In Re Dependency of TCCB

158 P.3d 1251
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedMay 29, 2007
Docket58086-8-I
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 158 P.3d 1251 (In Re Dependency of TCCB) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Dependency of TCCB, 158 P.3d 1251 (Wash. Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

158 P.3d 1251 (2007)

In re the DEPENDENCY OF T.C.C.B., [DOB: 01/03/94], Minor Child.

No. 58086-8-I.

Court of Appeals of Washington, Division 1.

May 29, 2007.

*1252 Dana M. Lind, Nielsen Broman & Koch PLLC, Seattle, WA, for Appellant.

Teresa Bowles Otsubo, Attorney General's Office, Everett, WA, Christian Williams, Attorney Generals Office, Seattle, WA, for Respondent.

PUBLISHED IN PART

COX, J.

¶ 1 Michelle Bryant challenges the constitutionality of RCW 13.34.180 and 13.34.190, statutes governing termination of the parent and child relationship. The trial court terminated her parental rights to her daughter, T.C.C.B. She also asserts there was insufficient evidence to find that continuation of the parent-child relationship diminished T.C.C.B.'s prospects for early integration into a stable and permanent home. Finally, she contends that the trial court erred when it concluded that termination was in T.C.C.B.'s best interests. Because Bryant fails in her burden to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that these statutes are unconstitutional, we reject her constitutional claim. There being no other basis to overturn the trial court's order, we affirm.

¶ 2 T.C.C.B. was born in 1994. Her biological parents are Michelle Bryant and David Blaine. T.C.C.B. is the youngest of Bryant's four children. In the first four years of T.C.C.B.'s life, she lived in a home where there was constant chaos, violence, and aggression. During this time, the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) received 48 referrals regarding Bryant and her children. Four of these referrals were determined to be founded based on failure to protect T.C.C.B.

*1253 ¶ 3 In August of 1998, Bryant voluntarily placed T.C.C.B. in foster care. While in foster care, T.C.C.B. disclosed that her stepfather and brother had molested her. Bryant initially did not believe the allegations. DSHS removed T.C.C.B. from her mother's care and filed a dependency petition. In October, Bryant agreed to entry of an order of dependency, and T.C.C.B. was found to be dependent.

¶ 4 A sexual deviancy evaluation of T.C.C.B.'s stepfather did not substantiate the sexual abuse allegations. T.C.C.B. returned to Bryant's home in August of 1999. T.C.C.B. participated in a number of programs offered by DSHS for learning and behaviorally disordered children because she had a significant number of inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive behaviors.

¶ 5 Dr. Robert Fleming diagnosed T.C.C.B. with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Learning Disorder, Mild Mental Retardation, as well as other disorders. The RAD disorder prevents T.C.C.B. from establishing normal attachments to others. She often has outbursts and can become physically violent.

¶ 6 In January of 2002, T.C.C.B. disclosed that her two brothers and her stepfather's younger brother had sexually molested her. DSHS placed T.C.C.B. in out-of-home care for the second time. T.C.C.B. has been in numerous foster homes because of her extreme behaviors. In 2005, she was placed in Ryther Child Center, a group facility for emotionally and behaviorally disturbed children. She currently resides there.

¶ 7 Bryant has a long history of being emotionally or financially dependent on men. She has had relationships with several men who have engaged in sexual offenses, including T.C.C.B.'s father. She also has been with men who have had drug and alcohol problems. Bryant suffers from depression, anxiety, and borderline personality disorder.

¶ 8 DSHS has offered Bryant an extensive number of services beginning in 1994. Bryant often placed her children in respite care. In 1998, Bryant began individual mental health counseling and medication management. She continued to participate in a number of programs, including Interactive Parenting classes, biblical parenting from a local church, and SECURE training which is a program that teaches how to safely and securely hold T.C.C.B. when she is out of control.

¶ 9 The court ordered Bryant to engage in psychotherapy. The court also ordered her to engage in an expanded drug and alcohol evaluation and participate in a random monitored urinalysis (UA) program. She did not participate in random UAs and failed to participate in other services.

¶ 10 The court allowed Bryant supervised visits with T.C.C.B. intermittently from 2002 to 2004. However, Bryant often canceled scheduled visits or failed to show up.

¶ 11 The court terminated T.C.C.B.'s father's rights in 2004, which he did not appeal. In 2005, DSHS petitioned for termination of Bryant's parental rights to T.C.C.B. The court terminated Bryant's parental rights to T.C.C.B.

¶ 12 Bryant appeals.

CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE

¶ 13 Bryant argues that RCW 13.34.180 and 13.34.190 are unconstitutional because they regulate a fundamental right but are not narrowly drawn to achieve a compelling state interest. Applying a strict scrutiny standard to this case, we hold that these statutes are not unconstitutional.

¶ 14 Parents have a fundamental right in the care and custody of their children.[1] However, this right is not absolute.[2] We review termination statutes under the strict scrutiny standard because a parent's right to raise his or her children without State interference is a constitutionally protected *1254 fundamental liberty interest.[3] When a statute allows the State to interfere with a fundamental right, it is constitutional "only if the State can show that it has a compelling interest and such interference is narrowly drawn to meet the compelling state interest involved."[4] In termination proceedings, the State has a compelling interest in preventing harm or the risk of harm to the child.[5]

¶ 15 A statute is presumed constitutional, and the party challenging it has the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that it is unconstitutional.[6] Whether a statute is unconstitutional is a question of law that we review de novo.[7]

¶ 16 One asserting a facial challenge to a statute must also prove "no set of circumstances exists in which the statute, as currently written, can be constitutionally applied."[8]

¶ 17 Bryant does not appear to contest that the State has a compelling interest in preventing either harm or the risk of harm to a child. Either is constitutionally sufficient.[9] Rather, she bases her argument on the assertion that the termination statutes are not narrowly tailored to achieve that compelling interest. Specifically, she argues that the statutes lack the necessary means-ends fit because they do not require "only that degree of regulation" to prevent harm or the risk of harm to the child.[10]

¶ 18 We considered a very similar argument in Dependency of I.J.S.[11] Division Two of the Court of Appeals addressed this type of challenge further in Welfare of C.B.[12]

¶ 19 In I.J.S., the parents challenged the constitutionality of the termination statutes, asserting that the statutes do not require the State to prove that the relationship with the parent harms the child.[13]

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

Related

In The Matter Of The Parental Rights To M.l.s.
Court of Appeals of Washington, 2025
In Re The Welfare Of: B.D.B.B.
Court of Appeals of Washington, 2021
In Re The Dependency Of M-a.f-s.
Court of Appeals of Washington, 2018
Franks v. State (In re M.-A.F.-S.)
421 P.3d 482 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2018)
Llamas (Steven) v. State
Nevada Supreme Court, 2015
In re the Welfare of L.N.B.-L.
157 Wash. App. 215 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2010)
In Re Welfare of Lnb-L
234 P.3d 311 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2010)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
158 P.3d 1251, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-dependency-of-tccb-washctapp-2007.