IN RE: ALEXANDRA L. HOLMES (2026)

Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Department, New York.

IN RE: ALEXANDRA L. HOLMES, PETITIONER-APPELLANT, v. CHRISTOPHER T. STENSHORN, RESPONDENT-RESPONDENT.

672 Decided: October 02, 2026

PRESENT: MONTOUR, J.P., OGDEN, GREENWOOD, NOWAK, AND SKINNER, JJ.

LAW OFFICE OF VERONICA REED, SCHENECTADY (VERONICA REED OF COUNSEL), FOR PETITIONER-APPELLANT. THOMAS L. PELYCH, HORNELL, FOR RESPONDENT-RESPONDENT. JESSICA BRYANT SERRETT, GENEVA, ATTORNEY FOR THE CHILD.

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

It is hereby ORDERED that the order so appealed from is unanimously affirmed without costs.

Memorandum: In this proceeding pursuant to Family Court Act article 6, petitioner mother appeals from an order that, in relevant part, dismissed her petition seeking modification of the parties’ prior order of custody and visitation. We reject the mother's contention that Family Court abused its discretion in refusing to modify the existing custody arrangement. Assuming, arguendo, that the mother demonstrated a change in circumstances sufficient to warrant an inquiry into the best interests of the child, we conclude that the record establishes that “the continuity and stability of the existing custodial arrangement is in the child[ ]’s best interests” (Matter of Wilson v Hayward, 128 AD3d 1475, 1477 [4th Dept 2015], lv denied 26 NY3d 909 [2015] [internal quotation marks omitted]; see also Matter of Latray v Hewitt, 181 AD3d 1175, 1176 [4th Dept 2020], lv denied 35 NY3d 908 [2020]).

Entered: October 2, 2026

Ann Dillon Flynn

Clerk of the Court

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