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 Opinions

by Greenlee, Rebecca

 

AC 45791 - Walton v. Walton ("The defendant, Deepa B. Walton, appeals from the judgment of the trial court dissolving her marriage to the plaintiff, Robert S. Walton IV. On appeal, the defendant claims that the court improperly (1) found her in contempt for various alleged violations of the court’s automatic and/or pendente lite orders, (2) awarded the plaintiff his entire federal pension without assigning a value to it, (3) denied her request for production of an appraisal completed by an appraiser retained by the plaintiff, and (4) distributed the parties’ property in a disproportionate and inequitable manner. We affirm the judgment of the trial court.")

AC 46049 - S. C. v. J. C. ("In this custody dispute, the plaintiff mother, S. C., appeals from the judgment of the trial court granting certain postdissolution motions of the defendant father, J. C. On appeal, the plaintiff claims that the court erred in (1) continuing a previously issued emergency order of temporary custody that gave the defendant sole legal custody of the parties’ two children and primary physical custody of the parties’ youngest child, A, pursuant to General Statutes § 46b-56f because (a) the defendant did not prove by a preponderance of the evidence that there was an immediate and present risk of physical danger or psychological harm to the children sufficient to support his application and, therefore, the granting of his application was based on clearly erroneous factual finding, and (b) the court’s award of temporary custody to the defendant, who had been ‘‘found . . . to be a domestic abuser’’ was an abuse of discretion, not in the best interests of the children, and against federal and state public policy; and (2) granting the defendant’s motion for contempt for failure to comply with a court order requiring the plaintiff to transfer physical custody of A to the defendant. We conclude that the record is inadequate to review the plaintiff’s claim that the defendant failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that there was an immediate and present risk of physical danger or psychological harm to the children and, therefore, affirm the judgment as to that portion of the plaintiff’s first claim. We dismiss the appeal as to the plaintiff’s claim challenging the dispositional portion of the temporary custody order granting temporary custody to the defendant because we conclude that it is moot in light of events that have occurred since this appeal was filed. We agree, however, with the plaintiff on her claim challenging the court’s order finding her in contempt and, accordingly, reverse the judgment of contempt.")