Opinion ID: 1123480
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: the presumption of abandonment as a basis for terminating parental rights

Text: The New Mexico presumptive abandonment statute, Section 32-1-54(B)(4), provides in pertinent part: The court shall terminate parental rights with respect to a minor child when: ... . . . . (4) the child has been placed in the care of others, including care by other relatives, either by a court order or otherwise and the following conditions exist: (a) the child has lived in the home of others for an extended period of time; (b) the parent-child relationship has disintegrated; (c) a psychological parent-child relationship has developed between the substitute family and the child; (d) if the court deems the child of sufficient capacity to express a preference, the child prefers no longer to live with the natural parent; and (e) the substitute family desires to adopt the child. Under NMSA 1978, Section 32-1-54(C) (Repl.Pamp.1989), repealed by 1993 N.M.Laws, ch. 77, § 234(A) (recompiled at NMSA 1978, § 32A-4-28(C) (Repl. Pamp.1993)), a finding by the court that all of the conditions set forth in Section 32-1-54(B)(4) exist creates a rebuttable presumption of abandonment. This presumption imposes on the parent against whom it is directed the burden of going forward with evidence to rebut or meet the presumption. It does not shift the burden of proof; that burden remains on the party seeking termination of parental rights. See SCRA 1986, 11-301 (Repl.Pamp.1994); Mortgage Inv. Co. v. Griego, 108 N.M. 240, 243-44, 771 P.2d 173, 176-77 (1989) (discussing effect of evidentiary presumptions). We have indicated that presumptions in a civil non-jury trial are little more than rhetorical devices. Mortgage Inv. Co., 108 N.M. at 244, 771 P.2d at 177. One can argue them to a judge, however, they have no mandatory effect upon his or her decision. Id. The significance of the evidentiary presumption in this case, involving termination of parental rights, is that the factfinder may infer the existence of the presumed fact from proof of the basic facts. Id. (quoting 21 Charles A. Wright & Kenneth W. Graham, Jr., Federal Practice and Procedure § 5126 (1977)). Specifically, abandonment may be inferred entirely from proof of the circumstances listed in Section 32-1-54(B)(4). It is the ultimate fact of abandonment, inferred from the conditions set forth in the statute, that justifies the termination of parental rights under Section 32-1-54(B)(4). As we have indicated, abandonment of one's child establishes parental unfitness. Thus, if abandonment is established under Section 32-1-54(B)(4), no separate showing, finding, or even inquiry concerning fitness or unfitness is necessary. This being said, however, we must acknowledge that the legislature is not free to simply list any set of conditions and then state that proof of these conditions gives rise to a presumption of abandonment or some other ultimate fact. There are constitutional constraints to the use of presumptions, especially those that work a deprivation of liberty. In the context of criminal cases, the United States Supreme Court has held that a statutory presumption is `irrational' or `arbitrary,' and hence unconstitutional, unless it can be said with `substantial assurance' that the presumed fact is more likely than not to flow from the proved fact on which it is made to depend. Leary v. United States, 395 U.S. 6, 36, 89 S.Ct. 1532, 1548, 23 L.Ed.2d 57 (1969). In civil cases, the Supreme Court has required a rational connection between the fact proved and the ultimate fact presumed. Mobile, J. & K.C.R.R. v. Turnipseed, 219 U.S. 35, 43, 31 S.Ct. 136, 138, 55 L.Ed. 78 (1910). While proceedings that involve the termination of parental rights are not criminal in nature, they certainly demand a greater degree of factual certainty than ordinary civil proceedings. This was the basis for the Supreme Court's requirement in Santosky that the state prove its allegations in parental termination cases at least by clear and convincing evidence. See 455 U.S. at 768-69, 102 S.Ct. at 1402-03. For this reason, we think that in any presumptive evidentiary scheme devised to prove abandonment, there must be more than a mere rational connection between the conditions listed by statute and the presumptive fact established by those conditions. We believe there must exist a strong rational connection between them that affords substantial assurance that the presumed fact of abandonment follows from proof of the conditions listed in the statute. In New Mexico, we have adopted an objective evidentiary definition of abandonment that focuses on the effect of the parent's conduct on the child. See In re Adoption of Doe ( Doe v. Heim), 89 N.M. 606, 618, 555 P.2d 906, 918 (Ct.App.), certs. denied, 90 N.M. 7, 558 P.2d 619 and 90 N.M. 8, 558 P.2d 620 (1976) [hereinafter Doe v. Heim ]. A parent need not have a subjective intent to abandon the child for abandonment to have occurred. See id. (rejecting subjective intent standard for abandonment). Abandonment is defined by the outward behavior of the parent as perceived and interpreted by others; there is no inquiry into the parent's concealed and unexpressed intentions. [8] [A]bandonment consists of conduct on the part of the parent which implies a conscious disregard of the obligations owed by a parent to the child, leading to the destruction of the parent-child relationship. Id. (quoting D.M. v. State, 515 P.2d 1234, 1237 (Alaska 1973)), quoted with approval in In re Adoption of Doe (Lee v. Lee), 100 N.M. 764, 767, 676 P.2d 1329, 1332 (1984). Thus, we have emphasized that two factors must both be established to prove abandonment: (1) parental conduct evidencing a conscious disregard of obligations owed to the child, and (2) this conduct must lead to the disintegration of the parent-child relationship. We emphasize that both factors must be established to prove abandonment, and that evidence of the disintegration of the parent-child relationship is of no consequence if not caused by the parent's conduct. See Doe v. Heim, 89 N.M. at 618, 555 P.2d at 918. The presumptive abandonment statute must establish these two factors before it can be used to constitutionally terminate parental rights; in other words, these two factors must be fully demonstrated by the set of presumptions used to justify the separation of a child from his or her biological parents. The presumptive abandonment statute expressly calls for proof of the second factor, that the parent-child relationship has disintegrated. Section 32-1-54(B)(4)(b). Furthermore, the first factor is established by proving the criteria listed in the remainder of the same statute. See § 32-1-54(B)(4)(a), (c), (d) & (e). Demonstrating these criteria provides proof of parental conduct that could cause the parent-child relationship to disintegrate. This is illustrated by Section 32-1-54(B)(4) which requires a showing in all cases of presumed abandonment that the child has been placed in the care of others, including care by other relatives, either by a court order or otherwise. Section 32-1-54(B)(4)(a) goes on to require evidence that the child has lived in the home of others for an extended period of time. Under specific circumstances, proof of these events can be sufficient to demonstrate parental conduct that has caused disintegration of the parent-child relationship. For example, one parent may acquiesce to the other parent placing the child into the care of others, or the parent may personally make such a placement. Or it may be that the state will temporarily remove the child from the parent's home because the parent has neglected or abused the child. Thereafter, the parent may continue to demonstrate disregard for his or her parental duties by failing to maintain personal contact with the child. Eventually the child quite naturally may develop a psychological parent-child relationship with his substitute caregivers. Under such circumstances it is highly probable that the parent has exhibited a conscious disregard for his or her parental obligations. Further, it can be argued that the parent's conduct has caused the disintegration of the parent-child relationship. In such examples, proof of the conditions listed in Section 32-1-54(B)(4) are reasonably demonstrative of abandonment  enough so as to justify application of the presumptive scheme. On the other hand, the requirements of the statute would not be satisfied if one parent placed the child into the care of others without the knowledge or consent of the other parent, and the second parent, despite good-faith efforts, has been unsuccessful in maintaining contact with, or regaining custody of, the child. Under these circumstances, when the parent-child relationship has disintegrated after a parent has been wrongfully deprived of the company or custody of the child, it cannot be said with any degree of assurance that the presumed fact of abandonment follows from the simple proof of the circumstances listed in the statute. When the parent bears no responsibility for the disintegration of the relationship, proof of the conditions listed in Section 32-1-54(B)(4) is not logically demonstrative of abandonment. Indeed, application of the presumptive abandonment statute to such circumstances could have the effect of sanctioning the results of illegal conduct. Proof of abandonment requires that the objective parental conduct be the cause of the destruction of the parental-child relationship. Doe v. Heim, 89 N.M. at 618, 555 P.2d at 918. We think a presumption of abandonment arising under Section 32-1-54(B)(4) demands no less. There is no assurance otherwise that the conditions listed in the statute have even a rational connection with the presumed fact of abandonment. For this reason we construe Section 32-1-54(B)(4) and subparagraph (C) to require such a relationship. We hold that a presumption of abandonment that arises through proof of the factors listed in Section 32-1-54(B)(4) is completely rebutted by showing that a parent lacks responsibility for the destruction of the parent-child relationship. The importance of parental conduct causing the disintegration of the parent-child relationship is supported by earlier New Mexico decisions addressing the application of the presumptive abandonment statute, Section 32-1-54(B)(4), and its precursor NMSA 1978, Section 40-7-4(B)(4) (Repl.Pamp.1983), repealed by 1985 N.M.Laws, ch. 194, § 39. In In re Samantha D., 106 N.M. 184, 186, 740 P.2d 1168, 1170 (Ct.App.), cert. denied, 106 N.M. 174, 740 P.2d 1158 (1987), the trial court found that although the mother would not have been unfit to raise her child had she not initiated an adoption process, she had nonetheless caused the child to be in the care of the adoptive family within 48 hours of the infant's birth. When the mother sought to revoke her consent to the adoption, arguing that her consent failed to comply with certain statutory requirements and was therefore invalid, her parental rights were terminated under the presumptive abandonment statute. Id. at 185, 740 P.2d at 1169. Rejecting the mother's assertion that it was error for the trial court to have found abandonment under Section 32-1-54(B)(4), the Court of Appeals stated that it was clear that the very result of which the mother complained was initiated by her own actions. Id. at 187, 740 P.2d at 1171. In In re Adoption of Doe (Jacklin v. Dudley), 101 N.M. 34, 35, 677 P.2d 1070, 1071 (Ct.App.), cert. denied, 101 N.M. 11, 677 P.2d 624 (1984) [hereinafter Jacklin v. Dudley ], the Court of Appeals upheld the trial court's denial of the petition of two grandparents to adopt their two minor grandchildren. The mother in that case had agreed to placing the children under the guardianship of her father after her divorce. After her father was appointed guardian, the mother was prevented from having any contact with the children despite the fact that the petition for guardianship stated that the father would permit such visitation. The mother sought to terminate the guardianship, and the grandparents sought to terminate the mother's parental rights under Section 40-7-4(B)(4). Although the trial court found that the parent-child relationship between the mother and her children had disintegrated, and a psychological parent-child relationship had developed between the grandparents and the two children, the trial court refused to terminate the mother's parental rights. The trial court found that the grandparents by their own conduct had contributed to the destruction of the parent-child relationship. The Court of Appeals stated that a key element in determining whether parental rights should be terminated under Section 40-7-4(B)(4) was whether the parent-child relationship had disintegrated. Id. at 38, 677 P.2d at 1074. However, the Court stated that the grandparents cannot point to evidence that establishes the disintegration of the parent-child relationship on the one hand, and ignore evidence that [the grandparents'] own actions constituted the causative factors which have precluded the natural parents from any meaningful contact with their minor children or which have prevented them from any opportunity to improve their parent-child relationship. Id. The Court held that the party seeking to perfect the adoption must not by their own conduct have intentionally contributed to the factors causing the disintegration of the parent-child relationship. Id. The trial court action in Jacklin v. Dudley was initiated under a precursor of Section 32-1-54 that did not yet include the subsection stating that a finding of the conditions listed in the statute would create a rebuttable presumption of abandonment. See 101 N.M. at 37 n. 1, 677 P.2d at 1073 n. 1; see also NMSA 1978, § 40-7-4(B)(4) (Cum.Supp. 1982), amended by 1983 N.M.Laws, ch. 239, § 2 (codified as amended at NMSA 1978, § 40-7-4 (Repl.Pamp.1983)). This language was added in 1983 as a new subsection C. See § 40-7-4 (Repl.Pamp.1983). However, the conditions permitting termination that were listed in the 1982 precursor of the presumptive abandonment statute have largely remained unchanged, and in essence are those embodied in the present version of the statute. Compare Section 40-7-4(B)(4) (Cum.Supp.1982) with Section 40-7-4(B)(4) (Repl.Pamp.1983) and Section 32-1-54(B)(4) (Repl.Pamp.1989) and Section 32A-4-28(B)(3) (Repl.Pamp.1993)). We believe that the holding of Jacklin v. Dudley regarding the cause of the disintegration of the parent-child relationship remains directly applicable to the presumptive scheme subsequently adopted by the legislature and still in force today.