People in Interest of HM

474 N.W.2d 267, 1991 S.D. LEXIS 131, 1991 WL 154769
CourtSouth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 14, 1991
Docket17096, 17145
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 474 N.W.2d 267 (People in Interest of HM) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People in Interest of HM, 474 N.W.2d 267, 1991 S.D. LEXIS 131, 1991 WL 154769 (S.D. 1991).

Opinions

WUEST, Justice.

D.M. (Father) and P.M. (Mother) were married in December 1983 after the birth of their first daughter, H.M. The couple had a second daughter, S.M., born in August 1985. Their marriage was marked by repeated separations and reconciliations and, generally, was unstable.

In August 1987, Mother became ill and left the family home to live in the home of her boyfriend’s parents. Father and the two girls continued to live in the family home until February 1988, when they moved to Vale, South Dakota. Upon arriving in Vale, Father rented a dwelling without adequate cooking, refrigeration or plumbing facilities. In May 1988, father rented a trailer home with adequate facilities.

While living with Father, the children were often dirty and had clothing that was too small and not warm enough for winter and early spring. Father often left the children with babysitters for many hours. The quality of the babysitting was good, but Father sometimes neglected to inform the babysitter of where he was going and when he would be returning. Father also neglected to provide the children adequate clothes and food while in the care of the babysitter. On one occasion, Father told the babysitter he would be home by 10:00 p.m., but did not return until the next morning. On another occasion, Father left the children with the babysitter for several days.

The South Dakota Department of Social Services (Department) received referrals in April and May 1988 which indicated the children were being neglected. On June 3, 1988, the Department took the children into protective custody. Pursuant to a court order, the Department was granted temporary legal custody of the girls and Mother was granted physical custody. A dependency and neglect petition was not filed immediately, however, because both parents agreed to cooperate with the Department.

On August 2, 1988, a dependency and neglect petition was filed against Father, but not Mother. While a hearing on the petition was pending, S.M. was paddled by Mother’s boyfriend and suffered extensive bruising on her behind. This matter was raised at the adjudicatory hearing held September 15-16, 1988.

At the close of the hearing the State moved to amend the dependency and neglect petition to include Mother. The amendment was permitted over Mother’s objection. Mother then moved for a continuance of the hearing to allow her time to prepare and present a defense. The trial court denied this motion and adjudicated the children dependent and neglected as to both Father and Mother.

After numerous dispositional hearings, the pertinent facts of which we will detail later, the parental rights of Mother and Father were terminated. Both parents appeal this decision and we have consolidated their appeals. Mother and Father each raise three issues, two of which are the same:

(1) Whether the trial court's determination of dependency and neglect is supported by clear and convincing evidence; and
(2) Whether the termination of Mother’s and Father’s parental rights was the least restrictive alternative.

Father raises the issue:

(3) Whether, during the dispositional phase of these proceedings, the trial court properly admitted certain hearsay allegations of sexual abuse of the children by Father.

Mother raises the issue:

(4) Whether the trial court erred in denying Mother’s motion for a continuance of the adjudicatory hearing.

[269]*269We will first address Mother’s appeal, then Father’s. Because we reverse the trial court’s decision in Mother’s case on the continuance issue, we need not reach the remaining issues raised by Mother.

MOTHER’S DENIED CONTINUANCE

Pursuant to SDCL 26-8-22.6:

The court, on the motion of any interested party or on its own motion, may order the petition to be amended to conform to the evidence.
If the amendment results in a substantial departure from the original allegations in the petition, the court shall continue the hearing on the motion of any interested party, or the court may grant a continuance on its own motion, if it finds it to be in the best interests of the child or any other party to the proceeding.

SDCL 26-8-22.6 (emphasis added). Clearly, the amendment of the petition to include Mother was a substantial departure from the original petition. It added another party to the petition and effectuated an adjudication of that party’s rights in the matter.

Under these circumstances, the command of SDCL 26-8-22.6 is clear: “[T]he court shall continue the hearing on the motion of any interested party[.]” (Emphasis added). The language of this provision is mandatory; it relates to matters of substance, as opposed to procedure. See Chicago & N W. Ry. Co. v. Buckingham Trans. Co. of Colo., 69 S.D. 1, 5 N.W.2d 729 (1942); Bon Homme County Farm Bureau v. Bd. of Com’rs of Bon Homme County, 63 S.D. 174, 220 N.W. 618 (1928). See generally 73 Am.Jur.2d, Statutes § 22; 2A Sutherland Stat.Constr., § 57.03, 57.11. It is clearly intended to avoid the type of prejudice which was occasioned upon Mother. Mother was not given notice by the petition that her parental rights were being adjudicated at the hearing, and when, after the fact, it was determined her parental rights were at issue, the trial court denied her any opportunity to present evidence in support of her position. This was prejudicial error. SDCL 15-6-61. We reverse the determination that H.M. and S.M. are dependent and neglected as to Mother and the termination of Mother’s parental rights.

DEPENDENCY AND NEGLECT AS TO FATHER

The trial court found that S.M. and H.M. were dependent and neglected as to Father. Father challenges the trial court’s findings as clearly erroneous. As stated in In re Interest of M.K., our standard of review is set forth in two statutes:

First, “[fjindings of fact shall not be set aside unless clearly erroneous, and due regard shall be given to the opportunity of the trial court to judge the credibility of the witnesses.” SDCL 15-6-52(a). Second, “[i]f the court finds the allegations of the petition are supported ... by clear and convincing evidence in cases concerning neglected and dependent children, the court shall sustain the petitionf.]” SDCL 26-8-22.10.

In re Interest of M.K., 466 N.W.2d 177, 185 (S.D.1991) (quoting Matter of S.L., 349 N.W.2d 428, 432 (S.D.1984)). Accord Matter of D.H.,

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People in Interest of HM
474 N.W.2d 267 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 1991)

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Bluebook (online)
474 N.W.2d 267, 1991 S.D. LEXIS 131, 1991 WL 154769, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-in-interest-of-hm-sd-1991.