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Thursday, August 15, 2013

Gallardo v. Orozco, --- F.Supp.2d ----, 2013 WL 3803905 (W.D.Tex) {Mexico] [Habitual Residence] [Patria Potestad] [Petition Granted]

In Gallardo v. Orozco, --- F.Supp.2d ----, 2013 WL 3803905 (W.D.Tex) Petitioner Gallardo was a citizen of the Republic of Mexico and Respondent Orozco was a citizen of the United States. Petitioner and Respondent were the parents of G.G. who was born in Denton, Texas, in May of 2005. G.G. was currently 8 years old. Petitioner and Respondent were married in Las Vegas, New Mexico, on December 18, 2006.

 In 2007, Petitioner and Respondent relocated with G.G. from Los Alamos, New Mexico, to Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico. Petitioner and Respondent had a shared intent to move G.G. from the United States to Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico. Since 2007 when the entire family relocated to Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico, from Los Alamos, New Mexico, until on or about July 26, 2012, G.G. continuously lived with Petitioner in Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico.. Respondent lived with Petitioner and G.G. in Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico, for approximately two years, until he moved to Midland, Texas. In 2008 Petitioner and Respondent attempted to reunite and relocate to the United States. Petitioner tried to return to the United States illegally and was arrested on December 29, 2008, while attempting to cross the Rio Grande near the port of entry at El Paso, Texas. Respondent was in the United States awaiting Petitioner's crossing. Petitioner served approximately twenty-one (21) days for her illegal re-entry after prior removal stemming from this arrest. Upon release from custody in January 2009, Petitioner was deported to Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, where Respondent picked her up and returned her to Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico. After Respondent drove Petitioner to Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico, Respondent lived with Petitioner and G.G. for approximately seven months before
 moving permanently to Midland, Texas. G.G. remained in Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico, with Petitioner. Petitioner and Respondent had a shared intent that G.G. remain with Petitioner in Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico. Thereafter, Respondent's mother, who resided in Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico, would bring G.G. to Midland, Texas, to visit Respondent during the summer while G.G. was on vacation from school. Petitioner consented to these trips. Each visit would last approximately one-to-two months. At the end of each scheduled visit G.G. would be returned to Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico.. G.G. has attended school in Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico, since the 2009-2010 school year. G.G. was enrolled in school in Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico, for the 2012-2013 school year.

 Petitioner asserted that on or about July 25, 2012, Respondent came to Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico, to have a few days of visitation with G.G. at his parents' home in Puerto Penasco. Petitioner asserted that she agreed to allow Respondent to have overnight visitation with G.G. at his parents' home and that Respondent was scheduled to return G.G. after a few days. Petitioner further asserted that instead of returning G.G. to Petitioner as scheduled, Respondent removed G.G. to the United States without her permission. In contrast, Respondent asserted that prior to arriving at Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico, in late July 2012, Respondent arranged with Petitioner to take G.G. to Midland, Texas, for approximately a month to 45 days. It was Respondent's position that Petitioner agreed and consented to the visitation. Respondent asserts that before he took G.G. to Midland, Texas, the parties discussed the possibility of G.G. staying in the United States to attend school. Respondent asserts that Petitioner agreed to think about it, but did not agree at that time to allow G.G. to stay and attend school in Midland, Texas. Respondent asserted that Petitioner gave Respondent G.G.'s birth certificate. Respondent asserted that he agreed to return G.G. if Petitioner wanted G.G. returned and not enrolled in school in Midland, Texas. Respondent further asserted that after G.G. was in Midland, Texas, the parties continued to have discussions about enrolling G.G. in school. On July 31, 2012, Petitioner sent and Respondent received a text message informing Respondent that G.G.'s school in Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico, started on August 20, 2012, and that G.G. needed to be back by that day. On August 22, 2012, Petitioner sent and Respondent received a text message demanding that Respondent return G.G. to her in Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico. After Respondent received the text message from Petitioner demanding G.G.'s return, Respondent told Petitioner that he was going to enroll G.G. in school in Midland, Texas. Petitioner objected to Respondent enrolling G.G. in school in Midland, Texas. G.G. started school in Midland, Texas, on August 27, 2012.

 The court observed the Fifth Circuit adopted its framework for making country of habitual residence determinations. Larbie v. Larbie, 690 F.3d 295, 310 (5th Cir.2012). The inquiry balances the interests of the child with the intentions of the parents. Larbie, 690 F.3d at 310. A court's "inquiry into a child's habitual residence is not formulaic; rather it is a fact-intensive determination that necessarily varies with the circumstances of each case." When determining a child's country of habitual residence, analysis focuses on the "parents' shared intent or settled purpose regarding their child's residence." The inquiry balances the interest of the child with the parents intentions, but gives greater weight to the parents' subjective intentions when the child is relatively young and incapable of deciding residency.

 The court found that the facts indicated that both parents shared the intent that Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico, was their child's residence prior to Respondent's taking of G.G. to Midland, Texas, with or without Petitioner's consent, in late July of 2012. Petitioner established that in 2007, Respondent and Petitioner, together, moved their child G.G. to Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico, from Los Alamos, New Mexico. After relocating to Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico, Respondent lived in Mexico with Petitioner and G.G. for approximately two years. The parents' mutual decision to move their child to Mexico from the United States and relocate to Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico, provided strong evidence of shared parental intent in 2007 to make the Republic of Mexico their child's country of habitual residence. Additionally, Respondent moved permanently to Midland, Texas, in 2009, leaving G.G. with Petitioner in Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico. Even though no formal custody agreements existed, the parties arranged visitation. Respondent's mother who resided in Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico, would bring G.G. to Midland, Texas, to visit Respondent during the summer while G.G. was on vacation from school. Petitioner allowed G.G. to go on these trips to visit Respondent and each visit would last approximately one to two months. At the end of each scheduled visit G.G. would be returned to Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico. The parents' decision for G.G. to remain in Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico, with summer visitation in the United States, also provided strong evidence of shared parental intent that the Republic Mexico was G.G.'s country of habitual residence.

 The question remained whether G.G.'s habitual residence was abandoned, thus changing from Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico, to the United States. The threshold test for determining whether the parties intended for G.G. to " 'abandon the [habitual residence] left behind' " was whether both parties shared that intention. Larbie, 690 F.3d at 310-11. "[I]n the absence of settled parental intent, courts should be slow to infer from such contacts that an earlier habitual residence has been abandoned." Mozes, 239 F.3d at 1079. Without shared parental intent the " 'prior habitual residence should be deemed supplanted only where the objective facts point unequivocally to this conclusion.' " Larbie, 690 F.3d at 311. In cases such as this in which the parties no longer agree where the child's habitual residence is fixed and "the representations of the parties cannot be accepted at face value ... courts must determine from all available evidence whether the parent petitioning for return of a child has already agreed to the child's taking up habitual residence where it is." Mozes, 239 F.3d at 1076.

 After an exhaustive review of all available evidence the Court determined that Petitioner never agreed to G.G. taking up habitual residence in the United States and never consented to G.G. being enrolled in school in the United States. There was, therefore, no shared parental intent to shift G.G.'s habitual residence from Mexico to the United States. The evidence pointed toward Respondent's retention and subsequent enrollment of G.G. in school in the United States as Respondent's unilateral action.

 Petitioner satisfied the threshold requirement for cases arising under the Convention by establishing that the child's country of habitual residence prior to removal or retention was the Republic of Mexico. Petitioner proved by a preponderance of the evidence that Respondent removed or retained G.G. in the United States, "somewhere other than the child's habitual residence." The State of Sonora, Mexico, in accordance with the Sonora Civil Code adheres to the legal doctrine of patria potestad. See Son. Civ.Code, tit. 8, ch. 1, art. 578 et seq.; "Pursuant to that doctrine both parents have joint custody rights." The Court found that Petitioner had rights of custody conveyed by patria potestad under the laws of the State of Sonora, Mexico. Petitioner proven by a preponderance of the evidence that Respondent removed or retained G.G. in breach of Petitioner's rights of
 custody under the laws of the child's habitual residence-the Republic of Mexico and that such at the time of removal or retention she was actually exercising her rights of custody or would have been exercising those rights but for the removal or retention. Larbie v. Larbie, 690 F.3d 295, 307 (5th Cir.2012); Convention art. 3(b).).

 Respondent Orozco pleaded the grave risk affirmative defense. Respondent elicited testimony from Petitioner admitting that she worked late hours at a casino. In addition, Respondent questioned whether Petitioner works, or had worked in the past, as a prostitute. Petitioner denied the allegations of prostitution and no other evidence of such activities was placed before the Court. Respondent's argument that return of G.G. to the child's country of habitual residence, the Republic of Mexico, would pose a grave risk of harm to G.G. because of Petitioner's work at a casino and unsupported allegations of prostitution fell extremely short of reaching the high threshold necessary to establish the grave risk of harm affirmative defense.

 Respondent pleaded, and argued at trial, that Petitioner consented or subsequently acquiesced to Respondent removing G.G. from Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico, to Midland, Texas. When examining a consent defense, a court considers what the petitioner actually agreed to when allowing the child to travel outside of its country of residence and the scope of the petitioner's consent. Larbie, 690 F.3d at 309. In contrast, the "acquiescence [defense] addresses whether the petitioner subsequently agreed to or accepted the removal or retention." When examining an acquiescence defense, "'each of the words and actions of a parent during the separation are not to be scrutinized for a possible waiver of custody rights.' " Simcox v. Simcox, 511 F.3d 594, 603 (6th Cir.2007). The defense of acquiescence has been held to require "an act or statement with the requisite formality, such as testimony in a judicial proceeding; a convincing written renunciation of rights; or a consistent attitude
 of acquiescence over a significant period of time." Friedrich, 78 F.3d at 1070. Respondent's affirmative defense of consent failed on his own testimony. Respondent's argument that Petitioner acquiesced to the removal or retention of G.G. in the United States also fell short. There was no evidence before the Court that Petitioner subsequently acquiesced to G.G.'s removal or retention in the United States.

 Respondent asserted that G.G. objected to being returned, and should not be returned to Petitioner in Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico. The court undersigned met in camera with G.G., who had recently turned 8 years old. The Fifth Circuit has previously held that a 13 year-old child did not meet the degree of maturity required to object and determine where he/she wanted to live. In the Courts opinion GG was not of sufficient age and maturity for the Court to take into account her objection to being returned to Mexico.

 The Court granted the petition. 

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