Chaffin

Appellant Lynda Mae Chaffin contests an order awarding custody of her two daughters to her parents, respondents Jessie and Mary Frye.

Appellant and Elbe Chaffin married in Seattle, Washington, in October 1959 and had two children, Tracy, born April 1960, and Rachelle, born July 1962. Elbe obtained a default divorce from appellant in Idaho in August 1962, the Idaho court awarding custody of the two children to appellant and requiring Elbe to pay $120 per month child support. Appellant and her children lived with respondents in the State of Washington until appellant moved to California in 1968. The children continued to live with respondents except when they visited appellant during summer vacations. In 1969 the Idaho court modified its divorce judgment to award custody of the children to respondents and ordered Elbe to pay the monthly child support to them.

In August 1973 while the children were visiting appellant during summer vacation, she petitioned the superior court in Los Angeles to establish the Idaho divorce judgment as a California judgment and award custody of the children to her. She alleged that the 1969 Idaho modification of custody had been made without…