The mission of the Connecticut Judicial Branch is to serve the interests of justice and the public by resolving matters brought before it in a fair, timely, efficient and open manner.

Family Law Appellate Court Opinion

by Booth, George

 

AC44541 - Lehane v. Murray (Dissolution of marriage; motion to modify custody of minor child; "In this postdissolution matter, the plaintiff, Danielle Lehane, appeals from the judgment of the trial court modifying the parties' custody of and visitation with their minor child. The court awarded sole legal and physical custody to the defendant, James Murray, and awarded the plaintiff certain visitation rights. On appeal, the plaintiff claims that the court (1) improperly delegated its judicial authority to a nonjudicial party by giving the defendant the authority to "alter, change or modify" her visitation schedule, (2) exceeded its authority by ordering her to submit to a psychological evaluation and to provide the results to the defendant, and (3) improperly awarded the defendant the right to claim the child as a dependent for income tax purposes where the dissolution judgment included a clear and unambiguous provision awarding the plaintiff the nonmodifiable right to do so. We disagree with the plaintiff's claim that the court improperly delegated its judicial authority to the defendant, but we agree with her other two claims. Accordingly, we affirm in part and reverse in part the judgment of the trial court.")