Doyle v. Texas Department of Protective & Regulatory Services

16 S.W.3d 390, 2000 WL 217940
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 3, 2000
Docket08-99-00037-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by173 cases

This text of 16 S.W.3d 390 (Doyle v. Texas Department of Protective & Regulatory Services) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Doyle v. Texas Department of Protective & Regulatory Services, 16 S.W.3d 390, 2000 WL 217940 (Tex. Ct. App. 2000).

Opinion

OPINION

ANN CRAWFORD McCLURE, Justice.

“Now this Court is faced with the question of, should a person sell their parental rights for a monthly adoption subsidy? And what price should a person put on their parental rights?”

With these words, trial counsel for Joyce Marie Doyle set the stage in defense of this suit to terminate her parental rights to T.D. and J.D., two of her four children. Finding the evidence legally insufficient to support termination under either of the statutory grounds enunciated in the trial court’s order, we reverse and render.

FACTUAL SUMMARY

Doyle is the mother of four children, eighteen-year-old L.D., seventeen-year-old P.D., sixteen-year-old T.D., and fourteen-year-old J.D. 1 After L.D. alleged in September 1995 that Doyle had physically abused her, the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services (“Department”) became involved with this family. Although that allegation was not validated, the Department validated a subsequent complaint the next month involving extensive bruises on L.D. which were likely caused by a belt. The Department removed L.D. from the home at that time, but it did not attempt removal of the other children because there was no concern that Doyle would harm them.

*393 During the course of the next three years, all four children were removed and placed outside of the home due to allegations of physical abuse and neglect, and concerns about Doyle’s purported alcoholism. Doyle complied with some aspects of the service plan designed for family preservation, but ultimately, the Department was unable to reunify the family due to Doyle’s alleged failure to provide a stable home.

T.D. and J.D. were eventually placed with a maternal niece in St. Louis, Missouri. The children adjusted well to that placement and the niece agreed to not only provide for the children’s needs until they reach eighteen years of age but also to adopt the children. The niece additionally agreed to allow Doyle contact with the children so that the familial bond was not broken. On November 10, 1998 2 , the Department filed suit for termination of Doyle’s parental rights to T.D. and J.D. on the grounds of physical and emotional endangerment. 3 See Tex.Fam.Code Ann. § 161.00100(D), (E)(Vemon Supp.2000). Following a bench trial, Doyle’s parental rights to T.D. and J.D. were terminated. 4

SUFFICIENCY OF THE EVIDENCE

In her sole issue for review, Doyle complains that the evidence is legally and factually insufficient to establish the statutory requisites for involuntary termination. The natural right that exists between parents and their children is one of constitutional dimension. Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205, 92 S.Ct. 1526, 32 L.Ed.2d 15 (1972); Clark v. Dearen,

715 S.W.2d 364, 366 (Tex.App. — Houston [1st Dist.] 1986, no writ). For this reason, statutes authorizing involuntary termination are construed in favor of the parent and any effort by the State to terminate the relationship is strictly scrutinized. Holick v. Smith, 685 S.W.2d 18, 20 (Tex.1985); Ybarra v. Texas Department of Human Services, 869 S.W.2d 574, 576 (Tex.App. — Corpus Christi 1993, no writ); Clark, 715 S.W.2d at 368. Section 161.001 of the Texas Family Code sets forth the grounds upon which the court may involuntarily terminate a parent-child relationship. Tex.Fam.Code Ann. § 161.001. Relevant to this appeal, Section 161.001(1) allows termination if the parent has:

(D) knowingly placed or knowingly allowed the child to remain in conditions or surroundings which endanger the physical or emotional well-being of the child;
(E) engaged in conduct or knowingly placed the child with persons who engaged in conduct which endangers the physical or emotional well-being of the child.

Tex.Fam.Code Ann. § 161.001(1)(D), (E).

In addition to establishing one or more of the grounds under Section 161.001(1), the petitioner must establish that termination is in the best interest of the child. Tex.Fam.Code Ann. § 161.001(2). Each of these elements must be established by clear and convincing evidence. Tex.Fam.Code Ann. *394 § 161.001; see Holick, 685 S.W.2d at 20; In the Interest of B.R., 950 S.W.2d 113, 117 (Tex.App. — El Paso 1997, no writ). “Clear and convincing evidence” means the measure or degree of proof that will produce in the mind of the trier of fact a firm belief or conviction as to the truth of the allegations sought to be established. Tex. Fam.Code Ann. § 101.007 (Vernon 1996); B.R., 950 S.W.2d at 117. It is an intermediate standard of proof, falling between the preponderance standard of ordinary civil proceedings and the reasonable doubt standard of criminal proceedings. B.R., 950 S.W.2d at 117. In this case, the trial court found the evidence sufficient on both of the alleged grounds. Therefore, we will affirm if legally and factually sufficient evidence supports either of those two grounds and the finding that termination is in the best interest of the children.

Standard of Review

A “no evidence” or legal insufficiency point is a question of law which challenges the legal sufficiency of the evidence to support a particular fact finding. There are basically two separate “no evidence” claims. When the party having the burden of proof suffers an unfavorable finding, the point of error challenging the legal sufficiency of the evidence should be that the fact or issue was established as “a matter of law”. When the party without the burden of proof suffers an unfavorable finding, the challenge on appeal is one of “no evidence to support the finding”. See Creative Manufacturing, Inc. v. Unik, 726 S.W.2d 207 (Tex.App. — Fort Worth 1987, no writ).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
16 S.W.3d 390, 2000 WL 217940, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/doyle-v-texas-department-of-protective-regulatory-services-texapp-2000.