In re the Parental Rights to M. I-S.

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedNovember 8, 2016
Docket33924-6
StatusUnpublished

This text of In re the Parental Rights to M. I-S. (In re the Parental Rights to M. I-S.) 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 the Parental Rights to M. I-S., (Wash. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

FILED NOVEMBER 8, 2016 In the Office of the Clerk of Court WA State Court of Appeals, Division III

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON DIVISION THREE

In the Matter of the Parental Rights to ) No. 33924-6-111 ) (consolidated with M.1.-S., ) No. 33925-4-111; A.1.-S., ) No. 33926-2-111) C.S., ) minor children. ) UNPUBLISHED OPINION )

SIDDOWAY, J. - After allowing two of K.I.' s attorneys to withdraw before a

termination trial, the trial court refused to appoint K.I. another attorney. K.I. proceeded

to trial pro se, at the end of which the trial court terminated her parental rights to her three

children. K.I. appeals, arguing the trial court violated her right to counsel when it refused

to appoint her an attorney at trial. Because K.I. did not waive or forfeit her right to

counsel, we reverse and remand for a new trial.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

K.1.' s 1 parental rights to three children are at issue in this appeal. 2 The

Department of Social and Health Services (Department) received three referrals about the

family between May 2010 and June 2012. The referrals generally reported that the

parents were abusing prescription medication, marijuana, and methamphetamine, that the

1 Initials are used to protect the anonymity of the parties involved. 2 The father does not appeal the trial court's order terminating his parental rights. II I

I No. 33924-6-111 (consol. w/ No. 33925-4-111; No. 33926-2-111) In re Parental Rights to MI.-S. I I home was dirty, and the children were being neglected. Following an investigation, the ! children were removed and found dependent on November 13, 2012.

I Nearly two years later, on October 8, 2014, the Department filed for termination of

K.I. 'sand the father's parental rights as to all three children. 3 Attorney Diana Anderson I ' was initially appointed to represent K.I. in the termination proceedings. However, as part

I I of reassignment of caseloads, on October 14, 2014, the trial court appointed Craig I I I Matheson as counsel for K.I. The record does not reveal that K.I. had communication

problems with Mr. Matheson. I Trial was initially scheduled to begin on March 11, 2015. However, at some point

before the scheduled March 9 pretrial status hearing, counsel for K.I. filed a motion to

continue the trial so K.1. could enter inpatient treatment. At the pretrial hearing, Mr.

Matheson explained he no longer sought a continuance for K.I. to attend inpatient

treatment, but rather, sought additional time to contact witnesses and deal with potential

issues under the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA), 25 U.S.C. §§ 1901-1963.

Ultimately, the trial court granted the motion to continue based on the illness of the

attorney for the children's father.

On April 1, after the Honorable Carrie Runge was pre-assigned as the judge on the

case, trial was set to begin August 3, 2015.

3 The record only contains the petition for termination as to M.1.-S., but it is clear from the record that petitions were filed for the two other children as well.

2 No. 33924-6-111 (consol. w/ No. 33925-4-111; No. 33926-2-111) In re Parental Rights to MI.-S.

A month later, on May 4, the Department filed a motion for partial summary

judgment because it determined the children did not qualify as "Indian Children" under

ICWA. Clerk's Papers (CP) at 311. In June, a guardian ad litem (GAL) was appointed to

represent the children's interests under ICWA. Also in June, Mr. Matheson decided not

to renew his contract with the State and transferred the case back to Ms. Anderson, to be

effective July 1. Due to the new GAL and attorney appointments, on June 17 the trial

court rescheduled the start of trial for October 19, 2015.

On July 20, 2015, less than three weeks after being appointed, Ms. Anderson

moved to withdraw as K.I. 's counsel at a hearing on the grandmother's motion to

intervene. The basis for Ms. Anderson's motion was that K.I. had not remained in

contact with her and had informed others that Ms. Anderson was not her attorney:

On July 8th, I received a telephone call from the social worker on this case who was attempting to set up a Shared Planning meeting at the request of [K.I]. She was calling to find out who [K.l.'s] attorney is, or would be, since [K.I.] had informed her that I was "fired." I immediately had my parent advocate, Cathy Metz, try to locate and/or contact [K.I.] to set up a meeting since I had not heard from her since I officially took over the case. Ms. Metz finally managed contact through text messaging and [K.1.] confirmed her intent to attend a meeting with me on Friday, July 10th at 10:30 [a.m.] I remained at the meeting location for at least 45 minutes and [K.I.] failed to show[.] Today I received a phone call from [K.l.'s] mother, ... [who] informed both myself and Ms[.] Metz (in separate phone calls) that she had talked with [K.1.] over the weekend and that [K.1.] unequivocally stated that I [Diana Anderson] am ["]no longer her attorney[.]" I have had no other contact, directly or indirectly, with [K.I.] since my re-appointment effective July 1, 2015[.] I cannot represent a client that

3 No. 33924-6-111 (consol. w/ No. 33925-4-111; No. 33926-2-111) In re Parental Rights to Ml-S.

refuses to meet or otherwise communicate with me and apparently does not want me to represent her in any event.

CP at 1107-08 (tenth alteration in original).

At the hearing on the motion, the trial court asked K.I. whether she wanted Ms.

Anderson to continue to represent her:

THE COURT: So, do you want Ms. Anderson as your attorney or are you wanting her to withdraw and you be appointed a new attorney? THE RESPONDENT: I would like another attorney, please. THE COURT: Okay. Well, you might think about that. If you want Ms. Anderson-you don't want Ms. Anderson to be your attorney; is that correct? THE RESPONDENT: Correct. THE COURT: And would you like her dismissed right now? THE RESPONDENT: I don't think-yes. THE COURT: All right. Well, I think you can be dismissed.

Report of Proceedings (RP) (July 21, 2015) at 6-7. After allowing Ms. Anderson to

withdraw, the trial court proceeded with the hearing on the motion to intervene without

appointing another attorney:

But we will proceed with the hearing today, and I am not going to assign you another attorney, at least not until I have some type of-you have been through how many attorneys? Ms. Anderson, Mr. Matheson, now Ms. Anderson again. I don't know why you're asking for another attorney.

Id. at 7. Ms. Anderson then clarified that though she had initially been appointed to

represent K.I., the case had been transferred to Mr. Matheson as part of reassignment of

caseloads. In response, the court stated:

4 No. 33924-6-111 (consol. w/ No. 33925-4-111; No. 33926-2-111) In re Parental Rights to MI.-S.

Well, for purposes of today's hearing I won't assign an attorney. We'll see who your new attorney may or may not be when that paperwork's----the paperwork gets wrapped up.

Id. at 8. The court also advised K.I. that it would need a letter from her explaining why

she needed a new attorney. At the end of the hearing, K.I. was arrested and taken to the

Benton County jail on an outstanding warrant.

At the next hearing, which took place nine days later on July 30, 2015, the trial

court noted K.I. had not submitted the letter explaining why she needed a new attorney,

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