In Re TJS

71 S.W.3d 452, 2002 WL 192356
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 13, 2002
Docket10-01-207-CV
StatusPublished

This text of 71 S.W.3d 452 (In Re TJS) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re TJS, 71 S.W.3d 452, 2002 WL 192356 (Tex. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

71 S.W.3d 452 (2002)

In the Interest of T.J.S., A Child.

No. 10-01-207-CV.

Court of Appeals of Texas, Waco.

February 6, 2002.
Rehearing Overruled March 13, 2002.

*453 Sidney Palmer Childress, Austin, for appellant.

J. Dwight Carmichael, McGregor, McGregor & Carmichael, P.C., Hillsboro, Stephen Keathley, Corsicana, for appellees.

Gregg Hill, Sims, Moore, Hill & Gannon, L.L.P., Hillsboro, attorney for T.J.S.

Before Chief Justice DAVIS, Justice VANCE, and Justice GRAY.

OPINION

TOM GRAY, Justice.

Michael Don Sherrill appeals the trial court's Final Judgment regarding conservatorship and possession of his biological child, T.J.S. A jury determined that two non-parents should be appointed joint managing conservators of the child and appointed Sherrill possessory conservator. The court also deviated from the guidelines *454 of the Standard Possession Order as provided by the Texas Family Code in setting Sherrill's periods of possession and access to the child. Sherrill raises three issues on appeal:

1) The trial court had no discretion to appoint Sherrill possessory conservator rather than a joint managing conservator;

2) The trial court abused its discretion in refusing to enter the Standard Possession Order; and

3) The trial court abused its discretion in entering a possession order that varied from the Standard Possession Order.

We affirm the judgment of the trial court.

BACKGROUND

Berkeley was a sophomore in high school when she conceived T.J.S. It is undisputed that Sherrill is the father. Before she gave birth, Berkeley contacted Buckner Adoption Agency and ultimately selected Gary and Tammy Benton as prospective adoptive parents for her child. On January 27, 2000, Buckner filed suit in Bexar County to terminate the parental rights of both parents to facilitate the child's adoption by the Bentons.

T.J.S. was born February 20, 2000, in Amarillo, Texas. Two days later, with Berkeley's consent, the Bentons took the child to their home in Hillsboro, Texas. About two weeks later, Berkeley signed an unrevoked Affidavit of Relinquishment of Parental Rights, which named the Bentons as managing conservators. The Bentons have remained the primary caretakers of T.J.S. since he was two days old.

One day after the Bentons had taken the child to their home, Sherrill filed his answer to the Buckner termination suit. He contested the termination of his parental rights. Buckner subsequently dismissed the suit and discontinued the adoption procedures. The Bentons then filed suit in Hill County to terminate the rights of both biological parents and to adopt the child, or, in the alternative, to become managing conservators of the child.

Conflicting evidence was presented during the course of the trial regarding the events before and after the birth of T.J.S. Berkeley testified that Sherrill abandoned her during her pregnancy. According to Berkeley, Sherrill did not accompany her to appointments with her doctor or to counseling sessions. He attended only one childbirth class. He also advised her that he would not be present during the birth if it would prevent him from participating in one of his high school wrestling tournaments. He provided no financial support and stopped accepting her phone calls. Berkeley testified that when she began to explore their options, Sherrill did offer several alternatives to adoption; however, he either proposed unworkable solutions or failed to further explore or implement any plans that might have been viable. Berkeley claimed that she kept Sherrill fully informed of her contacts with Buckner and the Bentons, offering him the chance to meet the Bentons on at least two occasions. According to Berkeley's testimony, Sherrill never refused to consider adoption, and he never informed her that he would take possession of the child. On several occasions, he indicated that he would "probably" go along with Berkeley's decision.

Even after the birth of the child, Berkeley claimed that Sherrill would not make a final decision. Sherrill left the hospital knowing that the child would be released the next day and that Berkeley was not prepared to take care of their son. Berkeley testified that she informed Sherrill that if he did not make a decision before their release, she would proceed with the adoption. When Sherrill failed to respond, Berkeley decided that it was in the best *455 interest of the child to allow the Bentons to take him to their home.

In his testimony, Sherrill acknowledged that: (1) with the exception of one childbirth class and one counseling session, he never accompanied Berkeley to any appointments or attempted to meet with the Bentons, (2) he never offered the Bentons money to compensate for past expenses or to provide for future support, and (3) he has never asked the Bentons to see the child[1] nor has he sent any gifts to the child.

Sherrill admitted that he may have sent "mixed signals" to Berkeley regarding his intentions. He also presented conflicting testimony at trial. He testified that he never told Berkeley that he personally wanted to raise the child without qualifications or reservations. However, he also testified that after spending Thanksgiving with his mother, he decided that he wanted to parent his child and told Berkeley this on several occasions. At another point in his testimony, he stated that he had made up his mind that it was in the best interest of the child to live with him when he was served with Buckner's termination lawsuit in January before the birth of the baby. He also claimed that he informed Berkeley of his feelings at that time. In relating what happened while visiting the baby in the hospital, Sherrill said that he may have indicated that he would go along with Berkeley's plans for adoption, but that he

he had said that he did not know what he was going to do and that he had said this because Berkeley would not tell him what her plans for the child were. Sherrill stated that he moved to Austin several months after the birth of the baby with the intent of gaining custody of T.J.S. At one point, Sherrill acknowledged that he had never provided a realistic alternative to adoption other than placing the child with his mother until either he or Berkeley was able to parent the child. He also stated that his mother would be the "mother figure" in the child's life and acknowledged that his mother had offered to adopt T.J.S. herself.

The charge to the jury presented five questions regarding the termination of parental rights, conservatorship of the child, and determination of the primary residence of the child. No objections to the charge appear in the record. The only requested instruction in the record was filed by the Bentons and was made a part of the charge. The jury answered that the parent-child relationship between the child and the mother, but not between the child and Sherrill, should be terminated. When asked in a broad form question who should be appointed joint managing conservators of the child, the jury wrote in the names of the Bentons, but not Sherrill. The jury also answered that the Bentons should determine the primary residence of the child and that Sherrill should be appointed possessory conservator. The judgment was rendered in accordance with the jury's answers to the charge.

The court ordered phased-in possession with some supervision prior to the child's third birthday, but did not adopt the terms of the Standard Possession Order when the child turned three.

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Bluebook (online)
71 S.W.3d 452, 2002 WL 192356, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-tjs-texapp-2002.