State, in Interest of Dg

938 P.2d 298, 1997 WL 228513
CourtCourt of Appeals of Utah
DecidedMay 8, 1997
Docket960215-CA
StatusPublished

This text of 938 P.2d 298 (State, in Interest of Dg) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Utah primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State, in Interest of Dg, 938 P.2d 298, 1997 WL 228513 (Utah Ct. App. 1997).

Opinion

938 P.2d 298 (1997)

STATE of Utah, IN THE INTEREST OF D.G. and C.G., persons under eighteen years of age.
D.G., Appellant,
v.
STATE of Utah, Appellee.

No. 960215-CA.

Court of Appeals of Utah.

May 8, 1997.

Kent E. Snider, Ogden, for Appellant.

Jan Graham and Carol L.C. Verdoia, Salt Lake City, for Appellee.

*299 Diane R. Balmain, Logan, Guardian Ad Litem.

Before DAVIS, BENCH and BILLINGS, JJ.

OPINION

BILLINGS, Judge:

D.G. appeals from an order of the juvenile court terminating her parental rights to her children, C.G. and D.G. Appellant first claims the juvenile court's findings of fact supporting the termination of her parental rights to C.G. were not supported by clear and convincing evidence. Appellant also claims that because D.G. was not in the custody of the Division of Family Services (DFS)[1] prior to the filing of the petition, the court should not have considered the petition as it related to D.G. Finally, appellant claims that the evidence was not sufficient to support termination of her parental rights as to D.G. We affirm.

FACTS

On October 22, 1993, DFS received reports that C.G.'s father (Father) had slapped C.G. and caused bruising, which Father admitted were true. In response, appellant promised that she would do her best to protect C.G. Further, appellant and Father told Sandra Furland, the DFS caseworker, that they would go to parenting classes. Neither parent attended the classes. A short time later appellant informed Furland that Father had abused her and a protective order had been issued.

On December 6, 1993, appellant, upset and crying, called Furland stating she was having a difficult time with the children. Furland offered to put the children in foster care if necessary. On December 9, appellant again called DFS, this time stating that she had excessively spanked C.G. for spilling flour on the floor. She asked DFS to place C.G. in foster care, and DFS did so. The next day, a petition was filed alleging neglect and abuse of C.G., which appellant admitted. The court gave DFS custody of C.G. and ordered appellant to follow a treatment plan to be initiated by DFS. Appellant, at or near this time, also gave physical custody of D.G. to her mother (Grandmother). D.G. was not included in the petition alleging neglect and abuse.

An initial treatment plan was prepared by DFS. Among other things this treatment plan required appellant to get help for her behavioral and emotional problems. The plan also required appellant to visit C.G. regularly. This treatment plan began on January 14, 1994, and covered the period ending July 14, 1994. In order to help appellant meet the goals of the treatment plan, Furland referred appellant to drug and alcohol counseling, mental health treatment, and parenting classes. Despite admitting she used alcohol, marijuana, methamphetamine, and cocaine, appellant refused to participate in treatment with the exception of getting an initial evaluation of her drug and alcohol problems. Appellant also missed several visits with C.G. without giving prior notice to DFS.

In March 1994, DFS worker Lori Holmes assumed responsibility for the case. Upon taking over the case, Holmes spoke with appellant on two different occasions about the treatment plan and appellant's lack of progress. Holmes noted appellant still had not pursued drug and alcohol treatment or mental health counseling and had refused to provide voluntary urine samples. Appellant did, however, complete eight of ten parenting classes and had become more consistent in visiting C.G.

On June 3, 1994, Holmes took appellant to the House of Hope for a tour following a DFS intake recommendation that she complete an inpatient drug treatment program. Holmes recommended that appellant enroll in the program at the House of Hope, but appellant did not enroll. Despite Holmes's efforts to contact appellant, from June 17, 1994, to April 4, 1995, Holmes had no further contact with appellant. A new treatment plan, which included both C.G. and D.G., was prepared on June 24, 1994. Appellant never signed or returned the plan, despite receiving a copy from Grandmother.

*300 During a hearing held on July 22, 1994, C.G. was placed in the temporary custody of Grandmother, who already had been given voluntary physical custody of D.G. by appellant sometime between December 1993 and February 1994. DFS was given protective supervision of C.G., and Grandmother was ordered to provide supervised visitation between the child and his mother. After this placement, appellant stopped communicating with Grandmother. On August 22, 1994, Holmes wrote a letter to appellant advising her that because of her failure to make significant steps towards accomplishing goals in the treatment plans, her parental rights to her children were in jeopardy.

On September 14, 1994, C.G. and D.G. were taken into custody by DFS, based on an allegation of abuse directed at Grandmother. Then on November 26, 1994, the juvenile court determined the children had been neglected by Grandmother, but the children were returned to Grandmother as temporary custodian with protective supervision by DFS.

Finally, on December 22, 1994, the State filed a petition to terminate the parental rights of both appellant and Father to both children. Father allowed a default judgment to be taken against him. After an evidentiary hearing, the juvenile court entered findings of fact, conclusions of law, and an order terminating appellant's parental rights. The findings included the following:

16. On December 22, 1994, the division filed a petition to terminate the parental rights of [appellant]. In spite of the division's continual and persistent attempts to work with [appellant] and to get her to participate in mental health counseling, in drug and alcohol treatment programs, and to maintain a minimum of once a month contact with the caseworker to evaluate the progress and to receive advice on treatment issues and provide encouragement, [appellant] made little or no effort to comply.
18. [Appellant] has from the beginning admitted that she has a drug problem, however, she has denied that the drug usage affected her parenting. The court, however, finds that [appellant's] drug use has detrimentally affected her ability to parent. Because of her drug usage she is unable to cope with the ordinary stresses of parenting two young children, as evidenced by the behavior that originally brought the matter under the jurisdiction of the court. Because of her drug usage she puts her needs above the needs of the children, as evidenced by her failure to regularly visit the children. Because of her drug usage she is more likely to abuse and or neglect the children. When using drugs she becomes irresponsible. [Appellant] has been a regular user of methamphetamine. Besides her own admission there is further evidence of [appellant's] drug use. In May, 1995, she was convicted of possession of methamphetamine, a third degree felony[,] as well as possession of drug paraphernalia. In June 1995 she was convicted of possession of controlled substance, a third degree felony. She is currently on probation. Because [appellant] continues to use drugs and further because she does not recognize the detrimental effects that drug usage has on her parenting ability, and because she refuses to seek treatment, the children would continue to be at risk of neglect or abuse in her custody.
19.

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State, in Interest of D.G.
938 P.2d 298 (Court of Appeals of Utah, 1997)

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