In the Interest of A.V.

849 S.W.2d 393, 1993 WL 30505
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 30, 1993
Docket2-92-099-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by74 cases

This text of 849 S.W.2d 393 (In the Interest of A.V.) 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 the Interest of A.V., 849 S.W.2d 393, 1993 WL 30505 (Tex. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

OPINION

HOPKINS, Justice (Retired).

In this post-divorce proceeding, Thomas V. appeals the termination of his parental rights with his daughter, A.V., born June 15, 1984. 1

We affirm.

In four points of error appellant contends: there was not clear and convincing evidence to justify termination; testimony concerning results of a penile plethysmo-graph test was improperly admitted; and a court-appointed psychologist should have been permitted to testify, even though appellant had not listed the witness in answers to interrogatories.

A.V.’s parents are both therapists; appellant has a master’s degree in psychology, and appellee has a Ph.D. in psychology. They were married in 1973, and their daughter, A.V., was born on June 15, 1984. The parties were divorced on May 12, 1987, and appellee was appointed managing conservator of their daughter, A.V., who was then almost three years old. In June 1989, appellee filed a petition seeking to terminate appellant’s parental rights, alleging appellant had sexually abused A.V., which conduct endangered the physical and emotional well-being of the child. See TEX. FAM.CODE ANN. sec. 15.02(1)(E) (Vernon Supp.1993).

After a bench trial, the court found that appellant had engaged in conduct that endangers the physical and emotional well- *395 being of the child, and that termination of the parent-child relationship between appellant and A.V. is in the child’s best interest. Appellant’s parental rights were terminated, and the court ordered that appellee remain as sole managing conservator. No findings of fact or conclusions of law were requested or filed.

Appellant's second and third points of error address the admission into evidence of testimony of a social worker, John Brogden, concerning his interpretation and conclusions based on the results of a penile plethysmograph test which was administered to appellant in August 1989 by Robert Powitzky, Ph.D. Dr. Powitzky’s two-page report was offered into evidence by appellee, and admitted without objection, as a part of the case file maintained by the Child Protective Services division of the Texas Department of Human Services. Dr. Powitzky did not testify at trial.

Appellee called as a witness John Brog-den, a supervisor of a sexual abuse unit with Child Protective Services. Brogden is a certified social worker in the State of Texas, and holds a master’s degree in Science and Social Work. He testified that since 1976 he has held many jobs in which he attempted to rehabilitate accused sex offenders. He never interviewed or tested appellant, but stated that he was familiar with the pending investigation concerning alleged abuse of A.Y. by appellant. Brog-den explained that when he works on a case, he routinely uses a psychologist’s interpretative test results of various tests which the psychologist has performed upon the patient, including a penile plethysmo-graph. Brogden testified that in his practice he uses the results of a penile plethys-mograph to evaluate the absence or presence of deviant arousal in a patient, and to measure whether someone is making progress in treatment.

The following is Brogden’s description of how a penile plethysmograph is performed:

Basically it’s a plastic tube generally. It feels very sensitive metallic substance such as mercury perhaps with cable coming off that. It goes around the man’s penis. It runs in the computer software and various designs and then different stimuli are shown to the individual visually and generally orally listen to audio tapes and watch slides and calibrations, et cetera are quite complicated actually, but the bottom line is to test arousal and see what someone is turned on to and what they’re turned off to.

Over appellant’s objections, appellee was permitted to question Brogden about his interpretation of the penile plethysmograph which Dr. Powitzky had performed upon appellant. In his report, Dr. Powitzky stated that appellant had been referred to him by appellant’s attorney, who requested an evaluation of appellant’s personality, specifically regarding allegations of sexual abuse. Dr. Powitzky performed five evaluation techniques: clinical interview; Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI); Millón Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI); Multiphasic Sex Inventory (MSI); and Penile Plethysmograph. Dr. Powitzky listed various facts concerning appellant’s personal and professional background.

The following portions of Dr. Powitzky’s report are relevant to appellant’s contention that John Brogden should not have been permitted to testify about Brogden’s interpretation of the test results of appellant’s penile plethysmograph:

EVALUATION RESULTS:
The results of the psychological inventories and clinical interview indicated that [Thomas V.] is experiencing agitated depression, probably situationally related. He stated that the most stressful part of his situation is that he has always been in positions of trust and helping, and now professional colleagues question his honesty and behavior. There were no indications of sexual pathology.
The Multiphasic Sexual Inventory also revealed no indications of sexual problems. Tom scored in the normal range of social sexual desirability and of sexual knowledge. The plethysmography data revealed no significant arousal to any of the stimuli. His highest individual score was to adult females. Although his actual arousal was noi significant, *396 he self-reported moderate arousal only to adult females.
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SUMMARY:
The results of [Thomas V.’s] evaluation revealed no sexual or psychological pathology. He was exhibiting acute agitated depression, as a result of the current situation. The plethysmography data revealed no deviant arousal pattern; moreover, there was no significant arousal to any age/sex group. There was a slight, though not significant, trend only for adult females.
In conclusion, no psychosexual evaluation can prove or disprove guilt of any act; however, there were none of the indicators of sexual abuse patterns that one would expect. This evaluation is offered as one component of the overall decision making process. [Emphasis added.]

Appellant did not object either at trial or on appeal to the introduction into evidence of Dr. Powitzky’s report; therefore, we will not address the admissibility of the written report. However, appellant did object that Brogden’s interpretation of the penile plethysmograph administered by Dr. Powitzky was inadmissible hearsay, and that appellee had not established any predicate for Brogden to testify about a test that he had not conducted. Appellant further objected that the reliability of a penile plethysmography had not been shown. Although the trial judge stated “I do have some concerns about that exam. I really do,” she found Brogden’s testimony was admissible under TEX.R.CIV.EVID. 703, and overruled appellant’s motion to strike the complained of testimony or alternatively to grant a mistrial.

Because appellant did not object to the prior introduction into evidence of Dr.

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Bluebook (online)
849 S.W.2d 393, 1993 WL 30505, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-the-interest-of-av-texapp-1993.