Title: Commonwealth v. Fletcher
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: 021186
State: Virginia
Issuer: Virginia Supreme Court
Date: June 6, 2003

PRESENT:  All the Justices 
 
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, DEPARTMENT 
OF SOCIAL SERVICES, DIVISION OF CHILD 
SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT, EX REL. SPOTSYLVANIA  
COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES 
 
v.  Record No. 021186 
PER CURIAM 
 
 
 
June 6, 2003 
KATHERYN R. FLETCHER 
 
FROM THE COURT OF APPEALS OF VIRGINIA 
 
 
In this appeal, the Court reviews a judgment of the Court 
of Appeals of Virginia affirming a circuit court judgment in 
which the circuit court determined that a parent whose "residual 
parental rights" had been terminated no longer owed a duty of 
support to her minor children.  Commonwealth v. Fletcher, 38 Va. 
App. 107, 562 S.E.2d 327 (2002). 
 
The Court of Appeals concluded that the termination of 
parental rights includes "the termination of parental 
responsibilities as well as any correlative rights."  Id. at 
112, 562 S.E.2d at 329.  Accordingly, the Court of Appeals held 
that a parent whose parental rights have been terminated no 
longer has a legal duty to support his or her child because the 
parent has become a "legal stranger" to that child.  Id.
 
For the reasons set forth in the opinion of the Court of 
Appeals, we will affirm that Court's judgment. 
Affirmed.