Learn About the Law
Get help with your legal needs
FindLaw’s Learn About the Law features thousands of informational articles to help you understand your options. And if you’re ready to hire an attorney, find one in your area who can help.
IN RE: Virginia LE CLAIR, Appellant, v. Dale McDONALD Sr., Respondent. (And Another Related Proceeding.)
Appeal from an order of the Family Court of Clinton County (Lawliss, J.), entered March 9, 2005, which, inter alia, partially granted petitioner's application, in two proceedings pursuant to Family Ct. Act article 6, to modify a prior order of custody and visitation.
Both parties filed petitions in Family Court seeking modification of a prior order granting respondent visitation with the parties' son. The court partially granted the petitions by crafting a detailed plan for visitation during the child's school vacations and holidays. Petitioner appeals, contending that the court erred by not terminating respondent's Thursday overnight visitation every other week, not changing the location where the parties exchange the child and not ordering that respondent return the child to her if he is working during his visitation times. As these contentions have no merit, we affirm.
Despite petitioner's pretrial allegations regarding the child being cranky after Thursday night visits with respondent, no change was warranted because petitioner did not present any proof on that matter at the hearing (see Matter of Finch v. Dunn, 11 A.D.3d 755, 756, 783 N.Y.S.2d 129 [2004] ). Petitioner's proof failed to establish that changing the exchange location would benefit the child, rather than just being more convenient for petitioner. As the parties cannot communicate, Family Court reasonably determined that it would be easier for the working parent to arrange for a daycare provider than to require each party to inform the other when he or she was working during visitation periods so that the nonworking parent could watch the child at those times (compare Matter of Leach v. Santiago, 20 A.D.3d 715, 717-718, 798 N.Y.S.2d 242 [2005], lv. denied 6 N.Y.3d 702, 810 N.Y.S.2d 416, 843 N.E.2d 1156 [2005] ). Because the record supports Family Court's findings that these requested changes were not in the child's best interest, we will not disturb those findings (see Matter of Dickinson v. Dickinson, 309 A.D.2d 994, 995, 766 N.Y.S.2d 148 [2003] ).
ORDERED that the order is affirmed, without costs.
KANE, J.
MERCURE, J.P., CREW III, PETERS and MUGGLIN, JJ., concur.
Thank you for your feedback!
A free source of state and federal court opinions, state laws, and the United States Code. For more information about the legal concepts addressed by these cases and statutes visit FindLaw's Learn About the Law.
Decided: February 23, 2006
Court: Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Department, New York.
Search our directory by legal issue
Enter information in one or both fields (Required)
Harness the power of our directory with your own profile. Select the button below to sign up.
Learn more about FindLaw’s newsletters, including our terms of use and privacy policy.
Get help with your legal needs
FindLaw’s Learn About the Law features thousands of informational articles to help you understand your options. And if you’re ready to hire an attorney, find one in your area who can help.
Search our directory by legal issue
Enter information in one or both fields (Required)