SPEARMAN, C.J.
Michael Goude (Michael)
Michael and Heidi Goude married on May 15, 1999. The parties have three children: daughter K.G., sons M.G. and Q.G. The parties separated on June 15, 2012. In August 2012 the court commissioner entered temporary orders in which the children resided a majority of the time with Michael. Following a trial, the court entered final orders on November 26, 2013, in which the children resided a majority of the time with Heidi.
During their marriage, the parties had a number of disputes that escalated into physical altercations.
In May 2000 Michael was working at Heidi's parent's club when he got into a physical fight with Heidi's brother. Heidi got involved and hit her brother with a chair. Michael was charged with assault in the fourth degree and Heidi was charged with domestic violence assault in the fourth degree. They each pled guilty in exchange for a deferred sentence; the charges were later dismissed.
On July 28, 2000, the parties had an argument during which Heidi broke at least one dish and Michael called 911. Heidi was arrested and charged with domestic violence malicious mischief in the third degree and violation of a protection order. According to the police report, both parties violated protection orders. The record shows that Heidi pled guilty in exchange for a deferred sentence and the charges were later dismissed.
Another incident occurred in August 2009, when the family attended a festival together. The couple's daughter K.G., who was nine years old at the time, started acting out. Heidi grabbed K.G. by the arm and pulled her by the hair toward the campsite.
In 2011, during an altercation between the parties, Michael claimed that after he went into the bathroom and locked the door, Heidi kicked in the door.
On June 14, 2012, Heidi took the children to Moses Lake and filed for dissolution in Grant County Superior Court. On June 27, 2012, Michael moved for a change of venue to King County Superior Court. The court granted the motion and ordered that the children be returned to King County on June 29, 2012. Temporary orders were entered on August 2, 2012, implementing a 50/50 residential schedule if Heidi moved back to King County. Soon thereafter, Heidi returned to King County with the children.
Throughout 2012 and 2013, numerous motions were filed and multiple hearings were held regarding the parenting plan. Following the trial which began on August 19, 2013, the trial court ordered that the children reside a majority of the time with Heidi and granted her sole decision-making authority. The trial court found that Michael had a history of acts of domestic violence but did not impose restrictions on his residential time under the exception in RCW 26.09.191(2)(n). Michael does not appeal this finding but appeals the trial court's failure to find that Heidi also had a history of acts of domestic violence under RCW 26.09.191 and to restrict her residential time and decision-making authority accordingly. Michael also appeals the trial court's valuation of his drum-making business and its subsequent distribution of marital property.
RCW 26.09.191 requires the trial court to restrict a parent's residential time with a child if the court finds that the parent has engaged in "a history of acts of domestic violence." RCW 26.09.191(2)(a)(iii). "Domestic violence" under chapter 26.50 RCW means "Physical harm, bodily injury, assault, or the infliction of fear of imminent physical harm, bodily injury or assault, between family or household members; . . ." RCW 26.50.010(1)(a). "Family or household members" means spouses, domestic partners, former spouses, former domestic partners, . . ." RCW 26.50.010(2).
While RCW 26.09.191 does not define "a history of acts of domestic violence," the phrase excludes "isolated, de minimus incidents which could technically be defined as domestic violence."
Here, the trial court found that:
Michael claims that the trial court erred when it failed to find that Heidi engaged in acts of domestic violence as defined in RCW 26.50.010. He cites in particular the five incidents discussed above:
He further argues that had the trial court properly found these incidents to be acts of domestic violence, then it necessarily would have found that Heidi also engaged in a history of such acts under RCW 26.09.191. He challenges the trial court's legal conclusion and findings of fact, claiming that they are not supported by the evidence in the record.
When the trial court has weighed the evidence, we review the trial court's challenged findings of fact for substantial evidence.
We disagree with Michael's premise that had the trial court determined that the five incidents complained of constituted domestic violence, it necessarily would have found a history of acts of domestic violence. The term "history of acts of domestic violence" was intended to exclude isolated, de minimis incidents which could technically be defined as domestic violence.
Furthermore, the record reveals substantial evidence supporting the trial court's conclusion that, in their totality, Heidi's acts did not rise to the level of a history of acts of domestic violence. Michael is correct that the DVPO entered against Heidi in 1999 is a judicial finding that an act of domestic violence was committed. In addition, the brewery incident in May 2000 technically fell within the definition of domestic violence because the altercation involved Heidi's brother and the use of a chair, from which it may be inferred that the assault caused some bodily injury. But significantly, because the incident was unrelated to the relationship between Heidi and Michael, it is at best unclear whether it reflected a history of acts of domestic violence as to them.
As to the dish and bathroom door incidents, regardless of the domestic violence designation attached to the charges that resulted from these events, the parties disputed the facts in their testimony before the trial court. Regarding the dish incident, Heidi testified that the parties were arguing while she was doing dishes and one of them slipped from her hand, while Michael testified that she threw multiple dishes on the ground and jumped on them. Regarding the bathroom door incident, Michael testified he was in the bathroom when Heidi kicked the door and that he feared for his physical safety. While Heidi admitted to kicking the door, she did not testify that Michael was in the bathroom at the time. We defer to the fact finder on witness credibility and the persuasiveness of the evidence.
While the trial court did not make specific findings about these particular incidents, it is evident that the trial court considered Heidi the more credible of the two. It rejected Michael's assertions that Heidi was the aggressor in these confrontations and that Heidi had placed him in fear of injury or had caused him injury. Instead it found that Michael "was the aggressor in the incidents of violence," that "[h]e injured her," and that "[h]e caused her to be fearful." CP at 1174. The court further found Michael's testimony regarding his marijuana business and his financial dealings incredible and accepted Heidi's testimony on these subjects.
Michael also offered as evidence of domestic violence the incident at the festival in August 2009, in which it was alleged that Heidi grabbed K.G. by the arm and pulled her hair. In its oral ruling, the trial court found that "Ms. Goude did, in fact pull [her daughter] by the hair one night in the campsite." Verbatim Report of Proceedings (VRP) (9/12/13) at 1760. Although the record does not show that the incident resulted in physical harm, bodily injury, or infliction of fear of imminent physical harm, it could technically be considered an "assault" and thus fall within the definition of "domestic violence" under RCW 26.50.010(1). But the trial court evaluated the incident within the context of Heidi's conduct as a whole, and found that while it was one of many examples of "inappropriate social behavior by Ms. Goude," none of it was "assaultive." VRP (9/12/13) at 1762.
We conclude that substantial evidence supports the trial court's finding that Heidi's "behavior is not domestic violence." CP at 1175.
We further note that over the eight-day trial, the court heard from both parties at length and from multiple witnesses, including domestic violence experts. The allegations of domestic violence were fully aired on both sides. The trial court found that Heidi's behavior was not domestic violence, but rather was rooted in response to Michael's physical violence towards her and "a pattern of emotional abuse and . . . tactics of power and control over [her]. This included keeping her from accessing money and finances, asking her parents to keep money from her, and threats to take the children." CP at 1174. Whether a history of acts of domestic violence has been proven is not merely a matter of checking the boxes against RCW 26.50.010, but instead requires consideration of the totality of the circumstances of the affected relationships. The trial court did that in this case. Although the trial court's findings were not set forth with great particularity, our review of the record discloses that the conclusion that Heidi did not engage in a history of acts of domestic violence is supported by the court's findings which are, in turn, supported by substantial evidence.
RCW 26.09.191(2)(a)(ii) requires the limitation of a parent's residential time if it is found that a parent has engaged in . . . physical, . . . abuse of a child.'" Michael alleges that the trial court should have found that Heidi engaged in "`physical . . . abuse of a child" because, in his words, "the trial court expressly found that [Heidi] pulled the oldest child's hair and lifted her off the ground." Br. of Appellant at 27-28. Michael misstates the trial court's actual finding, which was only that Heidi "pull[ed] her [daughter] by the hair." VRP (9/12/13) at 1761. The trial court also found that her behavior was "`not such that [the court] categorize[s] it as domestic violence that would be limited — or required that there be limitations placed upon her in her parenting.'" VRP (9/12/13) at 1763. The record does not show that the single incident rose to the level of "physical . . . abuse of a child."
Because we affirm the trial court's finding that Heidi neither engaged in a history of acts of domestic violence nor committed physical abuse of a child, we also affirm its decisions regarding the residential schedule and parental decision-making. A trial court has broad discretion when crafting a parenting plan, and we review its decision for an abuse of discretion.
If a parent has engaged in "physical, sexual, or a pattern of emotional abuse of a child," or "a history of acts of domestic violence as defined in RCW 26.09.191(b)(c)," the court is required to limit that parent's residential time with the child, unless an exception applies, and cannot require mutual decision-making. RCW 26.09.191(2)(a). A trial court may not impose these limitations or restrictions in a parenting plan in the absence of express findings under RCW 26.09.191.
A court has broad discretion when valuing property in a dissolution action and its valuation will not be reversed on appeal absent a manifest abuse of discretion.
Michael contends that trial court erred in assigning an enterprise value of $25,000 to his drum-making business. He argues that the business's only value is the $2,000-$2,500 that he claimed he had in inventory, and the additional assigned value came from the trial court's assessment of "intangible goodwill." Brief of Appellant at 36-37. According to him, the trial court erred in adding this amount to the value of the business without engaging in the accepted valuation methods for intangible goodwill.
The value of professional goodwill is a question of fact, and "[o]ne or more of the accepted methods of valuation must be employed," to estimate its value.
Heidi submitted an estimate of $25,000 for the business's value.
The trial court found that Michael "[did]n't have all of his records because rats ate them. He ha[d] tax returns, but the tax returns are only based on what he tells the IRS. And frankly, because so much of his business is done in cash, there is inability — or lack of ability for the IRS really to confirm that." VRP (9/12/13) at 1780. The trial court determined that "[t]o the extent there are questions . . . the inferences need to be made against Mr. Goude because of the lack of records."
Michael cannot dispute Heidi's valuation on appeal when he failed to provide any evidence of the business's value,
Both parties ask for fees under RAP 18.1(a) and RCW 26.09.140. Under these statutes, we may award legal fees to a party in a marital dissolution proceeding after "considering the financial resources of both parties." RCW 26.09.140. An appellate court has discretion to order a party to pay the cost of maintaining the appeal, attorneys' fees, and statutory costs.
Affirmed.
APPELWICK and BECKER, Judges, concurs.