Adrienne Richardson is mother of a child whose custody was the crux of this dispute. After Richardson and her husband divorced, she received primary custody of the child, though the child also stayed with the paternal grandparents at various times. The mother later moved out-of-state with the child, and the father petitioned for modification of the custody arrangement. After the father dropped his request, his parents (the paternal grandparents) sought and received custody of the child based on a Florida statute. On appeal, the First District Court found the statute unconstitutional.