Rodriguez v. Miles

655 S.W.2d 245, 1983 Tex. App. LEXIS 4424
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 28, 1983
Docket2559cv
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 655 S.W.2d 245 (Rodriguez v. Miles) 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
Rodriguez v. Miles, 655 S.W.2d 245, 1983 Tex. App. LEXIS 4424 (Tex. Ct. App. 1983).

Opinion

OPINION

GONZALEZ, Justice.

This is an appeal from a decree of adoption. The parental rights of the biological parents of the child were terminated and the Texas Department of Human Resources, hereinafter referred to as DHR, was named managing conservator. Thereafter, two foster parents, Jose and Maria Rodriguez, appellants, and Zan N.B. and Patsy S. Miles, appellees, filed petitions for adoption of the child. DHR opposed appel-lees’ petition and consented that appellant adopt the child. After a trial, the trial court waived the consent to adopt of DHR and granted appellees’ petition for adoption. DHR did not appeal but appellants in three points of error allege that the trial court erred in:

1. ruling that appellees had standing to “intervene” in their petition for adoption;
2. failing to order a social study of the home of appellees; and
3. waiving the consent of the managing conservator (DHR) to the adoption.
We affirm.

A brief history of the case is necessary in order to put these alleged errors in the proper context. In January, 1978, DHR received a referral of some severely neglected children. After conducting an investigation, DHR removed the children from their mother’s home. One child was approximately 3½ months old (“younger child”) and the other one was sixteen months (“older child”). They are siblings but with different fathers. 1

The appeal concerns only the younger child who was placed by DHR with appel-lees. The older child was placed with other foster parents who are not involved in this appeal.

In April, 1978, DHR placed the older child back with her mother while the younger child continued to live with appellees where she stayed for the next four years. Ap *247 proximately 2½ months later, DHR again found it necessary to remove the older child from her home and this time DHR placed this child in appellees’ home. Shortly thereafter, DHR placed four additional children in appellees’ home for foster care. After the older child had been in appellees’ home for approximately six months, at appellees’ request, DHR placed her in another foster home. She was ultimately placed in appellants’ home.

In June, 1980, the parental rights of the biological parents of these children were terminated by the trial court and DHR was named managing conservator. What happened next is disputed. DHR’s position at trial was that they offered the younger child to appellees for adoption but that ap-pellees refused. Appellees denied this. Nonetheless, on July 21, 1981, DHR removed the younger child from appellees’ home and placed her in appellants’ home. On September 2, 1981, appellants filed a petition to adopt both children and DHR was appointed to do a social study.

On September 21, 1981, appellees filed a petition for adoption of the younger child. On September 29, 1981, DHR filed a consent to adoption of both children by appellants and intervened in appellees’ petition for adoption of the younger child requesting that the trial court deny appellees’ petition. Appellants also opposed appellees’ petition for adoption. The trial court appointed a guardian ad litem to represent the interest of the younger child, at the trial.

After a trial, the trial court granted appellants’ petition to adopt the older child and granted appellees’ petition to adopt the younger child. At DHR’s request, findings of fact and conclusions of law were filed. Only the appellants perfected this appeal.

In determining questions of adoption, the primary consideration is the best interest of the child. Tex.Pam.Code § 16.08. The Supreme Court of Texas said:

“Section 16.08(a) of the Family Code indicates that the court may decree an adoption only when it is satisfied that adoption is in the best interests of the child. To effectuate this provision, the trial court in adoption cases is invested with broad discretionary power in determining the best interests of the children. In the Interest of Herd, 537 S.W.2d 950, 953 (Tex.Civ.App. — Amarillo 1976, writ ref’d n.r.e.); Colwell v. Blume, 456 S.W.2d 174, 178 (Tex.Civ.App. — San Antonio 1970, writ ref’d n.r.e.); Harris v. Tucker, 245 S.W.2d 994 (Tex.Civ.App.— Waco 1952, writ ref’d n.r.e.). The trial judge is better situated to weigh all of the surrounding circumstances and arrive at a judgment which in his discretion will best protect the best interests of the child. No right to a jury exists in an adoption hearing. § 11.13. The judgment of the trial court should not be disturbed unless it appears from the record as a whole that there was an abuse of discretion. In the Interest of Herd, supra.” Green v. Remling, 608 S.W.2d 905, 908 (Tex.1980).

STANDING

With the above standard in mind, we will first consider appellants’ first point of error wherein they allege that the court erred in ruling that appellees had standing to intervene with their petition for adoption.

First of all, appellees did not “intervene” in appellants’ petition for adoption. They filed a petition for adoption of their own. It was given the same cause number as appellants’ petition and filed in the same court because the court had continuing jurisdiction over the child.

Appellants rely on Mendez v. Brewer, 626 S.W.2d 498 (Tex.1982). Mendez involved termination of parental rights. In Mendez, the sole interest of the foster parents was their wish to adopt if the parent-child relationship with the natural parents was terminated. The foster parents’ interest was wholly contingent upon a judgment of termination. The court held that this was not sufficient standing to entitle the foster parents to join in the suit.

Mendez is distinguishable from the case at bar. Here, a judgment for termination *248 of the natural parental rights had been entered. Upon termination, appellees then had standing pursuant to Tex.Fam.Code Ann. § 16.02 (1975) which provides that “[a]ny adult is eligible to adopt a child who may be adopted.”

Appellants’ first point of error is overruled. See In the Interest of an Unnamed Child, 584 S.W.2d 476 (Tex.Civ.App. — Fort Worth 1979, writ ref’d n.r.e.); Harris County Welfare Unit v. Caloudas, 590 S.W.2d 596 (Tex.Civ.App. — Houston [1st Dist.] 1979, no writ).

SOCIAL STUDY

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
655 S.W.2d 245, 1983 Tex. App. LEXIS 4424, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rodriguez-v-miles-texapp-1983.