In Re AIG

135 S.W.3d 687, 2003 WL 1611426
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 31, 2003
Docket04-02-00849-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 135 S.W.3d 687 (In Re AIG) 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
In Re AIG, 135 S.W.3d 687, 2003 WL 1611426 (Tex. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinion

135 S.W.3d 687 (2003)

In the Interest of A.I.G. and
J.A.M., children.

No. 04-02-00849-CV.

Court of Appeals of Texas, San Antonio.

March 31, 2003.

*689 Grace G. Kunde, Knobles & Klingemann, Inc., Seguin, for appellant.

Lana S. Shadwick, Houston, William Old, Austin, for appellee.

Elizabeth C. Jandt, Jandt & Jandt, Seguin, for ad litem.

Sitting: CATHERINE STONE, Justice, SARAH B. DUNCAN, Justice, SANDEE BRYAN MARION, Justice.

OPINION

Opinion by: CATHERINE STONE, Justice.

This is an accelerated appeal from an order terminating Appellant Michelle Garza's parental rights to her two children, A.I.G. and J.A.M. The Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services ("TDPRS") sued to involuntarily terminate the parental rights of Garza and George Martinez, J.A.M.'s father. We affirm.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

According to Garza and Martinez, who were present the afternoon J.A.M. was rushed to the hospital, when Martinez returned home from work, he and Garza immediately started to argue. They argued for about thirty minutes before Garza left for work. J.A.M. was fussy, but Martinez prepared a bottle after Garza left. Martinez claimed that when J.A.M.'s crying grew louder, he placed her in the baby bouncer. He said he shook the bouncer hard, she continued crying, and he went to the kitchen to get her bottle. He claims *690 that when he returned from the kitchen, J.A.M. was seizing. As he picked her up, she had a bowel movement and stopped breathing. Martinez ran outside to call Garza, who was walking to work. Garza returned to the apartment, and the couple performed CPR on J.A.M. An ambulance responded to their call and transported J.A.M. to the hospital.

CT scans revealed that J.A.M. had multiple hemorrhages in her brain and eyes and had suffered a stroke. The effects of this abuse are catastrophic. J.A.M. now has cerebral palsy. Her bones will continue to grow, but her muscles will not due to lack of use. Her muscles will tighten to the point where they can actually pull the bones out of their sockets. She will never be able to walk, talk, see clearly, pottytrain, or understand her surroundings. She will be in constant pain and suffer seizures for the rest of her unnaturally shortened life.[1]

TDPRS alleged that J.A.M. suffered abuse at the hands of both of her parents and presented evidence that J.A.M. suffered from Shaken Baby Syndrome. After a bench trial, the trial court found clear and convincing evidence that Garza and Martinez engaged in conduct or knowingly placed the children with persons who engaged in conduct which endangered the physical or emotional well-being of the children. The court also found clear and convincing evidence that termination of Garza and Martinez's parent-child relationship was in the best interests of both A.I.G. and J.A.M. The court therefore granted TDPRS' request to terminate the parental rights of Garza and Martinez. The trial court also terminated the parental rights of Isaac Antunez, A.I.G.'s father, based on his executed waiver of interest. Garza alone appeals the termination order.

SUFFICIENCY CHALLENGES TO ENDANGERMENT FINDINGS

In proceedings to terminate the parent-child relationship under section 161.001 of the Texas Family Code, the State must establish one or more acts or omissions enumerated under subsection (1), and must additionally prove that termination of the parent-child relationship is in the best interest of the child. See TEX. FAM.CODE ANN. § 161.001 (Vernon 2002). Because termination of parental rights is such a drastic remedy involving fundamental constitutional rights, both the grounds for involuntary termination and the best interest of the child must be proved by clear and convincing evidence. See In the Interest of C.H., 89 S.W.3d 17, 25 (Tex. 2002). Clear and convincing evidence is defined as the 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 proved. See id.

Garza claims error on three grounds. First, she contends that TDPRS presented legally and factually insufficient evidence to support a finding by clear and convincing evidence that she endangered the well-being of her children or knowingly placed them with persons who endangered their well-being. In cases such as the instant case where no findings of fact are filed, the judgment of the trial court must be affirmed if it can be upheld on any legal theory that finds support in the evidence. In the Interest of W.E.R., 669 S.W.2d 716, 717 (Tex.1984).

"The distinction between legal and factual sufficiency when the burden of proof is clear and convincing evidence may be a fine one in some cases, but there is a distinction in how the evidence is reviewed." *691 In the Interest of J.F.C., 96 S.W.3d 256, 266 (Tex.2002). When reviewing for legal sufficiency, a court should look at all the evidence in the light most favorable to the finding to determine whether a reasonable trier of fact could have formed a firm belief or conviction that its finding was true. Id. "To give appropriate deference to the factfinder's conclusions and the role of a court conducting a legal sufficiency review, looking at the evidence in the light most favorable to the judgment means that a reviewing court must assume that the factfinder resolved disputed facts in favor of its finding if a reasonable factfinder could do so." Id.

In a factual sufficiency review, we determine whether the factfinder could reasonably form a firm belief or conviction based on the evidence about the truth of the State's allegations. Id. If, in light of the entire record, the disputed evidence that a reasonable factfinder could not have credited in favor of the finding is so significant that a factfinder could not reasonably have formed a firm belief or conviction, then the evidence is factually insufficient. Id.

As evidence that Garza endangered the children, TDPRS presented the testimony of Maureen Watson, a detective with the Seguin police department, who testified that Garza admitted to shaking J.A.M. Garza's sworn statement that she shook J.A.M. "about five times" was admitted at trial. Although Garza testified that she felt coerced into making the statement and denied ever shaking J.A.M., Garza's mother, Aida Trevino, testified that she had seen Garza shake A.I.G. Trevino also testified that she witnessed both Garza and Martinez being "rough" with the children. TDPRS also introduced evidence that Garza suffered from depression, received prescription medicine to treat her depression, and had better anger management skills when she took that medicine. However, Garza testified that she stopped taking the medicine after only a few months, and that her temper became worse at that time.

As evidence that Garza knowingly placed the children with persons whose conduct endangered them, TDPRS presented the testimony of Jared Speights, an investigative caseworker with Child Protective Services. Speights testified that Garza knew Martinez was rough with the children before the day J.A.M. was taken to the hospital.

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Related

Darryl Hampton v. Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services
138 S.W.3d 564 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2004)
Hampton v. TX DEPT. PROTECTIVE & REG. SERV.
138 S.W.3d 564 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2004)

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Bluebook (online)
135 S.W.3d 687, 2003 WL 1611426, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-aig-texapp-2003.