In Re AP

42 S.W.3d 248, 2001 WL 206015
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 28, 2001
Docket10-00-00105-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 42 S.W.3d 248 (In Re AP) 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 AP, 42 S.W.3d 248, 2001 WL 206015 (Tex. Ct. App. 2001).

Opinion

42 S.W.3d 248 (2001)

In the Interest of A.P. and I.P., Minor Children.

No. 10-00-00105-CV.

Court of Appeals of Texas, Waco.

February 28, 2001.

*252 Robert C. Dunn, Corsicana, for appellant.

Cathren Page Koehlert, Texas Dept. of Protective and Regulatory Services Austin, William L. Smith, Corsicana, for A.P. and I.P., Minor Children.

Before Chief Justice DAVIS, Justice VANCE, and Justice GRAY.

OPINION

VANCE, Justice.

Daniel Peddicord and Natalie Conner had two children who were removed from their home by workers from the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services-Child Protective Services *253 ("CPS") after Daniel and Natalie were arrested on felonies. Daniel was later imprisoned. CPS workers believed the conditions at home endangered the children. After attempts failed over the next year to remedy these conditions, CPS filed a petition to terminate Daniel's and Natalie's parental rights. Natalie relinquished her rights by affidavit. Daniel proceeded to jury trial, after which his rights were terminated.

Daniel complains on appeal that: (1) there was insufficient evidence to support the jury's answers to the three questions which resulted in the termination of his rights, and (2) testimony of statements made by the children was improperly admitted. We will affirm.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Daniel and Natalie lived in a trailer with their son, I.P., age four, and their daughter, A.P., age five and one-half. Natalie's other daughter, S.C., almost seven, also lived with them. The location of S.C.'s father is unknown.

In February of 1997, CPS was called to the home by the Navarro County Sheriff's Department because Daniel and Natalie were being arrested on stolen-property and drug charges. When the CPS worker arrived, she found the inside of the trailer to be virtually uninhabitable and dangerous, with no working toilet or bathtub, one bed for five people, trash and garbage strewn about, exposed electrical wires, holes in the ceiling and floor, and heat from only a heater connected to a small butane tank. I.P. and A.P. were in the trailer. They had not eaten or bathed for a considerable period of time and had lice. I.P. told the CPS worker he smoked marijuana his daddy gave him.

S.C. was retrieved from school by CPS. Although the oldest child, she appeared to be the youngest, being very small for her age, possibly as a result of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

All three children were taken into custody by CPS, and were eventually placed in foster care. On March 3, 1997, CPS filed a petition and obtained an emergency order appointing CPS as temporary managing conservator of the three children. A hearing on temporary orders was held on March 7. At the hearing, it was revealed that CPS had files dating back to 1993 regarding incidents involving medical and physical neglect of all three children, and conditions similar to the ones just discovered. The court appointed CPS the temporary managing conservator of the children, and appointed Natalie and Daniel temporary possessory conservators.

Over the next few months, CPS developed Child's Service Plans and worked with Natalie to make changes necessary for the eventual return of the children. Several review and status hearings were held by the court. However, Natalie refused to comply with the service plans. Daniel, who had been in jail, was eventually convicted on January 22, 1998, of four home burglaries and sentenced to ten years in prison. Meanwhile, the children lingered in foster care. Finally, in January of 1998, the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services filed an amended petition to terminate Daniel's and Natalie's parental rights.

Natalie eventually signed affidavits on April 2, 1999, to relinquish her parental rights to all three children. A Judgment of Termination was signed on July 26. Daniel continued to assert his parental rights to I.P. and A.P., and a jury trial was held January 10-12, 2000. The jury returned its verdict, finding by clear and convincing evidence that: (1) Daniel knowingly placed or allowed the children to *254 remain in conditions or surroundings which endangered their physical or emotional well-being; (2) Daniel 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; (3) the termination of Daniel's parental rights would be in the best interest of the children.

At the conclusion of trial, Daniel's lawyer approached the bench and the following exchange occurred:

Ms. Glicksman: Your honor, I had requested that I might—
The Court: Oh, yeah. Excuse Me.
Court Reporter: Do you—all want this on the record?
The Court: No. No, it doesn't have to.

Presumably the lawyer requested to withdraw, because when the Order of Termination was signed on January 24, 2000, Daniel filed a pro-se "Motion to Appeal," requesting an appeal and based on indigency, appointment of a lawyer, which was granted on February 3, ten days after the final order.

ISSUE: SUFFICIENCY OF THE EVIDENCE

Termination of parental rights is governed by Tex. Fam.Code Ann. §§ 161.001-.211 (Vernon Supp.2001). As alleged in this case, Daniel's rights could be terminated if the jury determined by "clear and convincing evidence":

(1) that 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; [or]
(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;
* * *

and

(2) that termination is in the best interest of the child.

Tex. Fam.Code Ann. § 161.001 (Vernon 1996 and Supp.2001). If a jury found that Daniel violated either "D" or "E," and that termination was in the children's best interest, the court could terminate his rights. The jury's findings must be by clear and convincing evidence. Id., §§ 161.001, 161.206(a). Clear and convincing evidence means "that measure or degree of proof which 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." Spangler v. Texas Dept. of Regulatory Services, 962 S.W.2d 253, 256 (Tex. App.-Waco 1998, no pet.); Leal v. Dept. of Protective and Regulatory Services, 25 S.W.3d 315, 319 (Tex.App.-Austin 2000, no pet.).

Preservation and Review of the Complaint

At the outset we note that Daniel failed to preserve his sufficiency complaint. Normally, we do not review complaints in civil jury trials unless they have been preserved in the trial court.[1] Tex.R.App. P. 33.1. However, there is precedent for reviewing an unpreserved sufficiency complaint *255 in an involuntary termination case. In Interest of S.R.M., 601 S.W.2d 766

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Bluebook (online)
42 S.W.3d 248, 2001 WL 206015, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-ap-texapp-2001.