In re I.E.

2020 Ohio 3477
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 26, 2020
Docket28646
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 2020 Ohio 3477 (In re I.E.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re I.E., 2020 Ohio 3477 (Ohio Ct. App. 2020).

Opinion

[Cite as In re I.E., 2020-Ohio-3477.]

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT MONTGOMERY COUNTY

: : IN RE: I.E. : Appellate Case No. 28646 : : Trial Court Case No. 2014-5431 : : (Appeal from Common Pleas : Court – Juvenile Division) : :

...........

OPINION

Rendered on the 26th day of June, 2020.

MATHIAS H. HECK, JR., by LISA M. LIGHT, Atty. Reg. No. 0097348, Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office, Appellate Division, Montgomery County Courts Building, 301 West Third Street, 5th Floor, Dayton, Ohio 45422 Attorney for Appellee - Montgomery County Children Services

ROBERT ALAN BRENNER, Atty. Reg. No. 0067714, P.O. Box 340214, Beavercreek, Ohio 45434 Attorney for Appellant - Mother

.............

FROELICH, J. -2-

{¶ 1} Mother appeals from a judgment of the Montgomery County Court of

Common Pleas, Juvenile Division, which denied her motion for change of custody.

Mother had sought to regain custody of her son, I.E., from Maternal Grandparents, who

had legal custody of him. Mother claims that the trial court erred in concluding that no

change of circumstances had occurred and that retaining legal custody with Maternal

Grandparents was in I.E.’s best interest. Mother also challenges the trial court’s order

prohibiting Mother from residing with I.E. For the following reasons, the trial court’s

judgment will be affirmed.

I. Procedural History

{¶ 2} In June 2014, the Montgomery County Department of Job and Family

Services – Children Services Division (MCCS) became involved with Mother based on a

referral from the children services agency in Lexington County, South Carolina, after

Mother took I.E. (born April 2008) and relocated to Dayton. The South Carolina agency

had placed I.E. on a safety plan with Maternal Grandparents due to Mother’s “instability,

mental health issues and her failure to provide for her child’s basic needs.” On August

13, 2014, MCCS filed a dependency complaint regarding I.E., and the trial court

subsequently adjudicated I.E. a dependent child. The court granted temporary custody

of I.E. to MCCS, and I.E. was placed in foster care.

{¶ 3} Throughout the case, I.E. expressed that he did not want to visit with Mother

and that he was afraid of her. According to the reports of the guardian ad litem (GAL),

Mother repeatedly made accusations that I.E. was being brainwashed by his foster

parents and others involved with the case, and Mother scolded and threatened I.E. during -3-

their interactions. School personnel indicated that I.E. displayed emotional problems,

which increased during the week in anticipation of visitation with Mother; these problems

significantly affected I.E.’s educational progress. In several reports, the GAL expressed

concern that I.E. was being “traumatized” by visitation with Mother. Mother’s visitation

with I.E. was modified due to Mother’s disruptive behavior.

{¶ 4} In June 2016, one of Mother’s brothers was granted interim custody of I.E.

By the end of October, however, Uncle indicated that he was no longer able to care for

the child. Ultimately, on December 7, 2016, MCCS moved for permanent custody, and

it later amended its motion to include an alternative disposition of legal custody to

Maternal Grandparents, who resided in South Carolina, with protective supervision to

MCCS.

{¶ 5} On June 1, 2017, upon agreement of all parties, the trial court granted legal

custody of I.E. to Maternal Grandparents with protective supervision to MCCS until June

3, 2018. With respect to Mother’s parenting time, the judgment stated:

Mother’s parenting time shall be as determined by the child’s therapist. In

the event, [sic] that visitation recommences for mother, the visits shall first

begin in a therapeutic setting. Any visits between mother and child shall

take into consideration the child’s welfare and best interest. Any visits

between mother and child shall be supervised.

{¶ 6} On November 14, 2017, Mother moved for a change of custody, asking that

she be given legal custody of I.E. Alternatively, Mother sought a modification of

parenting time. On June 14, 2018, a magistrate conducted a hearing on Mother’s

motion, during which Mother and MCCS caseworker Carol Rothfuss testified. At the -4-

conclusion of the hearing, the magistrate orally denied Mother’s motion for change of

custody, modified Mother’s visitation to allow visitation supervised by Maternal

Grandparents, and ordered that Mother not reside with I.E. The magistrate concluded,

in part, that Mother had not demonstrated “any change of circumstances pursuant to

[R.C.] 2151.42(B) regarding the child or custodians during this past year,” that I.E. had

been “thriving,” and that “any placement of the child with the mother would not be in his

best interest.” The same day, the magistrate filed a written entry consistent with her oral

pronouncements.

{¶ 7} Mother filed objections to the magistrate’s ruling.1 The trial court overruled

Mother’s objections and denied Mother’s motion for change of custody. The trial court

also ordered modification of Mother’s visitation consistent with the magistrate’s ruling and

prohibited Mother from residing with I.E.

{¶ 8} Mother appeals from the trial court’s judgment, raising three assignments of

error. We will address them in an order that facilitates our analysis.

II. Change of Custody for Dependent Child After Disposition

{¶ 9} If a child is adjudicated an abused, neglected, or dependent child, the court

may, among other possible dispositions, “[a]ward legal custody of the child to either

parent or to any other person who, prior to the dispositional hearing, files a motion

requesting legal custody of the child or is identified as a proposed legal custodian in a

complaint or motion filed prior to the dispositional hearing by any party to the

proceedings.” R.C. 2151.353(A)(3). “In choosing among the alternatives, the best

1 Mother filed supplemental objections on February 11, 2019. That document is not listed on the summary of docket and journal entries, but it is included in the record. -5-

interest of the child is the court’s primary consideration.” (Citations omitted.) In re L.C., 2d

Dist. Clark No. 2010 CA 90, 2011-Ohio-2066, ¶ 13.

{¶ 10} R.C. 2151.353(F)(1) and (2) and R.C. 2151.42(A) and (B) govern the

modification or termination of dispositional orders involving abused, neglected, or

dependent children. E.g., In re A.S., 2d Dist. Montgomery No. 27156, 2016-Ohio-7622,

¶ 10; In re L.M., 2d Dist. Greene No. 2010-CA-76, 2011-Ohio-3285, ¶ 13. R.C.

2151.353(F)(1) grants the juvenile court continuing jurisdiction over any child for whom

the court had entered an order of disposition, and R.C. 2151.353(F)(2) allows any party

(other than a parent whose parental rights have been terminated) to “request the court to

modify or terminate any order of disposition.”

{¶ 11} If such a motion is filed, the court must hold a hearing on the motion as if

the hearing were the original dispositional hearing. R.C. 2151.353(F)(2). At the

hearing, in determining whether to return the child to the child’s parent, the court must

consider the best interest of the child. R.C. 2151.42(A).

{¶ 12} R.C. 2151.42(B) expressly states that a disposition of legal custody to a

person “is intended to be permanent in nature.” Accordingly, that statue further provides:

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Bluebook (online)
2020 Ohio 3477, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-ie-ohioctapp-2020.