Earls v. Earls

PHILLIP R. GARRISON, Presiding Judge.

This is an appeal from a judgment dismissing an application filed by James David Earls (“Father”) to hold Beverly Lea Earls (“Mother”) in contempt of court for enrolling their son, J.C.E. (“J.C.E.”), in the Marshfield, Missouri public schools without Father’s consent.

The decree dissolving the marriage of Father and Mother, entered in 1997, provided that the parties would have joint legal custody of J.C.E., with Mother to have primary physical custody subject to Father’s specified visitation privileges. When that decree was entered, J.C.E. was then seven…