IN THE SUPREME COURT OF NORTH CAROLINA
2022-NCSC-53
No. 191A21
Filed 6 May 2022
IN THE MATTER OF: K.Q.
Appeal pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 7B-1001(a1)(1) from order entered on 3 March
2021 by Judge Cheri Siler Mack in District Court, Cumberland County. This matter
was calendared in the Supreme Court on 18 March 2022 but determined on the record
and briefs without oral argument pursuant to Rule 30(f) of the North Carolina Rules
of Appellate Procedure.
Patrick A. Kuchyt for petitioner-appellee Cumberland County Department of Social Services.
Matthew D. Wunsche for Guardian ad Litem.
Mary McCullers Reece for respondent-appellant father.
HUDSON, Justice.
¶1 Respondent-father appeals from the trial court’s order terminating his
parental rights to his minor child K.Q. (Kenny).1 Upon review, we affirm the trial
court’s order.2
1A pseudonym is used to protect the identity of the juvenile and for ease of reading. 2The order also terminated the parental rights of Kenny’s mother. The mother noticed an appeal from the termination order and a prior order ceasing reunification efforts, but her appeal was dismissed by order of this Court on 14 September 2021. Accordingly, this opinion concerns only respondent-father’s appeal. IN RE K.Q.
Opinion of the Court
I. Background
¶2 On 8 June 2018, Cumberland County Department of Social Services (DSS) filed
a juvenile petition alleging four-year-old Kenny was neglected and dependent. The
petition provided that DSS received a Child Protective Services (CPS) referral on 5
April 2018 concerning Kenny’s safety after law enforcement was called to the parents’
residence on 23 March 2018 in response to a physical altercation between the parents
in Kenny’s presence. The mother told law enforcement that respondent-father came
at her with a knife and cut her, swung a baseball bat at her, threw her on the floor,
and held her so she could not leave. Respondent-father was charged with assault on
a female as a result of the incident.
¶3 DSS further alleged, and the record shows, that the mother filed a complaint
and request for a domestic violence protective order (DVPO) based on the 23 March
2018 incident on 26 March 2018; respondent-father was arrested on 31 March 2018
for violating the DVPO; but the action was dismissed and the DVPO was dissolved
on 13 April 2018 because the mother failed to appear in court and prosecute. Since
that time, social workers had attempted home visits, left notices at the residence, and
sent a certified letter to the parents informing them of the CPS report and requesting
the parents contact the social workers. However, the social workers’ efforts to confirm
Kenny’s wellbeing were unsuccessful. DSS reported that when a social worker went
to the residence with law enforcement on 7 June 2018, respondent-father was present IN RE K.Q.
and “became belligerent and yelled and cursed at the social worker.” Respondent-
father told the social worker that the mother had left and was in Charlotte, but he
would not provide an address or phone number for the mother. DSS ultimately
alleged in the petition that it believed the parents were living together; the mother
had not contacted DSS; the social worker had not been able to see Kenny to determine
his safety; Kenny was at risk of irreparable harm in the parents’ custody; and DSS
could not ensure his safety.
¶4 On the same day the petition was filed, the trial court entered an order
granting DSS nonsecure custody of Kenny. However, Kenny was not immediately
turned over to DSS because his and his mother’s whereabouts were unknown. Kenny
had still not been turned over to DSS when the matter came on for hearing on the
need for continued nonsecure custody on 13 June 2018. Respondent-father appeared
at the hearing and testified about the parents’ CPS history and previous DVPOs in
Mecklenburg County; but he denied the allegations in the instant petition, testified
he did not want to turn Kenny over to DSS, and refused to provide the location of
Kenny and the mother. The court continued the hearing until the following afternoon
and ordered respondent-father to either produce Kenny by that time or reveal
Kenny’s exact location so DSS could take custody by that time. Kenny was turned
over to DSS on 14 June 2018.
¶5 Respondent-father was initially allowed weekly supervised visitation with IN RE K.Q.
Kenny while DSS’s nonsecure custody of Kenny continued. However, on 16 July 2018,
DSS filed a “Motion for Review” seeking to cease respondent-father’s visitation and
contact with Kenny based on allegations that respondent-father had brought a knife
to visitation; he became belligerent with the supervising social worker when the
social worker ceased the visit due to his insistence on discussing the case in front of
Kenny; he grabbed Kenny’s arm after the visit had ceased; and he had to be escorted
from the building by security. DSS also reported in the motion that respondent-father
had left threatening messages for the mother and threatened to abscond with Kenny
if the opportunity arose. The trial court immediately suspended respondent-father’s
visitation pending a full review hearing and prohibited contact with Kenny. Following
a hearing on 20 August 2018, the trial court granted DSS’s motion and ordered that
respondent-father’s visitation remain suspended until Kenny’s therapist
recommended that visitation resume. The court also ordered respondent-father to
complete parenting and anger management classes.
¶6 Following an adjudication hearing on the juvenile petition on 29 and 30
November 2018, the trial court adjudicated Kenny neglected and dependent. 3 In
support of the adjudication, the trial court made findings about the long history of
domestic violence between the parents, including findings about the 23 March 2018
3 The trial court entered an “Adjudication and Temporary Disposition Order” on 7 January 2019. A “Corrected Adjudication and Temporary Disposition Order” was later entered on 17 April 2019. This opinion relies on the corrected order. IN RE K.Q.
domestic violence incident and DSS’s ensuing intervention that were consistent with
the allegations in the petition. The court also found that respondent-father had
blamed Kenny for the mother’s injuries from the 23 March 2018 incident and had told
the mother to tell the court the same.
¶7 The matter came back before the trial court for the dispositional portion of the
hearing on 12 February 2019. In a disposition order entered on 11 April 2019, the
court found that respondent-father was attending counseling and anger management
classes and had reported completing a psychological evaluation. The court also found
that it had informed respondent-father of the need for continued compliance with his
case plan. The court further found and concluded that Kenny’s return to respondent-
father custody at that time would be contrary to Kenny’s health and safety, and that
respondent-father was not a fit or proper person for the care, custody, and control of
Kenny or for visitation until a therapeutic recommendation. Accordingly, the court
ordered DSS to retain custody of Kenny. Respondent-father was ordered to complete
age-appropriate parenting classes, participate in individual counseling, complete the
Resolve Program to address domestic violence issues, complete a psychological
evaluation, and maintain stable housing and employment. Respondent-father was
not allowed visitation until it was recommended by Kenny’s therapist.
¶8 At the initial permanency planning hearing on 11 April 2019, the trial court
established a primary plan of reunification with the parents with a secondary plan of IN RE K.Q.
custody with a suitable person concurrent with adoption. However, following a
permanency planning on 1 August 2019, the court changed the permanent plan for
Kenny to adoption with secondary plans of custody with a suitable person and
reunification with respondent-father. Then, following a permanency planning
hearing on 12 December 2019, the court entered an order finding that despite
respondent-father’s participation in services, he continued to desire a relationship
with the mother; DSS and the guardian ad litem were concerned that domestic
violence remained an issue despite his participation in services; the mother had
obtained a new DVPO against respondent-father on 29 October 2019; and
respondent-father had new criminal charges related to the mother. The court ordered
DSS to proceed with filing a termination of parental rights action in pursuit of
Kenny’s primary permanent plan.
¶9 On 2 June 2020, DSS filed a motion to terminate respondent-father’s parental
rights on grounds of neglect pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 7B-1111(a)(1) (2021), willful
failure to make reasonable progress pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 7B-1111(a)(2) (2021), and
willful abandonment pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 7B-1111(a)(7) (2021). The termination
motion was heard on 25 September and 6 October 2020. On 3 March 2021, the trial
court entered an order terminating respondent-father’s parental rights. The court
concluded that grounds existed to terminate respondent-father’s parental rights for
neglect and willful failure to make reasonable progress, see N.C.G.S. § 7B-1111(a)(1)– IN RE K.Q.
(2), and that termination of his parental rights was in Kenny’s best interests.
Respondent-father appealed.
II. Analysis
¶ 10 Respondent-father challenges the trial court’s adjudication of the existence of
grounds to terminate his parental rights.
When reviewing the trial court’s adjudication of grounds for termination, we examine whether the court’s findings of fact are supported by clear, cogent and convincing evidence and whether the findings support the conclusions of law. Any unchallenged findings are deemed supported by competent evidence and are binding on appeal. The trial court’s conclusions of law are reviewed de novo.
In re Z.G.J., 378 N.C. 500, 2021-NCSC-102, ¶ 24 (cleaned up). “[A]n adjudication of
any single ground in N.C.G.S. § 7B-1111(a) is sufficient to support a termination of
parental rights.” In re E.H.P., 372 N.C. 388, 395 (2019).
¶ 11 A trial court may terminate parental rights for neglect pursuant to N.C.G.S. §
7B-1111(a)(1) if it determines the parent has neglected the juvenile within the
meaning of N.C.G.S. § 7B-101. N.C.G.S. § 7B-1111(a)(1). A neglected juvenile is
defined, in relevant part, as “[a]ny juvenile less than 18 years of age . . . whose parent,
guardian, custodian, or caretaker . . . does not provide proper care, supervision, or
discipline” or “[c]reates or allows to be created a living environment that is injurious
to the juvenile’s welfare.” N.C.G.S. § 7B-101(15)(a), (e) (2021).
Termination of parental rights based upon this statutory ground requires a showing of neglect at the time of the IN RE K.Q.
termination hearing or, if the child has been separated from the parent for a long period of time, there must be a showing of a likelihood of future neglect by the parent. When determining whether such future neglect is likely, the district court must consider evidence of changed circumstances occurring between the period of past neglect and the time of the termination hearing.
In re R.L.D., 375 N.C. 838, 841 (2020) (cleaned up). “[E]vidence of changed conditions
must be considered in light of the history of neglect by the parents and the probability
of a repetition of neglect.” In re O.W.D.A., 375 N.C. 645, 648 (2020). “The
determinative factors must be the best interests of the child and the fitness of the
parent to care for the child at the time of the termination proceeding.” In re Z.G.J.,
378 N.C. 500, 2021-NCSC-102, ¶ 26 (quoting In re Ballard, 311 N.C. 708, 715 (1984)).
¶ 12 Here the trial court found that Kenny was previously adjudicated neglected
due to domestic violence between the parents and determined there was a likelihood
of a repetition of neglect if Kenny was returned to respondent-father’s care.
¶ 13 On appeal, respondent-father asserts he substantially completed the services
required by his case plan and contends the trial court erred in determining that there
was a likelihood of repetition of neglect. He asserts the trial court’s determination of
a likelihood of repetition of neglect “hinged” on unsupported findings that he failed to
remediate the domestic violence that led to Kenny’s removal. Respondent-father
specifically contests only seven of the trial court’s findings of fact. He first challenges
finding of fact 63 to the extent the trial court found he “was not truthful with his IN RE K.Q.
therapists about what brought the juvenile into care or his role in the domestic
violence” and his therapist “was unable to provide the proper therapy and tools for
him due to him not being truthful or forthcoming.” He contends the finding did not
accurately reflect his therapist’s testimony. Respondent-father also challenges
portions findings of fact 40, 62, 64, 71, 72, and 75 to the extent the trial court found
he had not demonstrated that he learned from the services in which he participated
because he continued to engage in domestic violence. He asserts the only evidentiary
basis for findings that he continued to engage in domestic violence were pending
criminal domestic violence charges, which he contends did not amount to clear and
convincing evidence because the charges had not been adjudicated. Respondent-
father argues that absent the findings that he continued to engage in acts of domestic
violence, the evidence and findings show that he “exceeded the services required by
his case plan” and do not support the determination that neglect was likely to recur
if Kenny was returned to his care.
¶ 14 While neither DSS nor the guardian ad litem concede the challenged findings
are unsupported by the evidence, both argue the trial court’s unchallenged findings
fully support its adjudication of neglect as grounds for termination. We agree the
unchallenged findings, which “are deemed supported by competent evidence and are
binding on appeal[,]” In re T.N.H., 372 N.C. 403, 407 (2019), sufficiently support the
trial court’s conclusion that there was a likelihood of repetition of neglect without IN RE K.Q.
regard to the challenged findings. Therefore, we need not address or consider the
challenged findings. See id. (“[W]e review only those findings necessary to support
the trial court’s determination that grounds existed to terminate respondent’s
parental rights.”); see also In re A.R.A., 373 N.C. 190, 195 (2019) (limiting review to
findings necessary to support the adjudication of grounds to terminate parental
rights).
¶ 15 In the termination order, the trial court found Kenny had previously been
adjudicated neglected due to domestic violence in the home and made unchallenged
findings about the “long history of domestic violence which spans across different
states” and “created a toxic, dangerous, and injurious environment for [Kenny].”
Unchallenged findings describe the domestic violence as “chronic” and document
respondent-father’s role in the violence. Consistent with the allegations in the
underlying juvenile petition and the findings in the prior adjudication order, the court
made unchallenged findings about the domestic violence incident in March 2018 that
resulted in respondent-father being charged with assault on a female and led to DSS’s
involvement, including that respondent-father “instructed the [mother] to tell law
enforcement that the marks on her body came from [Kenny], who was only four (4)
years old at that time”; and about respondent-father’s violation of a DVPO and
resistance to DSS’s efforts to confirm Kenny’s wellbeing. The court also found that
during a supervised visit with Kenny in July 2018, respondent-father “had to be IN RE K.Q.
removed from [DSS]” after he “became irate with the [s]ocial [w]orker[,]” “was
verbally aggressive[,]” and “and displayed a knife during [the] altercation.”
Furthermore, while respondent-father challenges the trial court’s reliance on pending
criminal charges as evidence of continued domestic violence, the court made
unchallenged findings about the mother’s numerous applications for DVPOs against
respondent-father due to his threats to do her bodily harm, the most recent of which
was filed in October 2019.
¶ 16 We note that it is clear from the evidence and findings that respondent-father
did engage in his case plan. The trial court detailed respondent-father’s case plan
requirements in the termination order and found that he “followed through with the
majority of services ordered by the [c]ourt and recommended by [DSS],” including
that he “had received counseling services with at least three (3) different therapists
since the inception of this case.” However, the court additionally found in
unchallenged finding of fact 47 that “[w]hile the [parents] have engaged in, as well as
continue to engage in, services to address these issues, they have failed to be able to
demonstrate an ability to exhibit the methods taught through practical application.
As a result, those issues have persisted throughout the duration of both this matter,
as well as the underlying matter.”
¶ 17 Additional unchallenged findings support the trial court’s continued concern
about domestic violence. The court specifically found in finding of fact 55 that in IN RE K.Q.
therapy sessions with one therapist, “[r]espondent[-f]ather has consistently denied
initiating domestic violence with the [mother], as well as he has denied knowing why
the juvenile was placed in the custody of [DSS]”; and the court found in finding of fact
56 that another therapist “was not aware that [respondent-father] was the aggressor
based on what [he] reported to her” and therefore “was not providing the necessary
course of treatment during their sessions.” The trial court also specifically found in
findings of fact 59 and 60 that respondent-father diminished developmental concerns
displayed by Kenny and
denie[d] that the domestic violence in his relationship with the [mother] had any affect [sic] on [Kenny] because [Kenny] was in the “toy room” while the [he and the mother] were fighting. . . . Respondent[-f]ather blames the domestic violence on the [mother’s] personality defects. . . . There is a deflection of blame on all accounts and a failure by the [r]espondents to take responsibility for the causes that brought the juvenile into care. . . . Domestic [v]iolence has persisted between [them] since at least 2006, yet the [r]espondents insist that they can work together to co- parent.
¶ 18 The trial court specifically related respondent-father’s continued denial of the
domestic violence, minimization of its impact on Kenny, and refusal to accept any
responsibility to the likelihood of repetition of neglect as follows:
60. Based on . . . ardent denials of [Kenny’s] developmental delays and failure to take responsibility hereto, the [c]ourt finds that the neglect will more than likely repeat itself.
61. The [r]espondent[-f]ather continues to deny having any issues relating to domestic violence. The [r]espondent[- IN RE K.Q.
f]ather’s denial is reason to believe that this issue will continue into the foreseeable future. The issue of domestic violence creates an injurious environment for the juvenile. Thus, it is highly likely that neglect would be repeated if [Kenny] was to be returned to either the [mother] or the [r]espondent[-f]ather’s care.
....
65. The [parents’] continued minimization and denial of the domestic violence incidents is of concern with respect to the health and safety of [Kenny] if he was to be returned to either of the [parents]. The failure of the [parents] to acknowledge the severity of their actions, as well as the [mother’s] continued failure to follow through with criminal charges against the [r]espondent[-f]ather is significant evidence to this [c]ourt that neither the [mother] nor the [r]espondent[-f]ather have alleviated the conditions that brought [Kenny] into the care of [DSS], and that this pattern would continue if [Kenny] was returned to either of them.
Ultimately, the trial court determined respondent-father had not adequately
addressed the domestic violence that led to Kenny’s removal and concluded there was
a high probability of repetition of neglect if Kenny was returned to respondent-
father’s care.
¶ 19 Although respondent-father did engage in service of his case plan, “a parent’s
compliance with his or her case plan does not preclude a finding of neglect.” In re
J.J.H., 376 N.C. 161, 185 (2020) (citing In re D.W.P., 373 N.C. 327, 339–40 (2020)
(noting the respondent’s progress in satisfying the requirements of her case plan
while upholding the trial court’s determination that there was a likelihood that the IN RE K.Q.
neglect would be repeated in the future)); see also In re Y.Y.E.T., 205 N.C. App. 120,
131 (explaining that a “case plan is not just a check list” and that “parents must
demonstrate acknowledgment and understanding of why the juvenile entered DSS
custody as well as changed behaviors”), disc. review denied, 364 N.C. 434 (2010).4 In
J.J.H., this Court upheld the trial court’s determination that a repetition of neglect
was likely if the children were returned to the respondent’s care despite her
substantial case plan compliance because the concerns that resulted in the removal
of the children continued to exist. In re J.J.H., 376 N.C. at 185–86.
¶ 20 Here, the trial court’s unchallenged findings show that while domestic violence
was clearly identified as the reason for Kenny’s removal and respondent-father
engaged in services required by his case plan to address the issue, respondent-father
continued to deny his role in the domestic violence, failed to acknowledge the effects
the domestic violence had on Kenny, and refused to accept any responsibility for
Kenny’s removal. The unchallenged findings provide support for the trial court’s
continued concern that the issue of domestic violence had not been alleviated and
support its conclusion that there was a likelihood of repetition of neglect if Kenny was
returned to respondent-father’s care. See In re M.A., 374 N.C. 865, 874 (2020)
4 The respondent in In re Y.Y.E.T. raised his compliance with his case plan as an argument challenging disposition. 205 N.C. App. at 130–31. The trial court addressed the argument but noted “compliance with the case plan is not one of the factors the trial court is to consider in making the best interest determination.” Id. at 131. IN RE K.Q.
(considering a parent’s failure to comprehend and accept responsibility for their role
in the domestic violence that plagued the family as supporting the court’s
determinations that there was a lack of reasonable progress and a likelihood of
repetition of neglect); see also In re L.N.G., 377 N.C. 81, 2021-NCSC-29, ¶ 23
(upholding the trial court’s determination that there had not been meaningful
progress to correct the causes of domestic violence where the parent failed to
understand or adequately address the traumatic impact of domestic violence on her
children); In re A.R.A., 373 N.C. at 198 (upholding the trial court’s determination that
there had not been reasonable progress in addressing domestic violence where the
parent continued to deny the effects of abuse on children, shifted blame to others, and
refused to accept responsibility for the removal of the children).5
¶ 21 Accordingly, we hold that the trial court did not err by concluding that there
was a likelihood of repetition of neglect and affirm the trial court’s determination that
respondent-father’s parental rights were subject to termination for neglect pursuant
to N.C.G.S. § 7B-1111(a)(1).
III. Conclusion
¶ 22 Having determined the trial court did not err in adjudicating the existence of
5 Although L.N.G. and A.R.A. considered the lack of reasonable progress for purposes of termination pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 7B-1111(a)(2), a parent’s failure to make progress is also relevant the determination that there is a likelihood of repetition of neglect for termination pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 7B-1111(a)(1). See In re M.A., 374 N.C. at 870; see also In re R.L.D., 375 N.C. at 841 (the court must consider evidence of changed circumstances). IN RE K.Q.
grounds to terminate parental rights, and because respondent-father does not
challenge the trial court’s best interests determination, we affirm the trial court’s
termination order.
AFFIRMED.