In the Termination of the Parent-Child Relationship of S.D. (Minor Child) and D.D (Mother) and G.D. (Father) v. Indiana Department of Child Services (mem. dec.)

Indiana Court of Appeals·Decided January 10, 2018·No. 30A01-1706-JT-1433·Published

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION FILED

Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D), this Memorandum Decision shall not be Jan 10 2018, 8:51 am

regarded as precedent or cited before any CLERK Indiana Supreme Court

court except for the purpose of establishing Court of Appeals and Tax Court

the defense of res judicata, collateral estoppel, or the law of the case.

ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE Holly L. Lyons Curtis T. Hill, Jr. Greenfield, Indiana Attorney General of Indiana

Robert J. Henke

Deputy Attorney General

Indianapolis, Indiana

IN THE

COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA

In the Termination of the Parent- January 10, 2018 Child Relationship of S.D. Court of Appeals Case No. (Minor Child) 30A01-1706-JT-1433 Appeal from the Hancock Superior and Court The Honorable Terry K. Snow, D.D. (Mother) and G.D. Judge (Father), Trial Court Cause No. Appellants-Respondents, 30D01-1612-JT-452

v.

Indiana Department of Child Services, Appellee-Petitioner.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 30A01-1706-JT-1433 | January 10, 2018 Page 1 of 18

Bradford, Judge.

Case Summary

[1] Appellants-Respondents D.D. (“Mother”) and G.D. (“Father”) (collectively,

“Parents”) appeal the juvenile court’s order terminating their parental rights to S.D. (the “Child”). The Child was removed from Parents care because of ongoing concerns ability the family’s stability. The Child was subsequently determined to be a child in need of services (“CHINS”) and Parents were ordered to complete certain services. Parents, however, failed to successfully complete the court-ordered services.

[2] Appellee-Petitioner the Indiana Department of Child Services (“DCS”) filed a petition seeking the termination of Parents’ parental rights to the Child on December 12, 2016. Following an evidentiary hearing, the juvenile court issued an order granting DCS’s petition. On appeal, Parents contend that DCS did not provide sufficient evidence to support the termination of their parental rights. Parents also contend that the juvenile court erred in admitting and considering certain exhibits offered by DCS. We affirm.

Facts and Procedural History [3] Father and Mother are the parents of the Child, who was born on December 19,

2003. Mother has been responsible for the care of the Child since the Child’s birth. Father has never been responsible for the care of the Child.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 30A01-1706-JT-1433 | January 10, 2018 Page 2 of 18

[4] DCS has a lengthy history with the family. In relation to the Child, DCS filed a CHINS petition on January 18, 2005, alleging that the Child’s “physical or mental health [was] seriously endangered due to injury by the act or omission of his parent, guardian[,] or custodian.” Tr. Vol. IV, p. 193. This case was closed on August 10, 2005.

[5] On October 26, 2007, DCS filed a second CHINS petition in relation to the Child. This petition was based on allegations that Mother’s friend was sexually abusing the then-three-year-old Child and that Mother was permitting the perpetrator to have continued contact with the Child “even after she knew that an inappropriate sexual act had occurred between the alleged perpetrator and her son.” Tr. Vol. IV, p. 166. The Child was adjudicated a CHINS on November 5, 2007. The case was subsequently closed on March 14, 2008.

[6] DCS filed a third CHINS petition in relation to the Child on May 1, 2009. This petition alleged concerns about whether Mother could adequately care for the Child after the Child took five pills intended to treat a seizure disorder at one time. The Child was hospitalized due to the severity of his symptoms after taking the pills. The Child was adjudicated a CHINS on June 10, 2009. He was subsequently returned to Mother’s care and the CHINS case was closed on May 20, 2011.

[7] On November 19, 2013, DCS filed a petition seeking an informal adjustment. The juvenile court granted DCS’s petition the same day. DCS filed a second petition seeking an informal adjustment on November 7, 20104. The juvenile

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 30A01-1706-JT-1433 | January 10, 2018 Page 3 of 18 court granted this second petition on November 11, 2014. DCS filed a third petition seeking an informal adjustment on January 7, 2015. The juvenile court granted DCS’s petition on January 8, 2015. The third petition alleged that the Child was suffering from neglect. It also alleged that Mother “has a traumatic brain injury that impacts her cognitive functioning, making it difficult to meet the [C]hild’s needs on a daily basis and community support is often needed to assist the family.” Appellants’ App. Vol. II, p. 56.

[8] On May 12, 2015, due to ongoing instability, DCS filed a CHINS petition and removed the Child from Mother’s care. The juvenile court subsequently adjudicated the Child to be a CHINS, finding that Parents “manifest cognitive delays that will continue to impede their abilities to fulfill parental obligations to the [C]hild.” Appellants’ App. Vol. II, p. 34. During the CHINS proceedings, Mother received services aimed at helping Mother obtain stable housing and assisting her with management of her finances and basic life skills. Mother also received services aimed at engaging her in a domestic violence assessment given her history of domestic violence with multiple partners. In January of 2016, the juvenile court found that Mother was unable to successfully complete these services and Father, who resided in an assisted living facility, was unable to care for the Child.

[9] On December 12, 2016, DCS filed a petition seeking the termination of Parents’ parental rights to the Child. The juvenile court conducted a two-day evidentiary hearing on DCS’s petition on May 22 and 23, 2017. During the evidentiary hearing, DCS presented evidence indicating that Mother continued Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 30A01-1706-JT-1433 | January 10, 2018 Page 4 of 18 to struggle with stability and that neither Mother nor Father were able to provide adequate care for the Child. Following the conclusion of the hearing, the juvenile court took the matter under advisement. On June 9, 2017, the juvenile court issued an order terminating Parents’ parental rights to the Child. This appeal follows.

Discussion and Decision

[10] On appeal, Parents challenge the juvenile court’s order terminating their

parental rights to the Child. The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the traditional right of a parent to establish a home and raise his or her child. Bester v. Lake Cnty. Office of Family & Children, 839 N.E.2d 143, 145 (Ind. 2005). Further, we acknowledge that the parent-child relationship is “one of the most valued relationships of our culture.” Id. However, although parental rights are of a constitutional dimension, the law allows for the termination of those rights when a parent is unable or unwilling to meet his or her responsibility as a parent. In re T.F., 743 N.E.2d 766, 773 (Ind. Ct. App. 2001), trans. denied. Therefore, parental rights are not absolute and must be subordinated to the child’s interests in determining the appropriate disposition of a petition to terminate the parent-child relationship. Id.

[11] The purpose of terminating parental rights is not to punish the parent but to protect the child. Id. Termination of parental rights is proper where the child’s emotional and physical development is threatened. Id. The juvenile court need not wait until the child is irreversibly harmed such that his physical, mental, Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 30A01-1706-JT-1433 | January 10, 2018 Page 5 of 18 and social development is permanently impaired before terminating the parent- child relationship. Id.

I. Sufficiency of the Evidence [12] Parents contend that the evidence presented at the evidentiary hearing was

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In the Termination of the Parent-Child Relationship of S.D. (Minor Child) and D.D (Mother) and G.D. (Father) v. Indiana Department of Child Services (mem. dec.), (Ind. Ct. App. 2018).

In the Termination of the Parent-Child Relationship of S.D. (Minor Child) and D.D (Mother) and G.D. (Father) v. Indiana Department of Child Services (mem. dec.) (In the Termination of the Parent-Child Relationship of S.D. (Minor Child) and D.D (Mother) and G.D. (Father) v. Indiana Department of Child Services (mem. dec.)) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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