In Re Doe 3

19 S.W.3d 300, 43 Tex. Sup. Ct. J. 508, 2000 Tex. LEXIS 26, 2000 WL 276114
CourtTexas Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 13, 2000
Docket00-0193
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 19 S.W.3d 300 (In Re Doe 3) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Texas Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Doe 3, 19 S.W.3d 300, 43 Tex. Sup. Ct. J. 508, 2000 Tex. LEXIS 26, 2000 WL 276114 (Tex. 2000).

Opinions

PER CURIAM.

Jane Doe, a minor, applied to a trial court for an order authorizing her to consent to an abortion without notifying either of her parents pursuant to section 33.003 of the Family Code. The trial court denied her application, and the court of appeals affirmed that judgment. Chief Justice Phillips, Justice Hecht, Justice Owen, Justice Abbot and Justice Gonzales would hold that Doe did not establish as a matter of law that she was sufficiently mature and well informed to make the decision to have an abortion without notification of either of her parents, and that she did not establish as a matter of law that notification may lead to her physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. Because the hearing in the trial court occurred on the second business day [301]*301after this Court issued its decision in In re Jane Doe, 19 S.W.3d 249 (Tex.2000) (Doe 1), Chief Justice Phillips and Justice Gonzales would vacate the court of appeals’ judgment and remand this matter to the trial court in the interest of justice. Justice Enoch, Justice BakeR, Justice Han-kinson, and Justice O’Neill would conclude that Doe proved emotional abuse as a matter of law. Although they would render judgment for Doe, Justice Enoch, Justice BakeR, Justice Hankinson, and Justice O’Neill join Chief Justice Phillips and Justice Gonzales in setting aside the court of appeals’ judgment.

Accordingly, the judgments of the court of appeals and the trial court are set aside and this matter is remanded to the trial court for further proceedings. See Twyman v. Twyman, 855 S.W.2d 619, 622 n. 4, 626 (Tex.1993) (reversing the court of appeals’ judgment and granting the lesser relief when a majority of the Court did not agree on either remand or rendition). The proceedings in the trial court must be concluded as if Doe’s application had been filed the next business day after this opinion issues. In the event that Doe requires additional time after the issuance of this opinion to prepare for a hearing, she may request an extension of time. See Tex. Fam.Code § 33.003(h).

Justice GONZALES delivered an opinion concurring in the judgment, in which Chief Justice PHILLIPS joined, and in which Justice OWEN joined in Parts I and II.

I

Doe is pregnant, unmarried, and under the age of eighteen. Texas law provides that a physician may not perform an abortion on an unemancipated minor unless the physician gives forty-eight hours notice to one of her parents or her guardian, with certain exceptions. See Tex. Fam.Code § 33.002(a). Among those exceptions is the right of the minor to apply to a court for an order authorizing her to consent to an abortion.

There are three possible bases on which a trial court could grant such an application. See Tex. Fam.Code § 33.003(i). The trial court is directed by the Family Code to determine by a preponderance of the evidence:

whether the minor is mature and sufficiently well informed to make the decision to have an abortion performed without notification to either of her parents or a managing conservator or guardian, [2] whether notification would not be in the best interest of the minor, or [3] whether notification may lead to physical, sexual, or emotional abuse of the minor.

Id.

Doe’s application to the trial court asserted that all three grounds were present, except that she did not assert that notification may lead to her sexual abuse. In accordance with section 33.003(e) of the Family Code, the trial court appointed an attorney to represent Doe and also appointed a guardian ad litem. A hearing was held at which Doe testified in response to questions from her attorney, her ad litem, and the court. Her attorney and guardian ad litem also presented arguments to the court. At the conclusion of the hearing, the trial court failed to find that any of the three bases in section 33.003(i) for authorizing a minor to consent to an abortion without notifying a parent had been proven by a preponderance of the evidence. The trial court rendered judgment denying Doe’s application, and the court of appeals affirmed that judgment without issuing an opinion. One justice in the court of appeals noted a dissent.

Doe has appealed to this Court pursuant to section 33.004(f). See Tex. Fam.Code § 33.004(f). She contends that she conclusively established that she is mature and sufficiently well informed to make the decision to have an abortion without notifying one of her parents and that notification may lead to her physical or emotional [302]*302abuse. For the reasons considered below, I disagree.

II

Before undertaking a review of the record, a court must establish the appropriate standard of review. In Doe 1, this Court held that a determination under section 33.003(i) of whether a minor is “mature and sufficiently well informed to make the decision to have an abortion performed without notification to either of her parents” is reviewed for legal and factual sufficiency. In re Jane Doe, 19 S.W.3d 249, 251 (Tex.2000)(Doe 1); Tex. Fam.Code § 33.003(i). A trial court’s determination of whether notification may lead to physical or emotional abuse of the minor primarily involves fact finding and is therefore similar to a determination of “mature and sufficiently well informed.” See Doe 1, 19 S.W.3d at 251. Accordingly, a determination of whether notification may lead to physical, sexual, or emotional abuse of the minor is reviewed for legal and factual sufficiency. In re Jane Doe 2, 19 S.W.3d 278 (Tex.2000)(Doe 2).

Because Doe bore the burden of proof, a reviewing court’s inquiry is not simply whether there was legally sufficient evidence to support the trial court’s judgment. In order for a court to reverse and render judgment in Doe’s favor, it must examine the record to determine if there is any evidence that supports the trial court’s failure to find for Doe. See Sterner v. Marathon Oil Co., 767 S.W.2d 686, 690 (Tex.1989). If there is no evidence to support the trial court’s failure to make an affirmative finding, then the reviewing court must still determine whether, based on the entire record, “the contrary proposition is established as a matter of. law.” Id. Thus, when a party with the burden of proof seeks to establish a right to recover as a matter of law, the evidence.must be such that reasonable minds can draw only one conclusion. See Collora v. Navarro, 574 S.W.2d 65, 68 (Tex.1978). There must be no evidence of probative force to raise a material fact question. See id.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
19 S.W.3d 300, 43 Tex. Sup. Ct. J. 508, 2000 Tex. LEXIS 26, 2000 WL 276114, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-doe-3-tex-2000.