M.C. v. Texas Department of Family & Protective Services

300 S.W.3d 305, 2009 Tex. App. LEXIS 8299, 2009 WL 3450987
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 28, 2009
Docket08-08-00053-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by106 cases

This text of 300 S.W.3d 305 (M.C. v. Texas Department of Family & Protective Services) 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
M.C. v. Texas Department of Family & Protective Services, 300 S.W.3d 305, 2009 Tex. App. LEXIS 8299, 2009 WL 3450987 (Tex. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinion

OPINION

GUADALUPE RIVERA, Justice.

M.C. appeals the trial court’s final order terminating her parental rights to her child, L.M.C. In three issues, she contends that the evidence supporting termination is legally and factually insufficient, and that Section 263.405 of the Family Code violates the due-process and separation-of-powers clauses. We affirm.

BACKGROUND

M.C. is the biological mother of L.M.C. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (“Department”) filed a petition seeking to terminate the parent-child relationship between M.C. and L.M.C. on January 11, 2007. The Department subsequently filed an amended petition, and the trial court set the case for a final hearing. At the conclusion of the hearing, the trial court found that M.C. knowingly placed or knowingly allowed L.M.C. to remain in conditions or surroundings which endangered his physical or emotional well-being, that M.C. engaged in conduct or placed L.M.C. with persons who engaged in conduct which endangered L.M.C.’s physical or emotional well-being, that M.C. constructively abandoned L.M.C., that M.C. failed to comply with the provisions of the court’s order that specifically established the actions necessary for M.C. to obtain the return of L.M.C., and that termination of the parent-child relationship was in the best interest of the child. The trial court entered its termination order on January 15, 2008. M.C. timely filed a statement of points.

SUFFICIENCY OF THE EVIDENCE

M.C. first contends that the evidence was legally and factually insufficient to terminate her parental rights when despite her mental disabilities, there was no evidence of harm to the child. In reviewing the legal sufficiency of the evidence to support a termination finding, we look at all of the evidence in the light most favorable to the termination finding to determine whether a reasonable trier of fact could have formed a firm belief or conviction about the truth of the matter on which the Department bears the burden of proof. In re J.L., 163 S.W.3d 79, 84-85 (Tex.2005); In re J.F.C., 96 S.W.3d 256, 265-66 (Tex.2002). We assume the fact finder resolved any disputed facts in favor of his finding, if a reasonable fact finder could so do, and disregard all evidence that a reasonable fact finder could have disbelieved or found incredible. J.F.C., 96 S.W.3d at 266. We do not, however, disregard undisputed evidence that does not support the finding. Id.

In reviewing the factual sufficiency of the evidence, we must give “due consideration” to any evidence the fact finder could reasonably have found to be clear and convincing. Id., citing In re C.H., 89 S.W.3d 17, 25 (Tex.2002). We must consider the disputed evidence and determine whether a reasonable fact finder could have resolved that evidence in favor of the finding. J.F.C., 96 S.W.3d at 266. If the disputed evidence is so significant that a fact finder could not have reasonably formed a firm belief or conviction, then the evidence is factually insufficient. Id.

Before parental rights can be involuntarily terminated, the trier of fact must find by clear and convincing evidence that: *309 (1) the parent committed one of the enumerated statutory grounds found in Section 161.001(1); 1 and (2) termination is in the best interest of the child. Tex. Fam. Code Ann. § 161.001 (Vernon 2008); In re A.B., 269 S.W.3d 120, 126 (Tex.App.-El Paso 2008, no pet.). The trial court need only find one of the statutory grounds true, as well as find that the termination was in the child’s best interest to terminate parental rights. See In re A.D., 203 S.W.3d 407, 412-13 (Tex.App.-El Paso 2006, no pet.); In re S.F., 32 S.W.3d 318, 320 (Tex.App.-San Antonio 2000, no pet.). Here, the trial court terminated M.C.’s parental rights under Sections 161.001(1)(D), (E), (N), and (O) of the Family Code. We will begin our evidentia-ry sufficiency discussion under Section 161.001(1)(N).

Section 161.001(1)(N)

Subparagraph (N) provides for the termination of the parent-child relationship on grounds of constructive abandonment. Tex. Fam.Code Ann. § 161.001(1)(N). To prove constructive abandonment, clear and convincing evidence must establish that the child has been in the custody of the Department for at least six months and: (1) the Department made reasonable efforts to return the child to the parent; (2) the parent has not regularly visited or maintained significant contact with the child; and (3) the parent has demonstrated an inability to provide the child with a safe environment. See Tex. Fam.Code Ann. § 161.001(1)(N). Here, the Department was appointed as L.M.C.’s temporary managing conservator on January 11, 2007, and was in State care until the final hearing in December 2007. Thus, L.M.C. was in State care for a period longer than six months.

Moreover, the Department made reasonable efforts to return L.M.C. to M.C. A family service plan was prepared, and Teresa Salazar, the initial caseworker, went over the plan with M.C., explaining the Department’s expectations. The plan provided opportunities for M.C. to partake in a number of services to restore her parental rights, including counseling services and parenting classes. The plan also provided for visitations between M.C. and L.M.C. The preparation and administration of the service plan shows that the Department made reasonable efforts to re *310 unite M.C. with her child. See In re K.M.B., 91 S.W.3d 18, 25 (Tex.App.-Fort Worth 2002, no pet.) (preparation and administration of service plans by the Department are reasonable efforts to reunite a parent and a child).

However, M.C. did not regularly visit and maintain significant contact with L.M.C. According to the service plan, M.C. was to visit L.M.C. twice a week in two-hour intervals. Connie Gutierrez, L.M.C.’s foster parent, claimed M.C. only visited L.M.C. between six and eight times in a twelve-month period, and only informed her on two occasions that she would miss visitation. M.C. blamed her lack of visitation on back pain, taking neighbors to the doctor or drug store, and lack of transportation. On one occasion, when M.C. called thirty minutes before the visit, stating that she lacked transportation, the caseworker advised her to call earlier so that the Department could send someone to get her. After that, M.C. called the Department after the scheduled visits to say she could not be there. From January 2007 through April 2007, M.C. missed so many scheduled visitations that the Department advised the foster parents not to bring L.M.C. to visitation unless M.C. appeared first. When L.M.C. had surgery for his cleft lip and was hospitalized for five days, M.C. never visited him.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
300 S.W.3d 305, 2009 Tex. App. LEXIS 8299, 2009 WL 3450987, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mc-v-texas-department-of-family-protective-services-texapp-2009.