Department of Human Services v. M. U. L.

380 P.3d 1232, 281 Or. App. 120, 2016 Ore. App. LEXIS 1077
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedSeptember 14, 2016
DocketJ120389; Petition Number 081513LUK1; A156348
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 380 P.3d 1232 (Department of Human Services v. M. U. L.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Department of Human Services v. M. U. L., 380 P.3d 1232, 281 Or. App. 120, 2016 Ore. App. LEXIS 1077 (Or. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

GARRETT, J.

This termination-of-parental-rights case is before us on remand from the Supreme Court, which vacated our earlier decision, Dept. of Human Services v. M. U. L., 270 Or App 343, 347 P3d 364 (2015), vac’d and rem’d, 359 Or 777, 375 P3d 434 (2016) (“M. U. L. I”), and ordered reconsideration in light of Dept. of Human Services v. T. L., 358 Or 679, 369 P3d 1159 (2016).

Our decision in M. U. L. I affirmed the juvenile court’s judgment terminating mother’s parental rights; we also declined to consider mother’s claim that she received inadequate assistance of counsel at her termination trial, reasoning that that claim was unpreserved and could not be raised for the first time on direct appeal. Id. at 349-50. In T. L., the Supreme Court held that an unpreserved inadequate-assistance claim in a dependency case “may be raised in the first instance on direct appeal.” T. L., 358 Or at 703. Accordingly, we now revisit our disposition of mother’s inadequate-assistance claim. For the reasons explained below, we conclude that mother has raised a colorable claim that her counsel was inadequate, but that the existing record does not contain enough information for us to resolve the merits of that claim. We therefore remand to the juvenile court for an evidentiary hearing pursuant to ORS 419B.923 (a remedy contemplated by the Supreme Court in T. L.). Id. In addition, although we adhere to our previous analysis rejecting mother’s other assignments of error, we conclude that the proper disposition is to vacate rather than affirm the judgment of termination.

Mother’s inadequate-assistance claim relates to the appointment of a guardian ad litem (GAL) for mother in her termination case. Mother has a history of mental illness, including bipolar disorder and borderline schizophrenia, and has been intermittently hospitalized since 2002. The termination case concerns mother’s child, A, who was born in 2009. In July 2012, police responded to reports of mother’s incoherent behavior in the presence of A and also became concerned about a lack of food in the family’s home. The juvenile court took jurisdiction over A in October 2012. [123]*123For additional facts pertinent to our decision on remand, we excerpt below from M. U. L. I:

“Following A’s removal, mother was hospitalized in Salem Hospital’s psychiatric unit for about three weeks, initially on an involuntary ‘hold’ and eventually on a voluntary basis. *** Mother was diagnosed with ‘[pjsychotic disorder not otherwise specified (NOS).’
[[Image here]]
“At some point, mother left the hospital. She was arrested and charged with harassment in March 2013, following an incident in which she grabbed and pushed a DHS caseworker. In August 2013, DHS filed a petition to terminate mother’s parental rights to A on grounds of unfitness. Over the course of five days in September and October 2013, mother was arrested twice more on charges of improper use of an emergency reporting system (after mother called 9-1-1 from the Marion County Jail, claiming to need medical attention) and fourth-degree assault (following an altercation in which she shoved, grabbed, and scratched her mother).
“On October 9, 2013, the circuit court found mother unfit to proceed in her criminal matters and ordered her committed to the Oregon State Hospital (OSH). OSH staff concluded that schizophrenia, rather than psychotic disorder NOS, was the most accurate diagnosis. Mother was prescribed antipsychotic and mood-stabilizing medications.
“In the termination proceeding, DHS requested that the juvenile court appoint a GAL for mother in light of the circuit court’s determination that mother was unfit to proceed in her criminal cases. At a hearing on October 25, mother’s attorney objected to the appointment of a GAL, as did mother (testifying by telephone). The juvenile court granted DHS’s motion and appointed a GAL.
“By December 2013, mother had ‘stabilized’ at OSH to the point that she was ‘able to hold conversations.’ On December 20, the juvenile court held a hearing on whether to continue the GAL appointment for mother. DHS requested that the appointment continue, and mother’s attorney did not object. The juvenile court ruled that the GAL appointment would continue.
“Trial occurred in February 2014. At the trial, mother’s treating psychiatrist and an OSH nurse testified that, [124]*124three days earlier, they had determined that mother was able to aid and assist her attorney and had discharged mother from OSH. A DHS caseworker also acknowledged at trial that mother was ‘stable’ at the time. Mother testified at the trial and appeared to understand the questions that she was asked. During the trial, neither mother nor her attorney raised an objection to the continuing appointment of the GAL. At the end of the trial, the juvenile court terminated mother’s parental rights to A.”

270 Or App at 346-47 (brackets in original).

On appeal, mother raises three assignments of error, two of which challenge rulings by the juvenile court. First, mother argues that the juvenile court erred in continuing the GAL appointment after OSH staff determined that mother was competent to aid and assist in her criminal proceedings. In M. U.L. I, we rejected mother’s argument, explaining that mother’s challenge to the continuation of the GAL appointment was not preserved and that no error was plain. M. U.L. 1,270 Or App at 348-49. Critically for our analysis on remand, our basis for concluding that no error was plain was that the juvenile court had not been asked to remove the GAL, and the relevant statute, ORS 419B.237(2), “simply does not support mother’s contention that, in the absence of any ‘request’ by mother or her attorney, the juvenile court had a sua sponte obligation to determine whether the GAL appointment should be terminated.” Id. at 349.

Mother’s second assignment of error asserts that the juvenile court erred in terminating mother’s parental rights. As we previously explained, however, that argument fails because it is predicated entirely on mother’s contention that the juvenile court committed plain error in failing to sua sponte terminate the GAL appointment. Id.

Mother’s third and final assignment of error is that her counsel in the termination proceeding was constitutionally inadequate for failing to seek removal of the GAL. Mother argues that her claim, although unpreserved, is properly raised under State ex rel Juv. Dept. v. Geist, 310 Or 176, 796 P2d 1193 (1990) (allowing for challenge to adequacy of dependency counsel on direct appeal even where [125]*125argument was not preserved). Our decision in M.U.L. I summarily disposed of that argument on the ground that it was barred by our decision in Dept. of Human Services v. T L., 269 Or App 454, 344 P3d 1123 (2015), rev’d and rem’d, 358 Or 679, 369 P3d 1159 (2016). We held in T L. that, because ORS 419B.923, enacted after Geist,

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Dept. of Human Services v. T. M. S.
344 Or. App. 447 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2025)
Dept. of Human Services v. J. J.
340 Or. App. 50 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2025)
Dept. of Human Services v. L. J.
324 Or. App. 90 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2023)
Dept. of Human Services v. S. L. M.
321 Or. App. 111 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2022)
Dept. of Human Services v. C. M. W.
453 P.3d 628 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2019)
Dep't of Human Servs. v. M. E. (In re J. R.)
441 P.3d 713 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2019)
Dep't of Human Servs. v. P. W. (In re Z. S. H.)
439 P.3d 1042 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2019)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
380 P.3d 1232, 281 Or. App. 120, 2016 Ore. App. LEXIS 1077, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/department-of-human-services-v-m-u-l-orctapp-2016.