Opinion ID: 2548772
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Abuse and Neglect

Text: [¶ 15] Because Father focuses on the sufficiency of the evidence of neglect, our discussion begins there. This Court has previously observed that there is a thin line between abuse and neglect and often an act or an incident may be evidence of both neglect and abuse. MS v. Kuchera (In re MLM), 682 P.2d 982, 987 (Wyo.1984). Such was true in this case, and thus we view the evidence through the lenses of both, although only neglect was alleged by DFS. [¶ 16] Father's argument relies on the one day he had full custody during which he claims he did not neglect KLS. However, in the termination of parental rights, we must consider all of the factors, incidents and conditions that demonstrate neglect. MLM, 682 P.2d at 988. Rarely do we find a single condition or incident standing alone justifies termination. Instead, neglect is usually manifested by numerous incidents and conditions extending over a considerable length of time. Id. One day without neglect does not overcome a lifetime of abusive and neglectful behavior. [¶ 17] The record establishes clear and convincing evidence of a pattern of neglect by Father. He failed to provide KLS with a stable home as demonstrated by the sheer number of living situations. Of course, the lack of a stable home alone does not constitute abuse or neglect. However, in the specific context of these facts, it is a factor. In her short lifetime, Father shuffled KLS between twelve different residences in two different states. The family lived in a hotel and two houses in Colorado. Mother testified to living in three different places in Gillette, which included two apartments and a friend's home. Upon moving to Sheridan, Father moved KLS six times, mostly to different motels. As a result of the lack of a stable home, KLS was not given timely immunizations or follow-up medical care for illnesses. [¶ 18] Father repeatedly subjected KLS to witnessing domestic violence between him and Mother. The statutory definition of neglect includes failure to provide adequate care and supervision and abuse is defined to include inflicting mental injury. Causing a child to witness violence and abuse of others is an appropriate consideration in determining whether a parent is guilty of neglect by failing to properly care for and supervise that child and of abuse by subjecting the child to mental and emotional injury. Father first struck Mother three days into their relationship. Father often pushed and hit Mother, as well as destroyed her property. Because of the frequency of reported incidents of domestic violence between the two parents, we can infer that it often occurred in KLS' presence. In addition, the record contains direct evidence of that fact on numerous occasions. In October 2000, law enforcement officers responded to a domestic dispute between Father and Mother, which occurred while KLS was present in her crib. On December 13, 2000, Mother filed a petition for a family violence protection order in Sheridan County Circuit Court. In her affidavit, she claimed Father pulled her out of bed by her hair, broke the bed, bathroom doors and mirror, and punched and kicked her. In March 2001, Mother filed another petition for a family violence protection order in Campbell County claiming Father pushed her down and tore the phone out of the wall. A few days later, while KLS was in the vehicle with him, Father tried to run Mother's vehicle off the road while yelling, I'll kill you, you fucking bitch. In July 2001, law enforcement was called to a residence where Mother and Father were engaged in a domestic dispute while KLS was inside the house. Police were called again in October 2001 after Father and Mother (and Father's mother) got into an argument. [¶ 19] Mother filed for and obtained yet another family violence protection order on November 13, 2001, stemming from an argument outside of the motel room where they were staying while KLS remained inside the room. Mother claimed Father grabbed her by the neck, shook and choked her, then threatened he would kill her if she left. He then threw a bottle of alcohol at Mother's car as she left, breaking the window. Mother also indicated in her affidavit that the day before this incident, Father charged and choked her while she was holding KLS and said he would cut her head off and could not wait until she was dead. Mother testified that during the rest of the day two-year-old KLS repeated, cut off Mommy's head, until Father apologized, at which time KLS started repeating so fucking sorry. After the hearing on the last protection order, Father yelled, You fucking bitch to Mother as she was leaving the courtroom with KLS in her arms. [¶ 20] Evidence of the effect on KLS of witnessing the violence between her parents came through the testimony of Sharyn Siler, a licensed clinical social worker. In October 2002, DFS retained Ms. Siler to examine and treat KLS. After approximately thirty-four sessions with KLS involving play, art therapy and discussions with Mother and KLS' foster mother, Ms. Siler diagnosed KLS with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Ms. Siler testified as follows: [KLS] displays feelings of anxiety, fears. [KLS] worries about the safety of others. [KLS] can be very clingy to her caregiver. At other times she's more  as she gets used to the surroundings, she is more free and apart from. But she can be very clingy. She worries about recurrence of violence. This is not something that she has verbally said. I want to make that specific. This is what has come out through play therapy about how she displays  KLS is right now three years old, so much of her life has been preverbal stages; and she doesn't still right now have a lot of verbal skills to be able to explain things. So, this is through interpretation of play therapy. There ha[ve] been changes in behavior throughout the time that she's been in foster care of withdrawal and then  first, she'll withdraw; and then she will become closer in the clinging part. She'll have outbursts of anger without any knowing, precipitating event that happened before. She has in play therapy recreated events that display violence or anger between the toys that she's playing with, the toys that she's selected. She has  she's hyper-vigilant, increased sensitivity to sound. If there's any noises in my office that she can't readily identify, if there's pipes or something going on, she will immediately stop what she's doing and ask what that is. At first she was fearful of that and after the explanations and she's getting used to it, but she still is very aware of any noises in the office. Changes in sleep pattern, as explained  or as told to me by the foster mother, she has a difficult time falling asleep. She has a difficult time staying asleep once asleep. She prefers, well, white noises  the sound of the TV or someone else in the room, some sort of other stimulation during sleep. She's had an increase in negative behaviors, as shown at the daycare, as well as at the foster home. There has been some regression in behaviors. Most recently she was in respite care for a week. I saw her during that week. She regressed during that time. When I saw her during the session, she started baby talking, displaying symptoms that I hadn't seen in KLS before. And this is while the foster mother wasn't there. Ms. Siler ended her testimony by explaining that the PTSD could be caused by a number of factors, including witnessing domestic violence between parents and unstable living conditions. She testified that children who may not have been abused directly, but who witnessed abuse of others, will oftentimes display symptoms of PTSD. [¶ 21] Other jurisdictions have recognized that subjecting a child to witnessing domestic violence between parents constitutes neglect and abuse of the child. Children who witness acts of violence between their parents may be in imminent danger of becoming impaired, if they have not already suffered actual emotional harm. In re Athena M., 253 A.D.2d 669, 678 N.Y.S.2d 11 (A.D. 1 Dept.1998). Children are victimized by a climate of violence existing between their parents, even if they are not direct targets of the abuse. Heck v. Reed, 529 N.W.2d 155, 163 (N.D.1995). A New York court of appeals upheld a finding of neglect based on abuse between parents, stating: While violence between parents adversely affects all children, younger children in particular are most likely to suffer from psychosomatic illnesses and arrested development (Lynn R. Kurtz, Note, Protecting New York's Children: An Argument for the Creation of a Rebuttable Presumption Against Awarding a Spouse Abuser Custody of a Child, 60 Albany L.Rev. 1345, 1351, n 45 (1997)). In re Lonell J., 242 A.D.2d 58, 673 N.Y.S.2d 116 (A.D. 1 Dept.1998). The law review article cited by the New York court describes scientific support for the proposition that witnessing abuse between parents has a profound negative impact on children: Studies have shown that children who witness domestic violence suffer many harmful psychological and emotional effects. Areas in which such problems exist include health[,] socioemotional development[,] and behavior relating to others. A more recent study, which compared children with no history of domestic violence to children with violent family backgrounds, found that the latter group had borderline to severe behavioral problems, below average adaptive behavior skills, lower reading levels, a significant difference in their social competence and more aggressive responses. Comment, Protecting New York's Children: An Argument for the Creation of a Rebuttable Presumption Against Awarding a Spouse Abuser Custody of a Child, 60 Albany L.Rev. 1345, 1351, n 45 (1997) (footnotes omitted). [¶ 22] Many, if not most, jurisdictions have echoed the conclusion that subjecting children to domestic violence justifies termination of parental rights. 4 Child Custody and Visitation, Law and Practice § 28.02[1][c] (Matthew Bender, Lexis 2004). In In re Stephen Tyler R., 213 W.Va. 725, 584 S.E.2d 581 (2003), the facts resemble those we are faced with in this case, and the court affirmed a termination of parental rights. In that case, the father struck the child's mother while she was holding the child in her arms, and repeatedly refused to cooperate in a family case plan or undergo therapy for anger management. In In re: J.R., 991 S.W.2d 318 (Tex.Civ.App.1999), a Texas court terminated mother's parental rights finding that she knowingly placed or allowed the children to remain in conditions or surroundings that endangered their emotional or physical well-being. [¶ 23] A young child is not a mere bystander to domestic violence. The consequences of subjecting KLS to such dysfunctional behavior are manifested in her documented psychological problems. [3] Additional evidence existed of Father's failure to provide proper care and supervision of KLS and his propensity to compromise her safety including the incident in which Father attempted to run Mother off the road while KLS was in the car with him. [¶ 24] Further evidence of neglect was Father's failure to comply with the case plan, which is discussed in detail below. Father argues that his noncompliance with the case plan is immaterial because he claims he did not neglect KLS in the first place and, therefore, DFS could not force him to comply with the case plan. However, the district court sitting as the juvenile court always has jurisdiction over both parents under Wyo. Stat. § 14-3-402(a)(xiv). That statute defines parties to a neglect proceeding as including the child, his parents, guardian or custodian, the state of Wyoming, and any other person. Furthermore, Father signed the case plan. Therefore, the court had jurisdiction over Father and his failure to comply with the case plan led to his neglect. See EBH v. Hot Springs Dep't of Family Servs. ( In re IH), 2001 WY 100, 33 P.3d 172 (Wyo.2001) (Father failed to adhere to the case plan, which in part led to termination of his parental rights); WR v. Natrona County Dep't of Family Servs. (In the Interest of DG), 916 P.2d 991 (Wyo.1996) (Mother signed and agreed to case plan, but did not complete programs suggested in case plan, leading to termination of parental rights). [¶ 25] All of this evidence, when considered together, provides clear and convincing proof sufficient to support the district court's findings of neglect. In re SED v. Carbon County Dep't of Family Services, 2002 WY 168, ¶ 15, 57 P.2d 1235, ¶ 15 (Wyo.2002).