Brown v. Kittle

In this child custody case, the question presented on appeal is whether the trial court erred in vacating an order entered by a juvenile and domestic relations court awarding custody of an illegitimate child to his father. The trial court’s ruling was based upon its finding that the father had come into court with “unclean hands.” The father, John Junior Brown, contends that the “unclean hands” doctrine must give way to the established rule in custody disputes that the welfare and best interests of the child are controlling. We agree and will reverse the order of the trial court entered on…