Opinion ID: 1540750
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Court of Special Appeals

Text: In an unreported opinion, the Court of Special Appeals held that the in banc panel, as an appellate tribunal, could not make an independent finding as to the child's best interest. On the record before it, the intermediate appellate court concluded that it is unclear whether the trial court errantly equated the best interest standard with ... [Ernest's] fitness ... or whether the trial court was merely (and permissibly) focusing its attention on the only `best interest' argument made by counsel ... thereby ... implicitly indicat[ing] that it found no `exceptional circumstances.' As to this, the Court of Special Appeals observed that even though the trial court concluded that Ernest was not unfit, that finding alone would not require denial of the petition for adoption because a natural parent's right may also be forfeited where some exceptional circumstances render the parent's custody of the child detrimental to the child's best interests. The court then said: Absent any clear indication by the trial court as to the basis of its decision in this regard, we are unable to either affirm or reverse that court's decision. We must instead remand this case to the trial court for the purposes of clarification, to wit: if the trial court determines, by clear and convincing evidence based on the totality of the circumstances, that it is in the best interest of [Baby G.] to terminate [Ernest's] rights to the child, then the adoption petition may properly be granted irrespective of [Ernest's] fitness as a parent; if, on the other hand, the trial court determines that the standard was not met, it must accordingly deny the petition. (Italics in original). Further in its opinion, the intermediate appellate court opined that the record could not sustain a finding other than that Ernest had failed repeatedly to contribute to Baby G.'s care and support. It said that Ernest offered no evidence that the checks produced at trial were ever offered, or even made known, to the D.'s. The court also observed that the fact that the D.'s did not request or expect support would not, without more, relieve Ernest of his duty to support the child. The court determined that even assuming, arguendo, that the checks allegedly tendered by [Ernest] to his attorney reflected some desire to `contribute' to [Baby G.'s] `physical care and support,' the record sub judice cannot (as a matter of law) sustain a finding other than that [Ernest] violated FL § 5-312(b)(4)(ii). (Italics in original). The court also addressed § 5-312(b)'s timing requirements. It interpreted the statute to control when the court had the power to grant an adoption, rather than when the adoption petition itself may be filed. The court indicated that, contrary to Ernest's contention, the D.'s were not precluded from filing their petition for adoption two days after the child's birth, even though the court could not grant the adoption until the statutory time requirements had been met. Because the trial court's decision was made after Baby G. had been in the D.'s custody for at least six months, and out of the custody of Ernest for at least a year, the Court of Special Appeals held that the statutory timing requirements had been satisfied. Not addressed in the intermediate appellate court's opinion was whether the trial court erred in failing to appoint separate counsel for Baby G. under § 5-323. The D.'s, Mellisa, and Baby G. thereafter filed a joint petition for a writ of certiorari, asking that we decide whether in an independent adoption  termination of parental rights proceeding, and in the circumstances of this case on remand to determine the best interest of the child, the child is required to be represented by separate counsel, pursuant to ... § 5-323 and the child's constitutional right to due process of law. In a cross-petition for certiorari, Ernest maintained that the Court of Special Appeals impermissibly modified or abrogated the statutory requirements which must be proven to grant an independent adoption without the consent of a natural parent by modifying the requirements of § 5-312 to create a totality of the circumstances test in determining when it is in a child's best interest to terminate the rights of the natural parent. Additionally, Ernest asked that we consider whether the Court of Special Appeals erred in ruling, as a matter of law, that Ernest had repeatedly failed to contribute to Baby G.'s care and support. And finally, Ernest asked that we consider whether § 5-312's timing requirements apply to the filing or to the granting of a petition for adoption. We granted both petitions for certiorari, 332 Md. 741, 633 A.2d 102, to consider the important issues presented therein.