Melbourne v. Neal or Melbourne v. Taylor

Facts

Melbourne and Taylor were married and living together when their daughter was born on May 11, 2012. They later filed for divorce. Following the divorce, Melbourne filed the name change application for the daughter and testifies that she wished to change the child’s last name to hers in order to avoid what had been a recurring problem where someone assumed, incorrectly, that she and the child had the same last name and she was temporarily hindered as the custodial parent. Taylor testified that he opposed the name change because he and Melbourne agreed that Melbourne would pick their daughter’s first/middle names and that the child would hear his last name. Taylor also testified that he made an effort to be a part of the child’s life but was stalled by Melbourne, while Melbourne testified that he had not manifested a continuing interest in the child (no calls, emails, or other contact in order to facilitate a father-daughter relationship). Taylor also testified that if the child’s name was changed he would not treat his daughter any differently, but that he thought their relationship would be diminished if her last name was changed.