Viskup v. ViskupViskup v. Viskup
Appellant Peter Viskup and appellee Andrea Viskup were married in 1998 and are the parents of a son born in 2000. The parties were divorced in 2006 by judgment and decree entered in Cobb County, with legal and physical custody of the child awarded to appellant Father. In October 2008, appellee Mother filed a petition for modification of custody and child support in the Superiоr Court of Cherokee County. After denying Father’s motion to dismiss for lack of venue, the trial court granted temporary physical custody of the child to Mother as of December 2008 and permanent primary physical custody and child support in February 2011. Attorney fees were awarded Mother in April 2011, and Father’s motion for new trial was denied in May 2011. Father then filed this direct appeal from a judgment in a child custody case.
1. Father contends entry of the judgment was erroneous because the modification petition was not filed in and decided by a superior court of the statutorily-prescribed county.
“[F]or purposes of venue and other jurisdictional questions, a person’s residence at the time of filing of suit is the determining factor... [if] followed by service within a reasonable time____”
Franek v. Ray,
At a hearing before the trial court, Father testified he sold his Cobb County home in late May-early June 2008, rented an apartment in Cherokee County, enrolled the child in a Cherokee County school, entered into a contract on August 29 to purchasе a home with a Cobb address that straddled the Cobb-Cherokee county line, scheduled the closing of his purchase to be on October 16, spent the nights of October 14 and 15 at the new house, actually closed on the new house on October 21, registered his vehicle in Cobb County and changed his driver’s license address to Cobb County on October 21, and removed the child from the Cherokee County school on November 7. He was served at his Cherokee County apartment on October 24. The Cherokee County court orally ruled that, while Father had the intent to return to Cobb County in September, Father was a resident of Cherokee County until his physical presence changed on October 21, the day he closed the purchase of the Cobb County home and changed to Cobb County his vehicle registration аnd driver’s license address. The trial court’s written order summarily denied Father’s motion to dismiss the petition or to transfer it to Cobb County. Since there is evidence that supports the trial court’s determination that Father did not change his county of residence until October 21 and was a resident of Cherokee County when Mother filed her modification petition
2. In its order modifying the 2006 custody award and awarding custody of the child to Mother, the trial court ruled there had been a material change in circumstances that supported the modification and that it was in the child’s best interests to award custody to Mother. Father contends there was no evidence of a material change in circumstances presented to the trial court, and that a modification of custody was not in the child’s best interest.
A petition to change child custody should be granted only if the trial court finds that there has been a material change of condition affecting the welfare of the child since the last custody awаrd. If there has been such a change, then the court should base its new custody decision on the best interest of the child. . . . The evidence sufficient to warrant a modification of custody can consist of a change in material conditions which have a positive effect on the child’s welfare as well as changes which adversely affect the child. SeeOCGA§ 19-9-3 (b) . .. .
Lynch v. Horton,
After conducting a hearing, the trial court found that Mother’s circumstances had improvеd dramatically since the 2006 divorce, noting that Mother had been living in the Czech Republic at the time of the divorce and, as of 2008, had married a U. S. citizen, had given birth to a U. S. citizen, and had applied for permanent-resident status in the United States. The trial court found that, since the December 2008 award of temporary custody to Mother, the child’s socialization and emotional maturation had improved. With regard to Father, the trial court found that Father had been held in contempt of court for violation of the court’s visitation order and had taken steps to undermine Mother by sending misleading letters to immigration officials and to the Clarke County Department of Child and Family Services. All of these findings were supported by evidence. Finding it “more likely [that Mother] will provide visitation and abide by the Court’s Orders,” the trial court concluded it was in the child’s best interest to award custody of the child to Mother. Since there is evidence to support the trial court’s award of custody of the child to one fit рarent over the other fit parent, we cannot say the trial court abused its discretion.
Haskell v. Haskell,
3. Lastly, Father contends the trial court erred when it awarded attorney fees to Mother. The trial court’s оrder required Father to pay on behalf of Mother $21,360.15 in attorney fees to the firm that represented Mother in the modification action. Father contends the trial court’s order on attorney fees should be vacated because it does not state the statutory basis for the award and because there was evidence of Father’s financial inability to pay.
“Generally, an award of attorney fees is not available in Georgia unless authorized by statute or contract. [Cit.]”
Moon v. Moon,
An examinаtion of the record reflects that Mother submitted a letter brief in January 2011 expressly seeking an award of attorney
fees pursuant to
Since Mother’s petition for modification of child custody does not fall within the parameters of
Judgment affirmed.
Notes
The trial court’s order states the amount granted and that “[t]he grant of attorney’s fees is a grant in full and may he enforced by attachment for contempt of court or by writ of fieri facias.”
.