Opinion ID: 1717179
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Whether the Chancery Court Erred in Terminating Parental Rights.

Text: ¶ 8. The mother argues that the chancellor erred in terminating her parental rights because termination was not supported by clear and convincing evidence. She claims that the chancellor relied on inadmissible hearsay, which comprised much of the testimony. She also asserts that the chancellor should not have signed the judgment, which had been prepared by DHS and closely resembled the petition, because it is not entirely consistent with the chancellor's conclusions on the record at the termination hearing. ¶ 9. DHS asserts that the testimony that the mother characterizes as hearsay falls under hearsay exceptions, and that, even if the testimony were inadmissible, her argument must fail because the chancellor had clear and convincing evidence before him to terminate her parental rights under Mississippi Code Section 93-15-103(3)(d)(i)-(ii), (e)(i)-(ii), and (h). Miss. Code. Ann. § 93-15-103(3) (Rev.2004). ¶ 10. It is well-established that this Court will affirm a chancellor's findings of fact if there is substantial credible evidence to support them, unless there is manifest error. J.P. v. S.V.B., 987 So.2d 975, 978-79 (Miss.2008) (citations omitted); K.D.F. v. J.L.H., 933 So.2d 971, 975 (Miss. 2006) (citations omitted). This standard of review is highly deferential to the chancellor, who has the opportunity to hear all the testimony and observe the demeanor of all the witnesses firsthand. ¶ 11. The Legislature has identified certain grounds for the termination of parental rights. Miss.Code Ann. § 93-15-103(3) (Rev.2004). Mississippi Code Section 93-15-103(3) states, in relevant part: Grounds for termination of parental rights shall be based on one or more of the following factors:.... (d) When the child has been in the care and custody of a licensed child caring agency or the Department of Human Services for at least one (1) year, that agency or the department has made diligent efforts to develop and implement a plan for return of the child to its parents, and: (i) The parent has failed to exercise reasonable available visitation with the child; or (ii) The parent, having agreed to a plan to effect placement of the child with the parent, fails to implement the plan so that the child caring agency is unable to return the child to said parent; or (e) The parent exhibits ongoing behavior which would make it impossible to return the child to the parent's care and custody: (i) Because the parent has a diagnosable condition unlikely to change within a reasonable time such as alcohol or drug addiction, severe mental deficiencies or mental illness, or extreme physical incapacitation, which condition makes the parent unable to assume minimally, acceptable care of the child; or (ii) Because the parent fails to eliminate behavior, identified by the child caring agency or the court, which prevents placement of said child with the parent in spite of diligent efforts of the child caring agency to assist the parent; or.... (h) The child has been adjudicated to have been abused or neglected and custody has been transferred from the child's parent(s) for placement pursuant to Section 43-15-13 and a court of competent jurisdiction has determined that reunification shall not be in the child's best interest. Miss.Code. Ann. § 93-15-103(3) (Rev. 2004). ¶ 12. This Court established a two-prong test for the termination of parental rights in Petit v. Holifield, 443 So.2d 874, 877 (Miss.1984). In Holifield, this Court stated that [i]n order to sever the rights of a natural person, a petitioner must first show by clear and convincing evidence that the objecting parent has either abandoned or deserted the child or is mentally or morally or otherwise unfit to rear or train the child. Holifield, 443 So.2d at 877 (citation omitted). If a petitioner can make such a showing, then the best interest of the child is to be considered. Id. (citation omitted). ¶ 13. Mississippi Code Section 93-15-103(3) states that any one factor listed can justify the termination of parental rights. Miss.Code Ann. § 93-15-103(3) (Rev.2004). Mississippi Code Section 93-15-103(3)(h) consists of three components. First, it requires that the subject child have been adjudicated abused or neglected. Miss. Code Ann. § 93-15-103(3)(h) (Rev.2004). Second, it requires that the child have been placed pursuant to Mississippi Code Section 43-15-13, which governs the placement of children in foster care and relative care by DHS by order of the youth court. Miss.Code Ann. § 93-15-103(3)(h) (Rev. 2004); Miss.Code Ann. § 43-15-13 (Supp. 2008). Third, it requires that a court of competent jurisdiction have determined that reunification is not in the best interest of the child. Miss.Code Ann. § 93-15-103(3)(h) (Rev.2004). ¶ 14. At the termination hearing, DHS presented the following evidence relevant to Section 93-15-103(3)(h). The children were adjudicated neglected by the Stone County Youth Court on April 13, 2005. The Stone County Youth Court ordered that the children be placed in DHS custody on March 3, 2005. And the children have since been placed with relatives and in foster care arrangements. Thus, the first two requirements are satisfied. ¶ 15. Although the record does not include an order, judgment, or decision from the youth court stating whether or not reunification would be in the best interest of the children, there was testimony from the DHS social worker and supervisor regarding the hearing in which the youth court recommended that parental rights be terminated. When questioning the social worker, the guardian ad litem referenced the TPR [that] was ordered by the youth court last year, and confirmed with the social worker that the date of that hearing was May 3, 2006. The DHS attorney asked the DHS supervisor when termination was ordered or recommended, and the supervisor responded that she did not recall the exact date, but that it was at the youth court hearing. Implicit in a recommendation that parental rights be terminated is the belief that reunification is not in the best interest of the child. Also, the youth court has exclusive original jurisdiction over matters concerning neglected children. Miss.Code Ann. § 43-21-151 (Rev.2004). Hence, there is substantial evidence that the third requirement of Section 93-15-103(3)(h) is met. ¶ 16. At the conclusion of the hearing, the chancellor expressed his agreement with the recommendation of the Stone County Youth Court that parental rights be terminated. The chancellor read Mississippi Code Section 93-15-103(3)(h) into the record and then stated: Therein lies the biggest problem for me so far. I am not convinced that reunification with the mother is in the best interest of these children. I have no doubt that the mother wants the children reunited with her. I think the children have a lot of issues that are very serious.... [B]ased on the laws of the State of Mississippi and the decisions or the conclusions that have been reached by the guardian ad litem, by DHS, by the youth court, all confirm that it's not in the children's best interest to be reunited with their mother and they must just get on with their lives. ¶ 17. Because of the highly deferential standard of review applicable in this case, this Court concludes that the chancellor did not err in finding that parental rights should be terminated on the basis of Section 93-15-103(3)(h). Since this Court finds that the chancellor's finding as to the first prong in Holifield was proper, we must determine whether or not there is substantial evidence to support the view that the best interest of the children favors termination. Holifield, 443 So.2d at 877. ¶ 18. The testimony revealed that the children would benefit from the termination of parental rights and a permanent living arrangement. During the examination of the DHS social worker by the DHS attorney, the following took place: Q: How are [the children] doing at their current foster care? A: [J.L.N.] is doing okay. He has ups and downs. He really has a lot of ups and downs, but overall he is doing well in this placement, better than in other placements. [E.D.F.] is doing very well. She has thrived. She makes excellent grades and she does very well in her placement. Q: How were they doing before they were placed in their foster care? A: I believe there was very little stability in their lives.... I looked at school records for both of the children. They moved several times in the course of one school year. I believe that it was noted that [J.L.N.], in his first grade of school, he moved four different times to four different elementary schools. As with [E.D.F.], she was moved two or three different times during that school year. There was no stability. When asked how the children would benefit from the termination of the mother's parental rights, the social worker stated I believe it would bring closure to them, [E.D.F.], especially.... She can't move forward until there is some closure. And I believe the same is true of [J.L.N.]. If there is a definite [sic] on his part he would be able to move forward and grow. When the DHS supervisor was asked how the children would benefit from termination of parental rights, she responded: I have worked with these children. I have talked to these children. [E.D.F.] approached me at a Christmas party and said, Ms. Denise, I want to be adopted, what do I have to do. I've had to explain to her what would have to happen and that it wasn't just an overnight process. [J.L.N.], on the other hand, he started off with, I don't want to go back there to live. My mom has had chances. She's continued to do this. I just want to go on with my life. But as time has progressed and he's kind of went into a residential treatment facility where he's restricted in what he can do, then he kind of flip-flops because he sees if he goes back to his mom's, he can go back to doing whatever he wanted to do, which is what he was doing when he was here. Because according to the children, mom would be asleep for long periods of time. They basically watched what they wanted to on TV, played what they wanted to, and did whatever they wanted to do at that time. There was also testimony regarding J.L.N.'s behavioral problems. The DHS social worker testified that there were two attempts to place the children with relatives. Both times the placement failed at least in part because of the behavioral problems of J.L.N. These sentiments are echoed in the guardian ad litem report. ¶ 19. As for the mother's situation at the time of the hearing, the testimony shows that she was unemployed, that she voluntarily took care of other people's children at their homes, and that, at the time of the hearing, she had taken a month off from babysitting. She stated that she had previously attempted to obtain a GED, but was not, at the time of the hearing, actively enrolled in any classes. She testified that although she had filed for disability benefits, she had not yet received any benefits. The mother also stated that she has various health problems, including a heart valve problem, tumors, a ruptured disc, and low blood pressure. The testimony indicated that she has had serious struggles with her mental health (she suffers from bipolar affective disorder and depression) and prescription drugs. Furthermore, of the thirteen tasks she was assigned pursuant to the Service Agreement, the testimony revealed that she was unable to complete eight of the tasks, including submitting to and obtaining negative results from random drug testing, counseling, submitting to a psychological examination, and keeping DHS aware of her whereabouts and contact information. In addition, she was unable to meet any of the overall goals set out in the Service Agreement. ¶ 20. This Court finds that the chancellor did not commit manifest error in finding that the best interest of the children would be served by terminating parental rights so that they could be placed in a permanent living situation. Holifield, 443 So.2d at 877. The record shows that the children lived in a difficult home environment when they were in the care of their mother. The testimony reveals that they moved from school to school and were not properly supervised at home. According to the testimony, the children have fared better in their foster placements, but E.D.F. wishes to be adopted, and J.L.N. would likely benefit from a more permanent adoptive setting as well. The testimony reflects that, while J.C.N.F. clearly cares very much for her children and wishes to be a good mother, she is currently unable to provide a stable home environment for E.D.F. and J.L.N. because of her lack of employment and personal health issues. ¶ 21. This Court finds that the chancellor in this case considered the best interest of the children. Since the two prongs of the Holifield test are met, we cannot say that the chancellor's decision to terminate parental rights was unsupported by substantial, credible evidence. ¶ 22. The mother claims that much of the testimony given was inadmissible hearsay, and therefore could not be relied upon as clear and convincing evidence in support of terminating parental rights. However, there is substantial, nonhearsay evidence in support of one of the grounds for terminating parental rights. Therefore, the question of whether or not hearsay pertaining to other grounds for termination was erroneously admitted is irrelevant. ¶ 23. The mother also raises an argument concerning the validity of the judgment signed by the chancellor because it was prepared by DHS. She correctly asserts that the language in the judgment is essentially identical to the language in the petition to terminate parental rights. However, this Court finds that whatever error the chancellor may have committed by signing the judgment as drafted by DHS is harmless because there is substantial, credible evidence supporting the termination of parental rights pursuant to Section 93-15-103(3)(h). ¶ 24. Because this Court finds that there is substantial, credible evidence in support of termination under Section 93-15-103(3)(h), and because Section 93-15-103(3) only requires one factor as grounds to terminate parental rights, the other grounds for termination need not be addressed.