IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON In the Matter of the Marriage of TERESA CHIKOORE (n/k/a No. 81123-1-I Teresa Sciarretta), DIVISION ONE Appellant, UNPUBLISHED OPINION and NGONIDZASHE CHIKOORE, Respondent. SMITH, J. — This case involves the marriage dissolution of Teresa Chikoore, n/k/a Teresa Sciarretta, and Ngonidzashe Chikoore,1 the coinciding parenting plan for their daughter, E.C., and Teresa’s petition for relocation. After a trial, the court denied Teresa’s petition to relocate with E.C. to Jalisco, Mexico, determined that E.C. would reside with Ngoni the majority of the time, and denied Teresa’s petition for a permanent restraining order against Ngoni. We hold that the trial court erred in finding that E.C. should not reside with Teresa the majority of the time. The trial court also erred when it denied her relocation petition based on findings that are not supported by substantial evidence. Therefore, we remand for entry of a new parenting plan consistent with this opinion and reverse the order denying Teresa’s relocation petition. In addition, the trial court exhibited bias by relying on an extrajudicial source, and 1Ngonidzashe is referred to as Ngoni below. We therefore refer to him as Ngoni, and for clarity and consistency, we refer to Teresa by her first name. Citations and pin cites are based on the Westlaw online version of the cited material. No. 81123-1-I/2 on remand, the case must be assigned to a different judge to enter the parenting plan and to decide whether Teresa is entitled to a restraining order. FACTS Teresa and Ngoni met in high school, where they dated for several years. They reconnected in 2011 while Teresa lived in Los Angeles, California, and worked at a Pilates studio. At the time, Ngoni lived in Seattle, Washington. In 2012, Teresa moved to Seattle, and she and Ngoni moved into a townhouse, where Teresa opened Pilates Into Life LLC, a Pilates studio. The couple married in March 2013. In December of that year, Teresa had E.C. During that time, Ngoni struggled with alcoholism, leading to an eventual intervention by Teresa’s stepfather and other family and friends. In 2015, Teresa and Ngoni moved out of their townhouse and into a home that Teresa’s mother and stepfather, Karen and Steve Motenko (Motenkos), had purchased. Shortly thereafter, Teresa and Ngoni signed a lease for a larger Pilates studio, and Ngoni became a managing member of Pilates Into Life. Around the same time, Ngoni and Teresa enrolled E.C. in Loyal Heights, a “cooperative preschool.” Because Loyal Heights is a cooperative preschool, one “parent had to attend what [the school] called workdays.” Ngoni attended the workdays every Thursday. Throughout her time growing up in Seattle, E.C. has remained close to both sides of her family. In particular, Ngoni’s mother, Caroleen Chiorah, lives in Seattle, and she and E.C. have a very close bond. Ngoni’s son, L.M., L.M.’s half brother, C.M., and Ngoni’s cousins also live close to Seattle, and E.C. would visit 2 No. 81123-1-I/3 them on a regular basis. Up until 2017, …
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