NO. 07-09 -001 9-CV IN THE CO UR T OF APPEA LS FO R THE S EVEN TH D ISTRI CT O F TEXAS

AT AM AR ILLO PAN EL D MA RC H 19, 2 009

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___ IN THE IN TERES T OF C. H. , T.H . AN D S.H ., CH ILD RE N

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______ FRO M T HE 39 5 DIS T RI CT COU RT OF W IL L IA MS ON COU NT Y; TH NO. 07-17 63-F39 5; HON. MICHAEL JERGINS, PRESIDING

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____ Before QUINN, C.J., and CAMPBELL and PIRT LE, JJ. O R D E RAB AT I N G AP P E AL This i s a n ac cel erated appeal from an order ter minat ing the parental r ig hts of both parents to thei r three chi ldren. Both parents ti mely fil ed s tatement s o f point s a nd not ic es of appeal . The cl er k’ s record w as filed on Januar y 28, 2009, and the repor ter ’s record w as filed on F ebr uar

y 26. Al so on F e b ru ar y 26, the mot her

of the c hil dren fil ed a moti on re que st in g abat ement of the appeal and re mand to the t ri al cour t for entr y of findi ng s o f fact and conc lus ion s o f law .In all the ci ted c ases , t he former ter minat ion sta tute, § 15. 02 of the Fami ly C ode, 1 appl ied . 2 The mother

i nforms us she ti mely filed a re q uest for findi ng s o f factand conc lus ion s of law pursu ant to R ule of Ci v il Procedu re 296. See Tex . R . C i v . P. 29 6. S he a l s o i nfo r ms us she ti mely

fil ed a noti ce of past due findi ng s o f factand conc lus ion s o f law pursuantto Rul e 297. See T ex. R. Civ . P. 297. T he clerk’s record sup ports th e mo the r’s statem ent s. The tr ial co urt did not f il e f ind ing s or conc lus ion s, and the mother now arg ues the a ppeal s h o u ld b e a b a t e d a n d re m a n d e d fo r e n t ry o f f in d in gs o f

fa c ta n d co n c lu s io n s o f la w. The ter minat ion order

reci tes the tr ial co urt found four g ro unds for te rmi nati on of the mother ’s parental r ig hts , and found ter minat ion w as in the b esti nterestof the c hil dre n. SeeTe x . Fam . Code Ann. § 161 .00 1 (Verno n 20 08) (listin g groun ds for inv olun tary ter minat ion ). Tw o of the g ro unds are tho se desc ri bed i n §§ 161.001 (1 )( D) and 161.001 (1 )( E) . The ter minat ion order contai ns stat ements that the tri al cour t found by

cl ear and c onv in cin g ev ide nce that the mot her “ know ing ly

pl aced or

kn ow ing ly

al lowed th e chi ldren to remain in condi ti ons or su rroundi ng s w hic h endang er the phy si cal or

emoti onal w ell -b ein g of the c hil dren” and that sh e “ e n gag ed i n c onduct or kn ow ing ly

pl aced the chi ldren w it h persons w ho eng ag ed in condu ct w hic h endang ers the p hy si cal or emoti onal w ell-being of the children [.]” In suppo rt of her motion to abate , the mo the r cites Juan A__ v. Dallas Count

y Child W

elfare , 733 S.W .2d 5 59 ( Tex .C iv .App. –Da ll as 1986, no w ri t) ; W

__ H__ v. Moore , 589 S.W .2d 8 30 ( Tex .C iv .App. –Da ll as 1979, no w ri t) , and our opi nio n i n In reS__ H __, 548 S.W .2d 804 (Tex .C iv .App. –Amar il lo 1977, no w ri t) , for the p ro posi ti on th at f indings und e r s u b s e ctions (D) and (E) of § 161 .00 1(1) w orde d in the alterna tiv e are 13

improper becau se they

do n ot s tate w hic h of the alt er nati v es occ ur re d. See, e.g., In reS__ H __, 5 48 S. W .2d a t 806 ( sta ti ng a find ing the parents engag ed in endang er ing conductor know ing ly

pl aced the c hil dren w it h persons w ho eng ag ed in suc h c onduct i s n ot a findi ng that eit her

occur re d) . By

its use of suc h al ter nati v e wordin g , t he mothe r ass erts, the tr ial cour t’ s o rd e r does not s tate the fact s o n w hic h the tr ial co urt reli ed to su ppor t i ts term inatio n orde r. It is n ot c lea r to us that In r e S__ H

__, Juan A __, a nd W

__ H __ re fl e c tcu rrent re q uirements co ncer nin g the findi ng s n eces sar y to s uppor

t an order

ter minat ing parental ri g hts . See Cervante s-Pete rson v. Texas Dep ’ t of Fami

ly & Protective Services, 221 S. W . 3 d 2 4 4 , 2 5 2 (T e x.A p p .– Ho u st o n [1 Dist .] 20 0 6 , n o pe t. ) (d ist in gui sh in g f in d in gs st re q uired by

rul es of ci v il procedu re and thos e req uired by F amil y C ode § 161.206 ); In re M. M. M. , 229 S.W .3d 821, 823 (Tex .App. –For t W orth 20 07, n o pet .) (b e stin te re stf in d in g) ; In r e A. I.G ., 135 S.W .3d 687, 694 (Tex .App. –San Antoni o 2003, no p et.) ; cf . T e xa s D ep ’t of Hum an Ser

vs. v . E. B., 802 S.W .2d 647 , 649 (Tex. 1990 ) ( for jury charge purpo ses, cont rolling question w as w het her pa rent-child relat ionsh ip shou ld be te rmina ted ). Nev erth e l e s s , w e w i l l g ra n tt h e m o t h e r ’ s m o t i o n h e re , fo r tw o re a s o n s . F i rst, app ellee, t he T exas Dep artm ento f Fa mily and P rotect iv e Services, h as f iled a respo nse sta ti ng i t doe s n ot op pose the mot ion . Seco nd, t his ca se w as transfer re d to us fr om the Aust in Courto f Appeal s D is tr ict. A p anel of the A ust in cour t, as re cent ly

as 1998, ci ted Juan A__ and In re S__ H __ in suppo rtof a s tatementthatan e ndang er ing co nductfindi ng w as “impro p e rl y p h ra s ed in th e alte rnative.” Baetz v. T exas D ep’ t of Pr otec ti ve and4

Regu latory Se rvs. , No. 03-9 7-00 222 -CV, 199 8 W L 84 939 4 *1 n. 2 (T e x. A p p.–Aust in Dec .10, 1998, no pet .) . SeeTex . R . Ap p. P . 41.3. Accordin gly , w e ab ate the ap pea l and rem and the cau se to th e 39 5 Distri ct Court th of W il li amson Cou nty , Tex as. W e directthe ju dg e of the tr ial co urt t o ex ecut e findi ng s o f fa ctan d co n clu sio n s o f la w. Be ca u se th e ap p e a l is a cc e le ra te d , we a lso di re ctth e ju d ge to fil e the findi ng s a nd c oncl usi ons w it h the tr ial co urt c ler k o n or before Apr il 8, 20 09, a nd further dire ct the t ri al cour

t c ler k t o prepare and file a s uppl emental cl er k’ s record, cont aining the f indings and conclusio ns, w ith the clerko f this Court imm edia tely on th eir f iling w ith the t r i al c ou rt c l er k . O n th e fi l i ng w i th t hi s C ou rt of t he s up pl em en ta l c l er k ’s re cord c ontai nin g the findi ng s a nd c oncl usi ons, the appeal w il l be rein sta ted. It is so ordered. Per C ur iam