Marte v. Oliveras

The opinion of the court was delivered by

ALLEY, J.A.D.

Plaintiff and defendant were married in 1977 and had a daughter, Teresa Marte, in 1978. When they were divorced shortly thereafter, defendant obtained custody of Teresa. Plaintiff and his witnesses maintained that he visited Teresa and paid child support, but according to defendant, plaintiff rarely made support payments and did not spend much time with his daughter. Plaintiff remarried and had two other daughters. Defendant also remarried and had a son.

Teresa underwent a life-changing experience in 1988, on the day of her First Communion,…