1977 -- The mother a g a i n l e a v e s t h e c h i l -
dren with t h e grandparents.
J u l y 2 , 3, 4 , 1977 -- The e n t i r e f a m i l y , i n c l u d i n g
t h e mother, h e r ex-husband, t h e c h i l d r e n , and t h e
g r a n d p a r e n t s , v a c a t i o n t o g e t h e r a t Canyon F e r r y
Lake. Although by t h i s t i m e t h e g r a n d p a r e n t s had
been awarded temporary c u s t o d y of t h e c h i l d r e n ,
t h e y n e i t h e r d i s c u s s e d n o r even mentioned t h i s
f a c t t o t h e mother d u r i n g t h i s f a m i l y v a c a t i o n .
J u l y 21, 1977 -- The mother s e e k s a s s i s t a n c e from t h e
County A t t o r n e y i n a t t e m p t i n g t o r e g a i n c u s t o d y of
t h e c h i l d r e n , a f t e r t h e g r a n d p a r e n t s have r e f u s e d t o
r e t u r n them. A t t h i s t i m e , t h e mother f i r s t re-
c e i v e s n o t i c e of t h e o r d e r g r a n t i n g temporary cus-
t o d y of t h e c h i l d r e n t o t h e g r a n d p a r e n t s .
From t h i s sequence of e v e n t s , i t i s o b v i o u s t h a t t h e
m o t h e r ' s p a r e n t a l r i g h t s of c u s t o d y had n o t been t e r m i n a t e d
by c i r c u m s t a n c e s . I n f a c t , contrary t o the allegations i n
t h e p e t i t i o n f o r g u a r d i a n s h i p , t h e mother had a c t u a l p h y s i -
c a l c u s t o d y of t h e c h i l d r e n a t t h e t i m e t h e p e t i t i o n was
f i l e d by t h e g r a n d p a r e n t s and t h e o r d e r w a s i s s u e d by t h e
D i s t r i c t Court.
Moreover, a t t h e t i m e t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t i s s u e d i t s
o r d e r g r a n t i n g temporary c u s t o d y of t h e c h i l d r e n t o t h e
g r a n d p a r e n t s , on J u n e 1 7 , a l l t h a t had happened t o i n d i c a t e
t h a t t h e mother had somehow abandoned o r g i v e n up h e r p a r e n t a l
r i g h t s of c u s t o d y was t h a t s h e had l e f t t h e c h i l d r e n w i t h
t h e g r a n d p a r e n t s f o r a p e r i o d of t h r e e weeks w h i l e s h e
looked f o r a n o t h e r p l a c e t o l i v e . I n M a t t e r of G u a r d i a n s h i p
of Doney ( 1 9 7 7 ) , Mont. , 570 P.2d 575, 34 St.Rep.
1107, t h e n a t u r a l f a t h e r o f t h e c h i l d r e n l e f t them w i t h h i s
sister-in-law f o r a p e r i o d of two months " w h i l e h e composed
h i m s e l f and p r e p a r e d t o t a k e t h e c h i l d r e n i n t o h i s home" and
t h e r e a f t e r even s i g n e d g u a r d i a n s h i p p a p e r s , g i v i n g h i s
c o n s e n t t o g i v e temporary c u s t o d y of t h e c h i l d r e n t o h i s
sister-in-law. I n r e j e c t i n g t h e argument t h a t t h i s showed
a n abandonment of p a r e n t a l c u s t o d i a l r i g h t s , we s t a t e d :
" S u r r e n d e r of c u s t o d y o f a minor c h i l d by a p a r e n t i s p r e -
sumed t o b e temporary u n l e s s t h e c o n t r a r y i s made t o ap-
pear." Doney, 570 P.2d a t 577.
Q u i t e s i m p l y , a t t h e t i m e of i s s u i n g i t s o r d e r g r a n t i n g
temporary c u s t o d y t o t h e g r a n d p a r e n t s , t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t
had no e v i d e n c e t h a t t h e m o t h e r ' s p a r e n t a l r i g h t s of c u s t o d y
had been suspended o r t e r m i n a t e d by e i t h e r p r i o r c o u r t o r d e r
o r circumstance. The r e q u i r e m e n t s o f s e c t i o n 91A-5-204 have
n o t been met and t h e r e f o r e any o r d e r p u r p o r t i n g t o a p p o i n t a
guardian i s invalid.
Beyond t h e j u r i s d i c t i o n a l q u e s t i o n of t h e t e r m i n a t i o n
of t h e m o t h e r ' s p a r e n t a l r i g h t s of c u s t o d y , t h e r e are pro-
c e d u r a l e r r o r s which l i k e w i s e r e q u i r e r e v e r s a l . A s noted
above, p r i o r t o a p p o i n t i n g a g u a r d i a n f o r a minor, t h e r e
must b e n o t i c e g i v e n t o , among o t h e r s , any l i v i n g p a r e n t of
the child. T h e r e a f t e r , t h e r e must b e a h e a r i n g a t which t h e
D i s t r i c t Court i s required t o determine, i n t e r a l i a , t h a t
t h e r e q u i r e d n o t i c e s were g i v e n and t h a t a l l p a r e n t a l r i g h t s
of c u s t o d y have been t e r m i n a t e d .
The D i s t r i c t C o u r t ' s o r d e r , though couched i n t e r m s of
temporary c u s t o d y , w a s i s s u e d i n r e s p o n s e t o a p e t i t i o n f o r
a p p o i n t m e n t of g u a r d i a n o f m i n o r s and was, i n e f f e c t , t h e
a p p o i n t m e n t of a temporary g u a r d i a n . Yet, t h e r e was no
n o t i c e t o t h e mother, hearing p r i o r t o t h e appointment of
t h e temporary g u a r d i a n , no d e t e r m i n a t i o n t h a t t h e r e q u i r e d
n o t i c e s had been g i v e n , and no d e t e r m i n a t i o n t h a t t h e
m o t h e r ' s p a r e n t a l r i g h t s of c u s t o d y had been t e r m i n a t e d o r
suspended.
"The c o u r t ' s g r a n t i n g temporary c u s t o d y t o t h e [grand-
p a r e n t s ] w i t h o u t n o t i c e t o t h e mother w a s e r r o r . " Henderson
v . Henderson ( 1 9 7 7 ) , - Mont . , 568 P.2d 1 7 7 , 179, 34
St.Rep. 942, 944. Nor w a s t h i s e r r o r c o r r e c t e d by t h e f a c t
t h a t t h e mother p a r t i c i p a t e d i n a h e a r i n g on t h e p e t i t i o n
later. A s w e s t a t e d i n Henderson:
". . . R e g a r d l e s s of any d e f i c i e n c y i n o b t a i n i n g
temporary c u s t o d y , t h e a u n t a r g u e s t h e i s s u e i s
moot s i n c e a f u l l h e a r i n g on t h e m e r i t s o f t h e
p e t i t i o n f o r permanent c u s t o d y w a s h e l d on J u l y
6, 1976. W e d i s a g r e e . The t r a n s c r i p t on a p p e a l
i n d i c a t e s t h e d i s t r i c t judge c o n d u c t i n g t h e h e a r -
i n g on permanent c u s t o d y m i s t a k e n l y assumed t h a t
a n o t h e r d i s t r i c t judge had conducted a h e a r i n g
and found misconduct on t h e p a r t of t h e mother
b e f o r e he awarded temporary c u s t o d y of t h e c h i l -
dren t o the aunt. T h i s temporary c u s t o d y o r d e r
i n e f f e c t c r e a t e d a presumption i n f a v o r of t h e
a u n t and s h i f t e d t h e burden of proof t o t h e
mother, and w a s i n d i r e c t v i o l a t i o n of s e c t i o n
4 8 - 3 3 3 ( 1 ) , R.C.M. 1947." 568 P.2d a t 180.
I n t h e i n s t a n t case, t h e D i s t r i c t Court w a s l e d t o
b e l i e v e by t h e p e t i t i o n f i l e d by t h e g r a n d p a r e n t s t h a t t h e
mother had abandoned t h e c h i l d r e n t o t h e g r a n d p a r e n t s on May
1 8 , 1977, and had n o t r e t u r n e d f o r them by J u n e 1 5 when t h e
p e t i t i o n was f i l e d . T h i s was i n c o r r e c t . As testified to at
t h e h e a r i n g by t h e grandmother, t h e mother had r e t u r n e d f o r
h e r c h i l d r e n on J u n e 9, 1977, a f u l l week b e f o r e t h e p e t i -
t i o n was f i l e d . I n d e e d , i t a p p e a r s t h e mother had a c t u a l
p h y s i c a l c u s t o d y o f t h e c h i l d r e n o n t h e d a y t h e p e t i t i o n was
f i l e d and on t h e d a y t h e o r d e r was i s s u e d . From t h e d a t e o f
t h e i s s u a n c e of t h i s o r d e r , however, t h e mother l a b o r e d
under a n u n f a i r , i n a c c u r a t e p r e j u d i c i a l presumption t h a t s h e
had abandoned h e r c h i l d r e n . This presumption n e c e s s a r i l y
c o l o r e d t h e s u b s e q u e n t p r o c e e d i n g s t o t h e p o i n t t h a t any
f i n a l o r d e r o r judgment b a s e d t h e r e o n must b e r e v e r s e d .
F i n a l l y , any showing t h a t t h e g r a n d p a r e n t s may b e a b l e
t o prove a " b e t t e r " e n v i r o n m e n t t h a n c a n t h e mother i s
i r r e l e v a n t t o t h i s i s s u e o f c u s t o d y as between t h e m o t h e r
a n d t h e g r a n d p a r e n t s , e s p e c i a l l y i n view o f t h e above-
mentioned f u n d a m e n t a l c o n s t i t u t i o n a l r i g h t o f a p a r e n t t o
custody of her c h i l d r e n . A s w e s t a t e d i n Doney:
". . . This ' b e s t i n t e r e s t s of t h e c h i l d ' t e s t ,
however, i s u s e d o n l y a f t e r a showing of depen-
dency o r a b u s e o r n e g l e c t by t h e n a t u r a l p a r e n t ,
a s d e f i n e d i n s e c t i o n 10-1301, R.C.M. 1947, o r
i n c u s t o d y d i s p u t e s between two n a t u r a l p a r e n t s .
. . . W i t h o u t t h e r e q u i r e d s t a t u t o r y showing
t h a t p e t i t i o n e r had a b u s e d o r n e g l e c t e d h i s
c h i l d r e n , t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t under t h e f a c t s
o f t h i s c a s e had no j u r i s d i c t i o n t o d e p r i v e
t h e n a t u r a l f a t h e r o f t h e i r c u s t o d y . The s t a t e
i s e n t i r e l y powerless t o deprive a n a t u r a l p a r e n t
o f t h e c u s t o d y o f h i s minor c h i l d r e n m e r e l y be-
c a u s e a d i s t r i c t judge o r a s t a t e agency m i g h t
f e e l t h a t a n o n p a r e n t h a s more f i n a n c i a l r e s o u r c e s
o r pursues a 'preferable' l i f e s t y l e . " 570 P.2d
a t 578. (Citations omitted. )
And i n Henderson:
"The ' b e s t i n t e r e s t of t h e c h i l d ' t e s t i s c o r -
r e c t l y u s e d t o d e t e r m i n e c u s t o d y r i g h t s between
n a t u r a l parents i n divorce proceedings. In t h i s
s i t u a t i o n t h e ' e q u a l r i g h t s ' t o c u s t o d y which
b o t h t h e f a t h e r and mother p o s s e s s u n d e r s e c t i o n
61-105, R.C.M. 1947, a r e weighed i n r e l a t i o n t o
each p a r e n t ' s a b i l i t y t o provide b e s t f o r t h e
c h i l d ' s p h y s i c a l , m e n t a l , and e m o t i o n a l n e e d s
uDon t h e breakdown o f t h e m a r i t a l r e l a t i o n s h i p .
- L -~
' F - t-n-e s s ' o f -c h p a r e n t i s d e t e r m i n e d o n l y
- i - - -
- ea
r e l a t i o n - -e o t h e r a n d x o t to s o c i e t y ~
t o th g
whole. However, where t h i r d p a r t i e s -- seek cust
it ha
- -s l o n g - t h- been e law - i n Montana -t- tha the
r i g h t - -e n a t u r a l p a r e n t p r e v a i l s -n t i l a
of t h u -
showing o f - f o r f e i t u r e - - i s r i g h t .
-a of t h Ex p a r
Bourquin, 88 Mont. 118, 290 P. 250 ( 1 9 3 0 ) . S e
a l s o M a t t e r of F i s h e r , 169 Mont. 254, 545 P.2d
654, 3 3 St.Rep. 183 ( 1 9 7 6 ) . The Uniform M a r r i a g e
and Divorce A c t d o e s n o t change t h i s law. This
f o r f e i t u r e c a n r e s u l t o n l y where t h e p a r e n t ' s
c o n d u c t d o e s n o t m e e t t h e minimum s t a n d a r d s of
t h e c h i l d a b u s e , n e g l e c t and dependency s t a t u t e s . "
568 P.2d a t 181-82. (Emphasis added.)
I n t h e i n s t a n t c a s e , t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t h e a r d o n l y one
p e r s o n t e s t i f y t h a t t h e mother w a s " u n f i t " t o c a r e f o r h e r
children,the grandfather. The i n v e s t i g a t i n g s o c i a l worker
s p e c i f i c a l l y d e c l i n e d t o c a l l t h e mother " u n f i t . " When t h e
grandmother was a s k e d h e r o p i n i o n , of t h e m o t h e r ' s c a r e of
t h e c h i l d r e n from t h e d i v o r c e u n t i l J u l y 4 , 1977, s h e re-
plied:
"A. I d o n ' t know when I ' m n o t t h e r e , b u t I ' v e
t o l d you when I ' v e had them. What s h e d o e s when
s h e h a s them, I d o n ' t know. I always thought she
was a p r e t t y good mother when-she - - c h i l d r e n .
-- - - had t h e
I don' t know. 'I
The D i s t r i c t C o u r t a l s o conducted a n - camera examina-
in
t i o n of t h e t h r e e c h i l d r e n d u r i n g which t h e f o l l o w i n g ex-
change between t h e c o u r t and t h e e l d e s t c h i l d o c c u r r e d :
"THE COURT: You l i v e d w i t h your mother i n J u n e
and J u l y ?
"RONALD: (Witness nods a f f i r m a t i v e l y . )
"THE COURT: How d i d you g e t a l o n g ?
"RONALD: Not t o o good. A bunch of f i g h t i n g always.
"THE COURT: What w e r e you f i g h t i n g a b o u t ?
"RONALD: I d o n ' t know. This one k i d , he caused
a f i g h t down t h e r e .
"THE COURT: Down on Park S t r e e t ?
" RONALD : Yeah .
"THE COURT: -
You g o t a l o n g good w i t h your mother,
d i d n ' t you?
"RONALD: (Witness nods a f f i r m a t i v e l y . )
"THE COURT: You g e t a l o n g w i t h your grandmother
and g r a n d f a t h e r ?
"RONALD: Yes."
I n a d d i t i o n t o t h e above s p e c i f i c examples, t h e t r a n -
s c r i p t i s r e p l e t e w i t h d e m o n s t r a t i o n by t h e mother o f h e r
c o n t i n u i n g c o n c e r n and c a r e f o r h e r c h i l d r e n . In fact, a t
o n e p o i n t , t h e g r a n d f a t h e r t h r e a t e n e d t o change h i s phone
number b e c a u s e t h e mother was c a l l i n g t h e c h i l d r e n s o o f t e n .
Throughout t h e p r o c e e d i n g s , t h e mother h a s opposed t h e
a t t e m p t by t h e g r a n d p a r e n t s t o o b t a i n permanent c u s t o d y of
the children.
C l e a r l y , from t h i s e v i d e n c e , t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t w a s n o t
w a r r a n t e d i n c o n c l u d i n g t h a t t h e mother was n o t f i t t o c a r e
f o r her children. Such e v i d e n c e must b e c l e a r and c o n v i n c i n g
t o j u s t i f y d e p r i v i n g a p a r e n t of c u s t o d y o f h e r c h i l d r e n .
Matter of J.L.B. (1979), Mont. I P. 2d I
36 St.Rep. 896, 909. The f a c t t h a t t h e g r a n d p a r e n t s may b e
a b l e t o p r o v i d e a b e t t e r home i s e x a c t l y t h e k i n d of r a t i o n a l e
condemned i n Doney.
The D i s t r i c t C o u r t concluded t h a t t h e c h i l d r e n w e r e
" d e p e n d e n t and n e g l e c t e d under t h e laws of t h e S t a t e of
Montana." Yet, t h i s was a g u a r d i a n s h i p p r o c e e d i n g i n s t i -
t u t e d by t h e p a t e r n a l g r a n d p a r e n t s , n o t a p r o c e e d i n g i n s t i -
t u t e d t o have t h e c h i l d r e n d e c l a r e d d e p e n d e n t and n e g l e c t e d ,
a s i t must b e , by t h e c o u n t y a t t o r n e y under T i t l e 1 0 , Chap-
t e r 1 3 , 1947 Revised Codes of Montana, now T i t l e 4 1 , C h a p t e r
3 , Montana Code Annotated. The D i s t r i c t C o u r t c o u l d n o t
v a l i d l y c o n c l u d e t h a t t h e c h i l d r e n were d e p e n d e n t and n e g l e c t e d .
S i m i l a r l y , t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t found t h e mother t o be
n o t a f i t and p r o p e r p e r s o n t o have c u s t o d y of h e r c h i l d r e n
and t e r m i n a t e d h e r c u s t o d y r i g h t s . A s p o i n t e d o u t above,
however, t h e t e r m i n a t i o n of a l l p a r e n t a l r i g h t s must p r e c e d e
t h e appointment of a g u a r d i a n f o r unmarried m i n o r s . Section
91A-5-204, and -207, R.C.M. 1947, now s e c t i o n s 72-5-222,
and -225 MCA. Nowhere i n t h e r e c o r d d o e s a n y t h i n g a p p e a r
concerning t h e termination of t h e p a r e n t a l r i g h t s of t h e
f a t h e r of these children. I n any e v e n t , a g u a r d i a n s h i p
p r o c e e d i n g i s n o t a p r o p e r means t o t e r m i n a t e a p a r e n t ' s
c o n s t i t u t i o n a l r i g h t t o custody of h i s o r her children. As
w e s t a t e d i n Doney:
". . . A j u d i c i a l h e a r i n g and f i n d i n g o f depen-
dency and n e g l e c t u n d e r T i t l e 1 0 , C h a p t e r 1 3 ,
R.C.M. 1947, o r j u d i c i a l f i n d i n g of w i l l f u l
abandonment o r w i l l f u l n o n s u p p o r t u n d e r sec-
t i o n 61-205, R.C.M. 1347, a r e t h e e x c l u s i v e
means by which a n a t u r a l p a r e n t may b e i n v o l u n -
t a r i l y d e p r i v e d of c u s t o d y of h i s c h i l d r e n .
I n t h e a b s e n c e o f s u c h showing, t h e n a t u r a l
p a r e n t i s l e g a l l y e n t i t l e d t o t h e c u s t o d y of
h i s minor c h i l d r e n . S e c t i o n 61-105, R.C.M.
1947." 570 P.2d a t 577.
A s a l a s t example, t h e a p p l i c a t i o n of t h e s t a t u t o r y
g u a r d i a n s h i p p r o c e d u r e was i n c o r r e c t . Under t h e s e p r o c e -
d u r e s , a D i s t r i c t C o u r t may, i f n e c e s s a r y , a p p o i n t a t e m -
p o r a r y g u a r d i a n of unmarried minors b u t t h e a u t h o r i t y of t h e
t e m p o r a r y g u a r d i a n c a n n o t l a s t l o n g e r t h a n s i x months. In
t h e i n s t a n t p r o c e e d i n g s , however, t h e o r i g i n a l o r d e r g r a n t -
i n g temporary c u s t o d y of t h e c h i l d r e n t o t h e g r a n d p a r e n t s
was e n t e r e d i n J u n e 1977. T h i s temporary c u s t o d y s t a t u s was
c o n t i n u e d by t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t u n t i l August 1978, a t o t a l
o f f o u r t e e n months b e f o r e permanent l e t t e r s of g u a r d i a n s h i p
w e r e i s s u e d by t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t .
The c o n f u s i o n i n t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t i s u n d e r s t a n d a b l e .
W e are able t o identify a t least five distinct statutory
schemes g o v e r n i n g t h e t e r m i n a t i o n o f p a r e n t a l r i g h t s o r t h e
custody of c h i l d r e n o r both. T i t l e 1 0 , C h a p t e r 1 3 , R.C.M.
1947, now T i t l e 4 1 , C h a p t e r 3 MCA ( a b u s e d , n e g l e c t e d and
d e p e n d e n t y o u t h ) ; T i t l e 48, C h a p t e r 3 , R.C.M. 1947, now
T i t l e 40, C h a p t e r 4 MCA (Uniform M a r r i a g e and D i v o r c e A c t ) ;
s e c t i o n s 61-111, -112, R.C.M. 1347, now s e c t i o n s 40-6-233,
and -234 MCA (remedy f o r p a r e n t a l a b u s e ) ; T i t l e 61, C h a p t e r
2, R.C.M. 1947, now T i t l e 40, C h a p t e r 8 MCA; T i t l e 91A,
C h a p t e r 5, P a r t 2 , R.C.M. 1947, now T i t l e 72, C h a p t e r 5 ,
P a r t 2 (Guardianship of Minors).
N e v e r t h e l e s s , w h i l e t h e r e i s some o v e r l a p i n t h e s e
v a r i o u s procedures as t o g e n e r a l s u b j e c t m a t t e r , each i s
used f o r a d i s t i n c t p u r p o s e and s e t s f o r t h s p e c i f i c p r o c e -
d u r e s which must be f o l l o w e d b e f o r e a v a l i d judgment o r
o r d e r may be i s s u e d . To i n s u r e t h a t t h e m i n o r s i n v o l v e d
r e c e i v e t h e f u l l p r o t e c t i o n of t h e s e l a w s , t h e s e p r o c e d u r e s
should be "rigorously followed." I n re G u a r d i a n s h i p of
Evans ( 1 9 7 8 ) , Mont. , 587 P.2d 372, 376, 35 S t - R e p .
1768, 1773. D i s t r i c t C o u r t s must i d e n t i f y and a d h e r e t o t h e
p r o p e r p r o c e d u r e and s t a n d a r d s t o be used i n t h e p r o c e e d i n g s
b e f o r e them. Only t h e n w i l l t h e fundamental r i g h t s and
r e l a t i o n s h i p e x i s t i n g between p a r e n t and c h i l d be f u l l y
r e a l i z e d o r , when n e c e s s a r y , p r o p e r l y s e v e r e d .
The o r d e r of t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t g r a n t i n g l e t t e r s of
guardianship t o t h e grandparents i s reversed.
~ W e concur:
.
A h i e f Just*
i
/ Justices