Opinion ID: 1911343
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: analysis of court of appeals' decision

Text: The components of a series or collection of statutes pertaining to a certain subject matter may be conjunctively considered and construed to determine the intent of the Legislature so that different provisions of the act are consistent, harmonious, and sensible. In re Application of City of Grand Island, 247 Neb. 446, 527 N.W.2d 864 (1995); In re Application of City of Lincoln, 243 Neb. 458, 500 N.W.2d 183 (1993). If a statute is susceptible to more than one reasonable construction, the reviewing court uses the construction that will achieve the statute's purpose and preserve the statute's validity. State ex rel. Grape v. Zach, 247 Neb. 29, 524 N.W.2d 788 (1994). In my opinion, the Court of Appeals' reading of §§ 43-104.02 through 43-104.06 did not accomplish the statutes' purpose. The legislative purpose of §§ 43-104.02 through 43-104.06 is best preserved by reading the word claimant in those statutes as referring to biological fathers of children born out of wedlock who have a familial relationship to the children, not just those biological fathers of children born out of wedlock who satisfy the 5-day filing requirement of § 43-104.02. The more expansive reading of the statute preserves the Legislature's goal of providing a framework for an adoption proceeding after an unwed mother relinquishes her parental rights. See Shoecraft v. Catholic Social Servs. Bureau, 222 Neb. 574, 385 N.W.2d 448, appeal dismissed 479 U.S. 805, 107 S.Ct. 49, 93 L.Ed.2d 10 (1986). The Court of Appeals, in deciding that § 43-104.06 did not apply, noted that this statute was entitled Paternity claim; request for custody by claimant  (emphasis supplied) and that the language therein expressly referred to the claimant. Because §§ 43-104.02 through 43-104.06 were enacted collectively as part of 1975 Neb. Laws, L.B. 224, the Court of Appeals analyzed those statutory provisions together and held that a claimant is one who is without a familial relationship with a child. In re Adoption of Kassandra B. & Nicholas B., 3 Neb.App. 180, 191, 524 N.W.2d 821, 829 (1994). Simply put, the Court of Appeals held that § 43-104.06 applied to only an alleged father who filed a notice of intent to claim paternity within the first 5 days after the child's birth, as required by § 43-104.02. Because Gomez did not timely file his notice of intent, the Court of Appeals held that he was not a claimant and that § 43-104.06 could not be used to terminate his parental rights. In construing a statute, the court must look at the statutory objective to be accomplished, the problem to be remedied, or the purpose to be served and then place on the statute a reasonable construction which best achieves the purpose of the statute, rather than a construction defeating the statutory purpose. In re Guardianship & Conservatorship of Bloomquist, 246 Neb. 711, 523 N.W.2d 352 (1994); Durand v. Western Surety Co., 245 Neb. 649, 514 N.W.2d 840 (1994). In §§ 43-104.02 through 43-104.06, the Legislature developed a procedure through which the biological father of a child born out of wedlock could protect his rights. A method to ensure that the father's rights would be addressed is to file a notice of intent to claim paternity within 5 days after the birth of said child. Because Gomez shared a familial relationship with his children, our holding in In re Application of S.R.S. and M.B.S., 225 Neb. 759, 408 N.W.2d 272 (1987), made the 5-day notice inapplicable to Gomez. In Gomez' case, the familial relationship can be considered in lieu of the 5-day notice requirement. The familial relationship is an alternative to the 5-day rule in protecting the unwed biological father's rights. The familial relationship accomplishes no more than that, however, and the Court of Appeals was incorrect in holding that the child should be automatically awarded to the biological father. This court, quoting from Lehr v. Robertson, 463 U.S. 248, 103 S.Ct. 2985, 77 L.Ed.2d 614 (1983), stated: [T]he mere existence of a biological link does not merit equivalent constitutional protection. The Court recognized the importance of familial bonds, stressing that [w]hen an unwed father demonstrates a full commitment to the responsibilities of parenthood by `com[ing] forward to participate in the rearing of his child,' [citation omitted] his interest in personal contact with his child acquires substantial protection.... In re Application of S.R.S. and M.B.S., 225 Neb. at 768, 408 N.W.2d at 278. Because Gomez had a familial relationship, it was essential that his rights be preserved as well they were. What the constitution ensured Gomez was that he would get his day in court. How else could a court determine whether or not Gomez demonstrated the full commitment to the responsibilities of parenthood. Section 43-104.06, then, is the applicable statute to follow in this case, and, indeed, this is the statute invoked by Gomez.