1 

In The

Court of Appeals

Ninth District of Texas at Beaumont

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NO. 09-22-00067-CV

__________________

IN THE INTEREST OF G.S.G. AND Z.M.G.

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On Appeal from the County Court at Law

Orange County, Texas

Trial Cause No. C200744-D 

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MEMORANDUM OPINION

Following a bench trial, the trial court terminated Mother’s and 

Father’s parent-child relationships with their children, nine-year-old

G.S.G. (Gina) and six-year-old Z.M.G. (Zelda).1 As to Mother, the trial 

court found by clear and convincing evidence that Mother: 

(1) knowingly placed or knowingly allowed the children to remain 

in conditions or surroundings that endangered the physical or 

emotional well-being of the children, pursuant to § 

161.001(b)(1)(D), Texas Family Code;

1To protect the identities of Mother, Father, and their children, we 

use pseudonyms in the opinion in place of names. See Tex. R. App. P. 

9.8(a), (b).
2

(2) engaged in conduct or knowingly placed the children with 

persons who engaged in conduct which endangered the physical 

or emotional well-being of the children, pursuant to § 

161.001(b)(1)(E), Texas Family Code; 

(3) constructively abandoned the children, who have been in the 

permanent or temporary managing conservatorship of the 

Department of Family and Protective Services for not less than 

six months along with the additional findings required in 

section 161.001(b)(1)(N) of the Texas Family Code;

(4) failed to comply with the provisions of a court order establishing 

the actions Mother had to follow to have her children returned 

after they were placed with the Department of Family and 

Protective Services for not less than nine months following their 

removal for abuse or neglect, pursuant to § 161.00(b)(1)(O), 

Texas Family Code; and 

(5) used a controlled substance, as defined by Chapter 481, Health 

and Safety Code, in a manner that endangered the health or 

safety of the child, and then failed to complete a court-ordered 

substance abuse treatment program or complete a courtordered substance abuse treatment program and continued to 

abuse a controlled substance in a manner that endangered the 

health or safety of her children.2

As to Father, the trial court found that Father filed “an unrevoked 

or irrevocable affidavit of relinquishment of parental rights as provided 

by Chapter 161, Texas Family Code[.]” Finally, the trial court found that 

terminating Mother’s and Father’s parent-child relationships with Gina

and Zelda is in their best interest. After the trial court signed the order 

terminating Mother’s and Father’s parental rights, Mother appealed. 

Father, however, did not. 

2See Tex. Fam. Code. Ann. § 161.001(b)(1)(D), (E), (N), (O), (P).
3

On appeal, Mother’s court-appointed attorney filed a brief. The 

brief provides the Court with a professional evaluation of the record. 

According to Mother’s brief, no arguable grounds exist to support 

Mother’s appeal.3 Mother’s attorney certified that he sent Mother a copy 

of the brief. Upon receiving the attorney’s brief, the Clerk of the Ninth 

Court of Appeals notified Mother she had until May 20, 2022, to file a pro 

se response to the brief with the Court. But the appellate record shows 

that Mother failed to respond.

We have independently reviewed the record. Based on our review, 

we find Mother’s appeal to be frivolous. Accordingly, we need not appoint 

another attorney to re-brief the appeal.4

For the above reasons, the trial court’s judgment is

AFFIRMED.

_________________________

HOLLIS HORTON

Justice

 

 

Submitted on June 15, 2022

Opinion Delivered July 14, 2022

Before Golemon, C.J., Kreger and Horton, JJ.

3See Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967); In re L.D.T., 161 

S.W.3d 728, 731 (Tex. App.—Beaumont 2005, no pet.).

4Cf. Stafford v. State, 813 S.W.2d 503, 511 (Tex. Crim. App. 1991).