Crone, J.
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As an initial matter, Wife concedes that trial courts generally have the authority to grant visitation to a stepparent in a dissolution action, but she argues that the trial court here lacked such authority because the Marion Circuit Court had previously entered a judgment concerning the support, custody, and parenting time of L.O. Wife is referring to the 2006 order establishing the paternity of L.O. in Biological Father and granting Wife custody of L.O. with parenting time to be determined by agreement of the parties. Wife asserts that the dissolution court’s current visitation order conflicts with the paternity order regarding L.O.
Wife is correct that the dissolution court did not have the authority to adjudicate any matters of custody or parenting time between Wife and Biological Father that were already determined in the paternity case. See generally In re Marriage of Dall, 681 N.E.2d 718, 723 (Ind. Ct. App. 1997) (dissolution decree can only adjudicate rights of divorcing couple; court has no authority to affect the interests of nonparties). However, the dissolution court did not do so. The paternity court’s prior order adjudicated support, custody, and parenting time of L.O. as between Wife and Biological Father. The dissolution court’s current order adjudicates visitation of L.O. as between Wife and Husband as part of the dissolution of their marriage. The matters addressed in each order are wholly separate, and there is no conflict between the orders. Husband’s exercise of his right to visitation with L.O. may be only to the detriment of Wife’s custodial time with L.O. pursuant to the dissolution decree. Although the dissolution court found that Biological Father does not currently exercise any parenting time with L.O., the court’s visitation order in no way deprives Biological Father of his right or ability to do so.3 We conclude that the dissolution court had authority to grant visitation rights to Husband as a stepparent.
Having determined that the dissolution court had authority to enter a visitation order, and because there is no serious dispute that Husband has established a custodial and parental relationship with L.O., we turn to whether the evidence and reasonable inferences therefrom support the trial court’s ruling that the visitation order is in L.O.’s best interests. [Footnote omitted.] The record indicates that Husband has provided financial, emotional, physical, and educational support to L.O. for almost eight years. He came into her life when she was only two years old, and he is essentially the only father that she has ever known. She has always referred to him as “dad” or “daddy.” Tr. at 17. There is no question that L.O. has an interest in maintaining a relationship with someone who has acted in such a significant parental capacity in her life. Moreover, the trial court’s visitation order takes into account that Husband has been awarded sole legal and physical custody of W.R. The visitation order provides for L.O. to spend time with her half-brother, W.R., on the weekends that he is also with Husband. These children have grown up together, and, going forward, it is in both of their best interests to continue to spend time together. The evidence and reasonable inferences support the trial court’s finding that visitation with Husband is in L.O.’s best interests, and Wife has not shown that the trial court abused its discretion.
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Affirmed.
Brown, J., and Pyle, J., concur.