State Ex Rel. Children Youth & Families Department v. Arthur C.

2011 NMCA 22, 2011 NMCA 022, 251 P.3d 729, 149 N.M. 472
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 28, 2011
Docket30,113, 30,353
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 2011 NMCA 22 (State Ex Rel. Children Youth & Families Department v. Arthur C.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Ex Rel. Children Youth & Families Department v. Arthur C., 2011 NMCA 22, 2011 NMCA 022, 251 P.3d 729, 149 N.M. 472 (N.M. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

OPINION

KENNEDY, Judge.

{1} In this appeal, Father argues the district court erred: (1) refusing to dismiss the abuse and neglect petition with prejudice; (2) finding sufficient evidence for abuse and neglect of Angelina; and (3) finding sufficient evidence of active efforts by Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) to provide remedial services and rehabilitative programs prior to the termination of his parental rights to Arthur and Angelina. We hold that the district court did not err in refusing to dismiss the abuse and neglect petition. Furthermore, we hold that there was sufficient evidence to meet the standard of proof for both a finding of abuse and neglect, and a finding of active efforts by CYFD.

BACKGROUND

{2} Mother and Father have two children, three-year-old Arthur and two-year-old Angelina and Mother has another son, four-year-old Richard (collectively Children). In November 2007 a domestic violence incident between Mother and Father resulted in a small fracture to Arthur’s skull. Soon thereafter, Richard and Arthur were placed into protective custody with CYFD. Angelina was placed into protective custody at birth in November 2008. In June 2008 Mother and Father did not contest abuse and neglect allegations and were adjudicated to have abused and neglected Arthur and Richard.

{3} The court-ordered treatment plan provided that both Mother and Father were to have regular supervised visitation with Children, maintain regular contact with a CYFD worker, attend parenting classes, complete domestic violence evaluations and treatment, and receive drug and alcohol assessment, testing, and treatment. Neither Mother nor Father followed their treatment plan, often missing visits with Children and appointments with the prescribed programs. At visitation, Father complained of boredom, treated Richard poorly, and in one instance, angrily cursed at a CYFD worker in front of Children.

{4} Mother and Father continued to live together at least up until the termination hearing in October 2009. Three other known domestic violence incidents occurred in May, August, and October 2008, while Mother was pregnant with Angelina. All three incidents resulted in Father’s arrest, two of the incidents required Mother’s hospitalization, and two involved Father’s use of marijuana or alcohol.

{5} In November 2008 CYFD filed the abuse and neglect petition against Father and Mother as to Angelina. Thereafter, extensions of time limits for commencing the adjudicatory hearing for Angelina’s abuse and neglect were granted by the district court and the Supreme Court. The final order granted an extension until March 31, 2009, but stated no further extensions would be granted thereafter. On March 10, 2009, CYFD initiated the adjudicatory hearing within this deadline. However, the hearing was recessed after only thirty-seven seconds of testimony, because CYFD had failed to give proper notice of the hearing and make certain required disclosures to Father. The hearing was not reconvened for six more months.

{6} In August 2009 Father filed a motion to dismiss for failure to hold the adjudicatory hearing for Angelina within the required time lines pursuant to NMSA1978, § 32A-4-19 (1997) (amended 2009), and newly enacted Rule 10-343 NMRA (2009). The district court allowed for oral argument in September 2009. At oral argument, Father reiterated his Section 32A-4-19 argument. Father also raised the issue of whether to apply Rule 10-320 NMRA (2007) or its recompiled counterpart Rule 10-343 because Rule 10-343 replaced Rule 10-320 after filing but prior to adjudication of this case. Subsequently, the district court denied Father’s motion to dismiss.

{7} The adjudicatory hearing as to Angelina was reconvened on September 10, 2009, and again on October 13, 2009. Concurrently, the district court held termination proceedings as to all Children. CYFD presented evidence in support of both the abuse and neglect determination for Angelina and the petition for termination of parental rights to all Children. On October 13 CYFD, Father, and Mother made closing arguments for the adjudication for the abuse and neglect of Angelina. The district court found that Angelina was abused and neglected beyond a reasonable doubt. The parties then made closing arguments regarding the termination of parental rights to all Children.

{8} On February 4, 2010, the district court issued its findings of fact and conclusions of law, adopting CYFD’s findings of fact. As a matter of law, the court found that there was evidence beyond a reasonable doubt: (1) Father and Mother have neglected Children; (2) the causes of the neglect were unlikely to change despite active efforts by CYFD to assist Father and Mother; (3) active efforts have been made by CYFD to provide remedial services and rehabilitative programs to prevent the breakup of the family, and such efforts have been unsuccessful; (4) continued care of Children by Mother and Father would likely result in serious emotional harm or physical damage to Children; and (5) termination of parental rights is in the best interests of Children. On February 16, 2010, the court issued its judgment terminating the parental rights of Mother and Father to Children. Father now appeals the termination of his parental rights to Arthur and Angelina.

DISCUSSION

A. Motion to Dismiss

{9} Father argues that the adjudication of the abuse and neglect petition did not occur in a timely manner and that the district court improperly denied Father’s motion to dismiss based on failure to follow time line requirements. Father contends that an adjudicatory hearing only “nominally commenced” within the time limit of the rule, and then continued for six months, does not meet the requirements of Rule 10-320, Rule 10-343, or Section 32A-A-19 and must be dismissed.

{10} In considering the district court’s application of the Children’s Code and the children’s court rules, “we are presented with a pure question of law which we review de novo.” State v. Erickson K., 2002-NMCA-058, ¶ 6, 132 N.M. 258, 46 P.3d 1258 (stating that since both parties looked to authority in the Children’s Code and the children’s court rules, the case presented a question of law to be reviewed de novo). State ex rel. Children, Youth & Families Dep’t v. Paul P., Jr., 1999-NMCA-077, ¶ 7, 127 N.M. 492, 983 P.2d 1011 (noting that “[i]ssues of statutory interpretation and application are questions of law that this Court reviews de novo”); see State v. Adam M., 1998-NMCA-014, ¶ 15, 124 N.M. 505, 953 P.2d 40 (concluding that “We review the children’s court’s interpretation of the Children’s Code, a question of law, de novo.”).

1. Preservation

{11} As a threshold issue, CYFD argues that Father failed to preserve the contention that Rule 10-320 or Section 32A-4-19 apply to this case. We disagree. “To preserve a question for review it must appear that a ruling or decision by the district court was fairly invoked.” Rule 12-216(A) NMRA. “Preservation turns on whether the district court and opposing party were sufficiently alerted to the question.” Romero v. Bank of the Sw., 2003-NMCA-124, ¶ 16, 135 N.M. 1, 83 P.3d 288.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2011 NMCA 22, 2011 NMCA 022, 251 P.3d 729, 149 N.M. 472, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-children-youth-families-department-v-arthur-c-nmctapp-2011.