McCready v. McCready

McAULIFFE, Judge.

This child custody case requires consideration of the interaction between concepts of “best interest of the child” and “material change of circumstances,” and our determination of whether the chancellor abused his discretion by ordering a modification of an existing custody order.

I

Barbara J. McCready and Timothy M. McCready were married in 1983, when they were eighteen and twenty, respectively. A female child, Erin, was born on 26 February 1985. They were separated ten months later. Initially, by unwritten agreement of the parents, they continued joint legal custody, and the…