MARRIAGE OF SCHULTZ v SCHULTZ
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No. 14691 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA 1979 IN RE THE MARRIAGE OF LAURA SCHULTZ, Petitioner and Respondent, -vsJOHNNIE SCHULTZ, Respondent and Appellant. Appeal from: District Court of the Thirteenth Judicial District, Honorable C. B. Sande, Judge presiding. Counsel of Record: For Appellant: Mouat and Martinson, Billings, Montana Craig D. Martinson argued, Billings, Montana For Respondent: Ralph Herriott argued, Billings, Montana Submitted: Decided: $t"-.' Filed ::: ' . y-.-,, - -J t- , A O September 17, 1979 f4Q3\; 1 3 1979 J u s t i c e John Conway H a r r i s o n d e l i v e r e d t h e Opinion of t h e Court. Mr. I n c i d e n t a l t o a d e c r e e of m a r i t a l d i s s o l u t i o n , t h e Yellowstone County D i s t r i c t C o u r t awarded c u s t o d y of t h r e e minor c h i l d r e n t o t h e i r mother. The d e c r e e r e c i t e d t h a t b o t h p a r e n t s w e r e f i t and p r o p e r p e r s o n s t o be g r a n t e d c u s t o d y b u t t h a t t h e b e s t i n t e r e s t s of t h e c h i l d r e n d i c t a t e d m a t e r n a l custody . Approximately a y e a r and a h a l f a f t e r t h e d e c r e e , t h e mother was s e r i o u s l y i n j u r e d i n a n a u t o m o b i l e a c c i d e n t and confined t o a h o s p i t a l . The c h i l d r e n w e r e c a r e d f o r by a m a t e r n a l a u n t and grandmother. Some f i v e weeks a f t e r t h e a c c i d e n t , t h e mother d i e d . Following h e r d e a t h , t h e f a t h e r r e q u e s t e d c u s t o d y o f t h e c h i l d r e n from t h e grandmother and a u n t . The r e q u e s t was d e n i e d , and t h e f a t h e r f i l e d a motion f o r an o r d e r t o show c a u s e why he s h o u l d n o t be a l l o w e d immediate c u s t o d y . Hours l a t e r , t h e m a t e r n a l a u n t and h e r husband f i l e d a p e t i t i o n f o r appointment a s guardians of t h e c h i l d r e n . The D i s t r i c t C o u r t , by e x p a r t e o r d e r , a p p o i n t e d t h e a u n t and u n c l e temporary g u a r d i a n s and s e t a d a t e f o r h e a r i n g t h e p e t i t i o n . The f a t h e r then p e t i t i o n e d f o r a w r i t of habeas corpus, requesti n g immediate c u s t o d y of t h e c h i l d r e n . The g u a r d i a n s h i p and h a b e a s c o r p u s p e t i t i o n s w e r e c o n s o l i d a t e d by s t i p u l a t i o n and t h e m a t t e r was h e a r d by t h e Yellowstone County ~ i s t r i c t C o u r t , t h e Honorable C. B. Sande p r e s i d i n g w i t h o u t a j u r y . The h e a r i n g was termed " a f u l l h e a r i n g . . . on the matter o f c u s t o d y and a s t o whether o r n o t t h e minor c h i l d r e n had been abused and a r e d e p e n d e n t and n e g l e c t e d . " The D i s t r i c t C o u r t found t h a t t h e c h i l d r e n w e r e depend e n t and n e g l e c t e d and concluded t h e i r b e s t i n t e r e s t s would be s e r v e d by g r a n t i n g c u s t o d y t o t h e a u n t and u n c l e . The c o u r t e n t e r e d a n o r d e r t o t h a t e f f e c t , and t h e f a t h e r a p p e a l s . W e hold t h e D i s t r i c t Court w a s without j u r i s d i c t i o n t o a c t a s it d i d . Accordingly, i t s o r d e r i s vacated. S e c t i o n 40-6-221, MCA, p r o v i d e s : ". . . I f e i t h e r p a r e n t be dead o r u n a b l e o r r e f u s e s t o t a k e t h e c u s t o d y o r h a s abandoned h i s o r her famil- , t h e o t h e r i s e n t i t l e d t o y t h e c u s t o d y , s e r v i c e s , and e a r n i n g s o f t h e child. " Under t h i s s e c t i o n , t h e f a t h e r a u t o m a t i c a l l y assumed t h e r i g h t t o c u s t o d y of t h e c h i l d r e n a t t h e moment of t h e m o t h e r ' s d e a t h . I n Henderson v. Henderson (1977) , 177, 179, 34 St.Rep. Mont. , 568 P.2d 942, 944, t h i s C o u r t a t t r i b u t e d g r e a t w e i g h t t o t h e p a r e n t a l r i g h t of c u s t o d y and e q u a t e d i t w i t h a c t u a l physical custody. W do n o t d e p a r t from t h e r u l e i n e t h i s decision. I n Henderson we s t a t e d : "If a n o n p a r e n t ( a g r a n d p a r e n t o r a n a u n t o r a n u n c l e , p e r h a p s ) wants t o a c q u i r e c u s t o d y , he must commence p r o c e e d i n g s under ... the typical Juvenile 568 P.2d a t 181, 34 St.Rep. C o u r t Act." a t 947, q u o t i n g Comment, 9 Uniform Laws Annotated, M a r r i a g e and Divorce A c t , 8401, p . Mont . 504. , 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 ) , 570 P.2d 575, 577, 34 S t - R e p . 1107, 1109-1110, w e held: "A j u d i c i a l h e a r i n g and f i n d i n g of dependency and n e g l e c t under [ T i t l e 4 1 , C h a p t e r 3, MCA], 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 under s e c t i o n [40-8-111, MCA], 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 be i n v o l u n t a r i l y d e p r i v e d I n t h e absence of c u s t o d y o f h i s c h i l d r e n . of such 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 [40-6-221, MCA] " . The r e a s o n i n g i n Doney m e r i t s r e p e a t i n g : "Where a c h i l d h a s a l l e g e d l y been abused o r n e g l e c t e d by h i s n a t u r a l p a r e n t , t h e s t a t e h a s a c l e a r d u t y t o p r o t e c t t h e c h i l d by means o f a j u d i c i a l h e a r i n g t o d e t e r m i n e whet h e r t h e y o u t h i s i n f a c t abused o r n e g l e c t e d . There a r e , however, few i n v a s i o n s by t h e s t a t e i n t o t h e p r i v a c y of t h e i n d i v i d u a l t h a t a r e more extreme t h a n t h a t of d e p r i v i n g 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 c h i l d r e n . For t h i s r e a s o n , t h e l e g i s l a t u r e c a r e f u l l y enunc i a t e d t h e p r o c e d u r e s t h e s t a t e must f o l l o w and t h e f i n d i n g s which t h e c o u r t must make b e f o r e c u s t o d y o f a c h i l d may l e g a l l y be t a k e n 570 P.2d a t 577, 34 from a n a t u r a l p a r e n t . " St.Rep. a t 1109. Unless t h e s t a t u t e i s followed, t h e c o u r t i s without j u r i s d i c t i o n t o remove c u s t o d y . Aschenbrenner (1979) , 1164, 36 St.Rep. , Mont. 1282, 1290-1291. r i g o r o u s l y followed. , Mont. I n M a t t e r o f G u a r d i a n s h i p of 597 P.2d 1156, 1163- The p r o c e d u r e s must be I n r e G u a r d i a n s h i p o f Evans ( 1 9 7 8 ) , 587 P.2d 372, 376, 35 St.Rep. 1765, 1773. No argument c a n be made t h a t t h e j u r i s d i c t i o n a l p r e r e q u i s i t e s were complied w i t h . The c o u n t y a t t o r n e y d i d n o t , a s r e q u i r e d by s e c t i o n 41-3-401(1), MCA, f i l e the petition. The p e t i t i o n d i d n o t a l l e g e a b u s e , n e g l e c t o r dependency. S e c t i o n s 41-3-401 (1) and 41-3-401 ( 9 ) ( a ) , MCA. The n a t u r a l f a t h e r of t h e c h i l d r e n who had l e g a l c u s t o d y ( a s d i s c u s s e d above) w a s n o t p e r s o n a l l y s e r v e d w i t h a copy o f t h e p e t i t i o n . S e c t i o n 41-3-401(4), MCA. The Department o f S o c i a l and R e - h a b i l i t a t i o n Services w a s not " c i t e d " t o t h e case. 41-3-401(8), MCA. Section The o r d e r of t h e c o u r t , e n t e r e d i n t h e a b s e n c e of j u r i s d i c t i o n , i s void. S t a t e v. D i s t r i c t Court ( 1 9 2 6 ) , 75 Mont. 147, 242 P. 959. I n view of t h e f a c t t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t found t h a t t h e c h i l d r e n w e r e abused and n e g l e c t e d , w e h e r e b y r e q u e s t t h e Yellowstone County a t t o r n e y ' s o f f i c e t o c o n s i d e r a n a c t i o n under t h e Dependency, N e g l e c t , and Abuse s t a t u t e . S e c t i o n 3, Montana Code Annotated. T i t l e 41, U n t i l f u r t h e r o r d e r of t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t , t h e c h i l d r e n a r e t o remain w i t h t h e i r a u n t and u n c l e . 7 We c o n c u r : Chief J u s t i c e I ' J Justices 1
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