Title: MATTER OF J L F H A F

State: montana

Issuer: Montana Supreme Court

Document:

No. 80-454 I N T H E SUPREME C O U R T O F T H E STATE O F M O N T A N A 1981 I N T H E M A T T E R O F J. L. F. and H. A. F. Appeal from: D i s t r i c t Court of t h e T h i r t e e n t h J u d i c i a l District, I n and f o r t h e County of Yellowstone, The Iionorable Diane G. B a r z , Judge p r e s i d i n g . Counsel o f Record: For Appellant: Peterson Law O f f i c e s , B i l l i n g s , Montana For Respondent : Harold Hanser, County Attorney, B i l l i n g s , Montana Olsen, Christensen & Gannett, B i l l i n g s , Montana Submitted on B r i e f s : February 25, 1981 Decided : APR 6 - ~ a a - - 6 ' " 7 F i l e d : W P R c - l$M Mr. J u s t i c e Gene B. Daly d e l i v e r e d t h e Opinion of t h e Court. T h i s appeal a r i s e s from a c u s t o d i a l h e a r i n g h e l d i n t h e Yellowstone County D i s t r i c t C o u r t , t h e Honorable Diane G . Barz p r e s i d i n g . The c a s e was t r i e d on t h e p e t i t i o n of t h e S t a t e Department of S o c i a l and R e h a b i l i t a t i o n S e r v i c e s (SRS) t o have JLF and HAF d e c l a r e d y o u t h s i n need of c a r e and t o have t h e i r permanent c a r e , custody and c o n t r o l awarded t o t h e S t a t e of Montana w i t h a u t h o r i t y t o c o n s e n t t o t h e i r adoption. The n a t u r a l mother was p r e s e n t a t t h e h e a r i n g and r e p r e s e n t e d by counsel. The p u t a t i v e f a t h e r of J L F predeceased t h e h e a r i n g , and t h e p u t a t i v e f a t h e r of H A F was served with l e g a l n o t i c e of t h e proceeding b u t f a i l e d t o appear. Following t h e h e a r i n g on t h e p e t i t i o n , t h e D i s t r i c t Court g r a n t e d t h e r e l i e f r e q u e s t e d by SRS and e n t e r e d judgment a c c o r d i n g l y . The n a t u r a l mother now a p p e a l s . J L F , a boy, was born on J a n u a r y 7, 1974. A t t h a t t i m e , h i s mother, t h e a p p e l l a n t , was s i x t e e n y e a r s of age, unmarried and l i v i n g w i t h her mother. J L F and a p p e l l a n t remained i n her m o t h e r ' s house f o r approximately s i x months b e f o r e moving i n t o t h e i r own a p a r t m e n t . A p p e l l a n t ' s independent l i v i n g arrangement, however, was o n l y temporary, and s h e soon moved back w i t h her mother. T h i s p a t t e r n continued f o r t h e n e x t few y e a r s - - a p p e l l a n t moving i n and o u t o f h e r m o t h e r ' s h o u s e , c h a n g i n g h e r r e s i d e n c e on numerous o c c a s i o n s . During t h i s p e r i o d , a p p e l l a n t of t e n c a l l e d upon her mother t o p r o v i d e b a b y s i t t i n g s e r v i c e s , i n a d d i t i o n t o p l a c i n g J L F w i t h her f o r extended p e r i o d s of t i m e . I n May 1977 a p p e l l a n t s u f f e r e d a nervous breakdown and was admitted t o t h e p s y c h i a t r i c ward of t h e Deaconess H o s p i t a l i n B i l l i n g s , Montana. A p p e l l a n t was h o s p i t a l i z e d f o r s i x weeks a f t e r which s h e was r e l e a s e d t o a l o c a l mental h e a l t h group home f o r e i g h t a d d i t i o n a l weeks. A s a r e s u l t of t h e breakdown, a v e r b a l agreement was reached w i t h SRS whereby a p p e l l a n t allowed JLF t o s t a y w i t h h i s m a t e r n a l grandmother u n t i l it was determined t h a t a p p e l l a n t could a d e q u a t e l y p r o v i d e f o r h i s c a r e . A p p e l l a n t was r e h o s p i t a l i z e d due t o her mental h e a l t h i n October 1977 and a g a i n i n November 1978; t h u s , JLF c o n t i n u e d t o r e m a i n p r i m a r i l y i n t h e c a r e o f h i s grandmother. A p p e l l a n t was a g a i n h o s p i t a l i z e d f o r mental h e a l t h r e a s o n s i n August 1979, a f t e r becoming pregnant w i t h t h e i n f a n t HAF. H A F was born February 5, 1980. Because SRS was concerned over a p p e l l a n t ' s a b i l i t y t o c a r e f o r a newborn baby, temporary i n v e s t i g a t i v e a u t h o r i t y was a p p l i e d f o r and g r a n t e d on February 6 , 1980. The i n f a n t H A F was p l a c e d i n a f o s t e r home upon her r e l e a s e from t h e h o s p i t a l . JLF, now s i x y e a r s of age, continued t o r e s i d e w i t h h i s grandmother. I n March 1980, however, a p p e l l a n t demanded t h a t he be r e t u r n e d t o her custody. Not having any t y p e of l e g a l custody or c o n t r o l a t t h e t i m e , t h e SRS caseworker r e t u r n e d JLF t o h i s m o t h e r ' s home on a s u p e r v i s e d b a s i s . I n A p r i l 1980 SRS f i l e d t h e p e t i t i o n t o have JLF and H A F d e c l a r e d youths i n need of c a r e . A h e a r i n g on t h e p e t i t i o n was held i n J u l y 1980. During t h i s time J L F r e m a i n e d under t h e c a r e o f a p p e l l a n t on a c o n t i n u e d s u p e r v i s e d b a s i s . The p e t i t i o n was e v e n t u a l l y g r a n t e d , and judgment was e n t e r e d on September 2 4 , 1980, awarding t h e permanent c a r e , custody and c o n t r o l of t h e c h i l d r e n t o t h e S t a t e of Montana. The s o l e i s s u e p r e s e n t e d on a p p e a l is whether t h e D i s t r i c t Court abused its d i s c r e t i o n by t e r m i n a t i n g t h e p a r e n t a l r i g h t s of a p p e l l a n t and awarding t h e permanent c a r e , custody and c o n t r o l of J L F and HAF t o t h e Department of S o c i a l and R e h a b i l i t a t i o n S e r v i c e s . T h i s Court has h e l d t h a t t h e burden of proof i n a t e r m i n a t i o n of p a r e n t a l r i g h t s a c t i o n is upon t h e S t a t e t o prove by c l e a r and convincing evidence t h a t t h e c h i l d r e n a t i s s u e a r e abused o r n e g l e c t e d . See Matter of J L B ( 1 9 7 9 ) , Mont. , 594 P.2d 1127, 36 St.Rep. 896. T h i s C o u r t , however, h a s a l s o s t a t e d t h a t t h e primary d u t y of d e c i d i n g t h e proper custody of a c h i l d r e s t s w i t h t h e D i s t r i c t Court. A l l r e a s o n a b l e presumptions concerning t h e c o r r e c t n e s s of t h a t c o u r t ' s d e t e r m i n a t i o n w i l l be made, and t h e d e c i s i o n w i l l n o t be d i s t u r b e d on a p p e a l u n l e s s it is shown t h a t t h e D i s t r i c t Court c l e a r l y abused its d i s c r e t i o n . Matter of LFG (197911 Mont . , 598 P.2d 1125, 36 St.Rep. 1547; I n r e Gore ( 1 9 7 7 ) , 174 Mont. 321, 570 P.2d 1110. Here, t h e D i s t r i c t Court found t h a t J L F and HAF were y o u t h s i n need of c a r e and t e r m i n a t e d t h e p a r e n t a l r i g h t s of a p p e l l a n t . The D i s t r i c t Court based t h i s d e t e r m i n a t i o n on a f i n d i n g t h a t t h e c h i l d r e n were n e g l e c t e d and abused. I n s u p p o r t o f t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t ' s f i n d i n g s , c o n s i d e r a b l e e v i d e n c e was p r e s e n t e d , i n c l u d i n g t h e following: Dr. Marian F. M a r t i n , a c l i n i c a l p s y c h o l o g i s t who h a s been t r e a t i n g J L F , t e s t i f i e d t h a t when t h e c h i l d was p l a c e d i n t h e custody of a p p e l l a n t i n March 1980 he began t o show s i g n s of emotional d e t e r i o r a t i o n . Dr. Martin observed t h a t a p a s t problem w i t h e n c o p r e s i s had i n c r e a s e d and t h a t JLF had become f i d g e t y , d i s t r a c t i b l e , s u l l e n and withdrawn. She a l s o observed t h a t J L F was n o t kept c l e a n and had a s t r o n g odor due t o t h e e n c o p r e s i s . Dr. Martin, a l t h o u g h s h e had l i m i t e d c o n t a c t w i t h a p p e l l a n t , f u r t h e r t e s t i f i e d t h a t s i n c e a p p e l l a n t was f a i l i n g t o p r o v i d e f o r t h e emotional and p h y s i c a l needs of JLF, s h e would a l s o be unable t o meet t h e needs of her newborn baby, HAF. Dr. Ned T r a n e l , a c l i n i c a l p s y c h o l o g i s t who h e l d t h r e e d i f f e r e n t s e s s i o n s w i t h a p p e l l a n t between J a n u a r y 1980 and February 1980, t e s t i f i e d t h a t a p p e l l a n t was diagnosed a s a pseudo n e u r o t i c s c h i z o p h r e n i c and t h a t , although h e r c o n d i t i o n may e v e n t u a l l y s t a b i l i z e , it was n o t l i k e l y t h a t any improvements could be made. Dr. T r a n e l was a l s o of t h e o p i n i o n t h a t a p p e l l a n t was s u f f e r i n g from minimal b r a i n d i s f u n c t i o n due t o drug abuses and, a s a r e s u l t of her o v e r a l l c o n d i t i o n , s h e would n o t be a b l e t o a c c u r a t e l y comprehend or respond t o t h e needs of her c h i l d r e n . I t s h o u l d be n o t e d t h a t a p p e l l a n t a t t a c k s t h e c r e d i b i l i t y of Dr. T r a n e l by p o i n t i n g o u t t h a t i n February 1980 he i n d i c a t e d t h a t a p p e l l a n t might be c a p a b l e of r a i s i n g one, b u t n o t both, of her c h i l d r e n . Dr. T r a n e l t e s t i f i e d , h o w e v e r , t h a t h e was m e r e l y s p e c u l a t i n g a b o u t t h e p o s s i b i l i t y of a p p e l l a n t r a i s i n g both c h i l d r e n and t h a t a t t h e time he still had c o n s i d e r a b l e m i s g i v i n g s about her a b i l i t y t o r a i s e even one c h i l d , a l t h o u g h it was worth a t r y . A l i c e N i c k o l o f f , t h e county s o c i a l worker a s s i g n e d t o work w i t h t h e f a m i l y , c o n c u r r e d w i t h Dr. M a r t i n ' s o b s e r v a t i o n s of J L F ' s d e t e r i o r a t i o n . N i c k o l o f f a l s o a t t e s t e d t o a p p e l l a n t ' s i n a b i l i t y t o p r o v i d e f o r t h e p h y s i c a l and e m o t i o n a l n e e d s o f h e r c h i l d r e n . I n p a r t i c u l a r , she noted a d i s i n t e r e s t by a p p e l l a n t i n g e t t i n g o u t of bed t o p r e p a r e JLF's meals, t o c l e a n him o r t o g e t him o f f t o school. She was a l s o of t h e o p i n i o n , a l t h o u g h n o t r e c a l l i n g any s p e c i f i c i n c i d e n t bad enough t o remove t h e c h i l d on t h e s p o t , t h a t JLF was being n e g l e c t e d , i f n o t abused. The c h i l d r e n ' s maternal grandmother t e s t i f i e d t h a t s h e had observed a p p e l l a n t engage i n p h y s i c a l l y a b u s i v e b e h a v i o r t o w a r d s JLF on s e v e r a l d i f f e r e n t o c c a s i o n s . Examples of such behavior included t h e e x c e s s i v e s t r i k i n g of t h e c h i l d with a b e l t and a board, a s w e l l a s p u l l i n g h i s h a i r and b i t i n g him a s methods of imposing d i s c i p l i n e . The g r a n d m o t h e r f u r t h e r t e s t i f i e d t h a t a p p e l l a n t f a i l e d t o p r o p e r l y f e e d , c l o t h e and s u p e r v i s e t h e c h i l d . S e c t i o n 41-3-102, MCA, d e f i n e s abused o r n e g l e c t e d a s follows: " ( 2 ) An 'abused or n e g l e c t e d c h i l d ' means a c h i l d whose normal p h y s i c a l o r mental h e a l t h or w e l f a r e is harmed o r t h r e a t e n e d w i t h harm by t h e a c t s o r omissions of h i s p a r e n t o r o t h e r person r e s p o n s i b l e f o r h i s w e l f a r e . " ( 3 ) 'Harm t o a c h i l d ' s h e a l t h o r w e l f a r e ' means t h e harm t h a t o c c u r s whenever t h e p a r e n t o r o t h e r person r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e c h i l d ' s w e l f a r e : " ( a ) i n f l i c t s o r a l l o w s t o be i n f l i c t e d upon t h e c h i l d p h y s i c a l o r m e n t a l i n j u r y , i n c l u d i n g i n j u r i e s s u s t a i n e d a s a r e s u l t of e x c e s s i v e c o r p o r a l punishment; " ( b ) . . . " ( c ) causes f a i l u r e t o t h r i v e o r o t h e r w i s e f a i l s t o supply t h e c h i l d w i t h adequate food o r f a i l s t o s u p p l y c l o t h i n g , s h e l t e r , e d u c a t i o n , or h e a l t h c a r e , though f i n a n c i a l l y a b l e t o do so or o f f e r e d f i n a n c i a l o r o t h e r r e a s o n a b l e means t o do so; " ( 8 ) 'Mental i n j u r y ' means an i d e n t i f i a b l e and s u b s t a n t i a l impairment of t h e c h i l d ' s i n t e l l e c t u a l o r p s y c h o l o g i c a l f u n c t i o n i n g . " Based upon examination of t h e o f f e r e d e v i d e n c e , i n r e l a t i o n t o t h e d e c l a r e d p o l i c y of t h i s S t a t e t o promote n o r m a l c h i l d h o o d d e v e l o p m e n t and t o p r o v i d e f o r t h e p r o t e c t i o n of c h i l d r e n whose h e a l t h and w e l f a r e a r e , or may be, a d v e r s e l y a f f e c t e d by t h e conduct of t h o s e r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e i r c a r e , t h e D i s t r i c t Court found J L F and HAF abused o r n e g l e c t e d a s t h o s e terms a r e d e f i n e d above. Upon r e v i e w i n g t h e r e c o r d , t h i s C o u r t now f i n d s t h e r e i s s u b s t a n t i a l c r e d i b l e e v i d e n c e t o s u p p o r t t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t ' s c o n c l u s i o n , and, t h u s , a c l e a r abuse of d i s c r e t i o n has n o t been e s t a b l i s h e d . The judgment of t h e D i s t r i c t ~ o u r f ~ i s a f f i r m e d . 2 ' i C " J u s t i c e