In re KY.D.

2024 Ohio 3198
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 22, 2024
Docket113615
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 2024 Ohio 3198 (In re KY.D.) 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 KY.D., 2024 Ohio 3198 (Ohio Ct. App. 2024).

Opinion

[Cite as In re KY.D., 2024-Ohio-3198.]

COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO

EIGHTH APPELLATE DISTRICT COUNTY OF CUYAHOGA

IN RE KY.D., ET AL. : : No. 113615 Minor Children : : [Appeal by A.D., Mother] :

JOURNAL ENTRY AND OPINION

JUDGMENT: AFFIRMED RELEASED AND JOURNALIZED: August 22, 2024

Civil Appeal from the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Juvenile Division Case Nos. AD21910539 and AD23911521

Appearances:

Law Office of Victor O. Chukwudelunzu, LLC, and Victor Chukwudelunzu, for appellant.

Michael C. O’Malley, Cuyahoga County Prosecuting Attorney, and Corbin Finkenthal, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, for appellee.

FRANK DANIEL CELEBREZZE, III, J.:

Appellant A.D., the mother of Kh.D. and Ky.D. (“Mother”), appeals the

judgment of the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court terminating her parental rights

and awarding custody of both children to the Cuyahoga County Division of Children

and Family Services (“CCDCFS” or “agency”). After a thorough review of the

applicable law and facts, we affirm the judgment of the juvenile court. I. Factual and Procedural History

This matter commenced in November 2021 when CCDCFS filed a

complaint alleging Kh.D. (d.o.b. 8-11-06), Ky.D. (d.o.b. 4-2-08), and a third sibling

who is not party to this appeal were abused, neglected, and dependent following a

physical altercation between Mother and Kh.D. The complaint requested a

disposition of temporary custody to the agency.

Following a hearing, the court granted predispositional custody to

CCDCFS. A case plan was developed to assist Mother in addressing issues with

parenting, anger management, family preservation, and mental health services.

Mother1 stipulated to an amended complaint and agreed to the

disposition of temporary custody of the children to the agency. The children were

then adjudicated neglected and dependent and placed in CCDCFS custody. Kh.D.

was later reunified with Mother, but Ky.D. remained in agency custody.

In June 2022, the court held an in camera hearing with the children.

In January 2023, the agency filed a motion to modify temporary custody to

permanent custody regarding Ky.D.

After reunification between Mother and Kh.D., there was additional

conflict, and the agency filed another complaint in October 2023 asking Kh.D. to be

adjudicated neglected and dependent and seeking permanent custody. The agency

also moved for permanent custody of Ky.D.

1 The father of Kh.D. and Ky.D. is not a party to this appeal. He is currently incarcerated and not eligible for parole until 2042. The court held another in camera hearing with both children in

December 2023 and discussed the current living situation with the foster family and

the children’s wishes regarding reunification with Mother.

Later that month, the juvenile court held an adjudicatory hearing

regarding Kh.D. The agency presented the testimony of the case worker, LaGina

White, who testified that Mother was unable to resolve conflicts between herself and

the children and that Mother had failed to address Kh.D.’s mental health issues.

Kh.D. was adjudicated neglected and dependent, and the juvenile

court immediately held a hearing on the request for permanent custody of both

children. White again testified on behalf of the agency. She outlined Mother’s case-

plan objectives, which were housing, mental health, individual counseling, family

counseling, and anger management. White acknowledged that Mother had made

improvements with regard to the housing concerns in that she obtained housing that

had appropriate space for the children.

White further testified that Mother did not complete her anger

management classes, which related to her excessive discipline of the children and

aggressive outbursts. White had witnessed some of these outbursts where Mother

had become aggressive and argumentative when discussing the children and

visitation.

According to White, family counseling had been made part of the case

plan because there was a great deal of parent–teen conflict. The children had stated

that Mother gets angry with them, is verbally aggressive, and does not listen to them. They revealed that they do not want to have contact with her and have blocked her

telephone number from calling their cell phones and blocked her from contacting

them through social media. White testified that the children did not want to

participate in family counseling with Mother and insisted that White refer to Mother

by her first name and not as their mother.

The agency had implemented a schedule for supervised visitation.

White testified that she had been on the case since August 2023 and that the children

had not had any visits with Mother since she had been assigned the case. White

acknowledged that Mother was willing to participate in family counseling but had

not participated because the children had refused. White stated that Mother was

committed to rebuilding a relationship with the children but had not demonstrated

the ability to do so.

White further testified that the children were in foster care and were

thriving. They were doing well in school and were employed. They were working

on daily living skills and were being taught how to save some of their earnings. They

were also engaged in individual counseling.

With regard to the children returning home, White testified that

Kh.D. had stated that if she were returned home she would “immediately run away

or go AWOL.” Kh.D. had also stated that she did not want to be adopted but wanted

to remain in the foster home. Ky.D. did not want to live with Mother and wished to

be adopted. The foster parents were willing to keep the children and assist Kh.D. in working toward her independent living goals and support her after she is

emancipated.

White concluded that it was in the best interest of the children to

remain with the foster family and that Mother had not remedied the conditions that

led to the initial removal of the children. White further noted that Mother had a

pending case for felonious assault.

On cross-examination, White stated that family counseling had not

occurred because the children had refused to participate. She explained that the

children were of an appropriate age that they were permitted to refuse. White

acknowledged that the same policy existed with regard to visitation. She reminded

the children that visitation was part of the case plan and asked them if they would

like to engage in visitation and offered alternatives to in-person visits, such as visits

over FaceTime or Zoom. The children declined any visitation.

White was also asked on cross-examination about how the children

described the differences between living with Mother and living in the foster home

and stated as follows:

[Ky.D.] stated that there was constant fighting between [Kh.D.] and [Mother] and that she often felt that she was in the middle of that. It was — And that it was very stressful for her. She didn’t want to be in the middle. She didn’t want to be involved. And she doesn’t have that in the current placement with the foster care. She looks at the other children that are in the home as her siblings and the foster parents as her parents.

... [Kh.D.] just said that she was — that she was over it. She was tired of the back and forth with [Mother], tired of the arguing.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2024 Ohio 3198, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-kyd-ohioctapp-2024.