Catherine Smith
v.
Chad Ragan
Appellee
Catherine Smith
Appellant
Chad Ragan
Attorney for the Appellee
Esther J. Dean
Attorney for the Appellant
Wendy S. Meyer
Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals Opinion
Opinion Number:
Date Published:
Summary
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Muscatine County, Stuart P. Werling, Judge. AFFIRMED AS MODIFIED. Considered by Tabor, C.J., and Chicchelly and Sandy, JJ. Opinion by Tabor, C.J. (11 pages)
Chad Ragan appeals the custody order awarding primary physical care of his seven-year-old son, T.R., to the child’s mother. He argues that the district court erred in not awarding joint physical care. As a fallback position, he contends that his visitation should be increased. OPINION HOLDS: In our de novo review, we agree with the district court’s assessment that it is in T.R.’s best interests to have a more predictable schedule than he has navigated under his parents’ shared-care arrangement. But because the parents agree that T.R. would benefit from more time with his father, we modify the custody order to expand Ragan’s parenting time.