Anne H. v. Michael B.

I. BACKGROUND

At the time of L.’s birth in 2009, Mother and Father were unmarried members of the armed services. Within a year after the birth, Father left the service, moved into Mother’s home in the Bay Area, where she was attending law school as a member of the military, and began attending graduate school himself. Father eventually finished school and found a job in the Bay Area. During this time, each parent spent occasional, relatively brief periods away from the home, leaving L. in the sole care of the other parent, assisted by members of Mother’s family, particularly her parents and sister. In August 2012, after completing law school, Mother was posted to Georgia. Mother and Father agreed that L. would remain with Father on a temporary basis, while they worked toward a more permanent custody arrangement. Father filed a petition in Santa Clara County Superior Court to gain full custody of L. in February 2013. Mother thereafter filed this paternity action in San Mateo County, and the parties stipulated to dismiss Father’s action. Eventually, following a three-day trial, Judge Richard DuBois issued a 20-page statement of decision (custody order) in August 2014, awarding the…