Opinion ID: 2358810
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Proper Remedy in This Case is Reversal of the Adjudication of Neglect and Remand for Further Proceedings.

Text: {47} CYFD asks this Court to reverse the Court of Appeals' decision and, if ICWA requirements were not satisfied in this case, to remand this case to the district court to hold an additional hearing regarding the ICWA requirements. Mother argues that the adjudication of neglect must be reversed based on insufficiency of the evidence. While we agree with Mother that the adjudication of neglect must be reversed because the findings required by § 1912(d) and (e) of ICWA were not made at the adjudicatory hearing on abuse and neglect, we conclude that remanding to the district court for further proceedings is appropriate in this case. {48} Ordinarily, appellate reversal on substantive grounds of an adjudication of abuse or neglect results in the dismissal of the petition and a remand to the district court, which retains jurisdiction to determine whether the parent prevailing on appeal should regain custody of the child. Benjamin O., 2007-NMCA-070, ¶ 35, 141 N.M. 692, 160 P.3d 601. If CYFD does not believe that reunification is in the best interests of the child, it can bring new or current allegations of abuse, neglect, or abandonment to the district court's attention, id. ¶ 39, and argue that such allegations of abuse or neglect are sufficient to establish abuse or neglect by clear and convincing evidence, id. ¶ 40. {49} In this case, we are deciding issues of first impression regarding proper implementation of the ICWA requirements in New Mexico courts. CYFD asserts that it has made a good faith effort to comply with the letter and spirit of ICWA by addressing § 1912(d) and (e) at the earliest possible procedural stage. We recognize that if we were to order dismissal of the abuse and neglect petition for lack of proof on the ICWA requirements, CYFD would be precluded from bringing the same potentially meritorious allegations in a new petition but instead would have to decide whether it had grounds to supplement the original petition or file a new petition with different allegations of abuse or neglect. We conclude that requiring CYFD to begin the process anew in this case by bringing new allegations of abuse or neglect neither promotes judicial economy nor protects Child's best interests. Accordingly, we remand this case to the district court for a new adjudicatory hearing so that CYFD can present any evidence, including qualified expert testimony, that bears on the findings required by § 1912(d) and (e).
{50} In child abuse and neglect proceedings to which ICWA applies, the findings required by § 1912(d) and (e) always must be addressed at the adjudicatory hearing. They were not in this case. Accordingly, we reverse the adjudication of neglect and remand this case to the district court for a new adjudicatory hearing that satisfies the requirements of § 1912(d) and (e) of ICWA. {51} IT IS SO ORDERED.