Opinion ID: 1664977
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: whether the decision by the lower court to terminate the parental rights of the mother was supported by clear and convincing evidence

Text: ¶ 11. The law leaves no room for doubt as to what is required in a case involving termination of parental rights. Before a State may sever completely and irrevocably the rights of parents in their natural child, due process requires that the State support its allegations by at least clear and convincing evidence. Santosky v. Kramer, 455 U.S. 745, 748, 102 S.Ct. 1388, 1391-92, 71 L.Ed.2d 599 (1982) (finding that a fair preponderance of the evidence standard was inadequate when reviewing such a fundamental liberty interest). Indeed, this is exactly what the Termination of Rights of Unfit Parents Law requires. The trial judge must be satisfied by clear and convincing proof that the mother was within the grounds laid out within the statute requiring termination of her parental rights. Miss.Code Ann. § 93-15-109. Also, under Mississippi law a strong presumption exists that the natural parent should retain his or her parental rights. See, e.g., Lauderdale County Dep't of Human Servs. v. T.H.G., 614 So.2d 377, 385 (Miss.1992) (recognizing Santosky v. Kramer, 455 U.S. 745, 102 S.Ct. 1388, 71 L.Ed.2d 599 (1982)). Terminating those rights requires overcoming that strong presumption with clear and convincing evidence. Even the trial judge, in her initial determination that the parental rights should not be terminated, likened such a ruling to the death penalty. The trial court, at that proceeding, found no existence of an extreme and deep-seated antipathy by the child toward the parent or . . . some other substantial erosion of the relationship between the parent and child which was caused . . . by the parent's . . . prolonged and unreasonable absence, and could find no reason to overcome that strong presumption. Miss. Code Ann. § 93-15-103(3)(f). On the other hand, LCDHS argues here on appeal that this statutory requirement was proven at the hearing as revealed in the transcript. ¶ 12. LCDHS, as well as Valerie's foster family, desire for the child to be adopted by the foster family, and are pursuing the termination of Tonya's parental rights to achieve that end. The statute contemplates such a situation. When a child has been removed from the home of its natural parents and cannot be returned to the home of his natural parents within a reasonable length of time because returning to the home would be damaging to the child or the parent is unable or unwilling to care for the child, relatives are not appropriate or are unavailable, and when adoption is in the best interest of the child, taking into account whether the adoption is needed to secure a stable placement for the child and the strength of the child's bonds to his natural parents and the effect of future contacts between them, the grounds listed in subsections (2) and (3) of this section shall be considered as grounds for the termination of parental rights. The grounds may apply singly or in combination in any given case. Miss.Code Ann. § 93-15-103(1). Tonya's history, including years before and after Valerie's birth is in fact fraught with situations less than ideal for rearing a child, including Tonya's drug abuse and sexual promiscuity in Valerie's presence. This has had without doubt an adverse effect on the child and the trial court was not blind to that fact; however, with an eye toward the measures the trial judge put in place in her initial order and the rehabilitation the mother has successfully pursued, we are constrained to find that the facts are not sufficient to undergird the trial court's ultimate decision to terminate Tonya's parental rights with Valerie. Based on the turbulent childhood Valerie has experienced, the trial court decided to not grant the mother custody or even visitation rights without visitation being requested by the child. In fact, at the May 1, 2003, proceedings, the trial judge stated that many of the allegations in the petition were true, including those which could have been found as grounds to terminate parental rights under the statute. However, the result of the then-truth of those allegations was the denial of granting the mother custody or free visitationnot the termination of her parental rights. The trial judge ruled that no testimony had been presented at those proceedings to show a substantial erosion of the parent-child relationship or to show any deep-seated antipathy on the part of the child toward the mother. This holding would likewise not grant custody or automatic visitation rights to the mother, but simply prevent the mother's parental rights from being terminated only because of the current situation the foster parents provide the child. Since the commencement of these proceedings in the trial court, Valerie has lived in several foster homes, unhappily moving from home to home, but has now ended up in her current foster home where she is comfortable and adjusting well to her life. This however is still inadequate alone to support a termination of the mother's parental rights. 'The best interest of the child is a polestar consideration in the granting of any adoption.' It is a consideration, but this Court has never allowed termination of parental rights only because others may be better parents. M.L.B. v. S.L.J., 806 So.2d 1023, 1029 (Miss.2000) (quoting In re Adoption of J.J.G., 736 So.2d 1037, 1038 (Miss.1999)). ¶ 13. The typical cases where we have found a substantial erosion in a parent-child relationship are far more extreme than the one presented to us today. In May v. Harrison County Dep't of Human Servs., 883 So.2d 74 (Miss.2004), the mother breached an agreement with the DHS by failing to attend parenting and counseling classes, and continued to have contact with her husband after his conviction of sexual battery of their 11-year-old daughter, resulting in a substantial erosion of the relationship between the mother and the three children, whom the DHS had removed from the mother's home after the husband was charged in the crime. That erosion constituted grounds for termination of her parental rights pursuant to Miss.Code Ann. § 93-15-103(3)(f). Id. at 76-77, 79. ¶ 14. In G.Q.A., the evidence supported a determination that there had been a substantial erosion of the parent-child relationship resulting from what the trial judge called the worst case of child abuse ever to pass before his bench, the facts of which included waiting more than a week to seek medical attention from a hospital to treat-third degree burns on an eighteen-month-old baby incurred during a scalding bath. 771 So.2d at 332. The time that passed between the burns and treatment resulted in a bacterial infection which caused abscesses on areas of the baby's body which were unaffected by the initial burns. Id. The severity of the burns resulted in a cardiac condition. Id. at 333. The child had also been severely malnourished for several months, having the height and weight of an eight month old. The child had hair loss, loose teeth, and swollen and bleeding gums, as well as disfigurement from the wounds and infection. Id. Notwithstanding the parents' contention that they had continuously sought and exercised visitation, but were restricted by court order to only limited, supervised visitation, the court found a substantial erosion in the relationship resulting from the physical abuse. Id. at 338. ¶ 15. However, this Court has also been presented with situations where it was improper to terminate parental rights based on the facts before us. In M.L.B. v. S.L.J ., we found that there was insufficient evidence to support the chancellor's termination of a mother's parental rights on the ground of a substantial erosion of the relationship. 806 So.2d at 1029. Although the mother's visits with her children were infrequent, it was not shown that the mother wished to abandon or desert her children. Id. at 1027. To abandon would have meant to forego all duties or to relinquish all parental claims to the children and her conduct did not imply a conscious disregard of all the obligations owed by a parent to the child, leading to the destruction of the parent-child relationship. Id. ¶ 16. In Vance v. Lincoln County Dep't of Pub. Welfare ex rel. Weathers, 582 So.2d 414, 416 (Miss.1991), we found the evidence sufficient to support a finding of a substantial erosion of the relationship between two children and their mother, who was incarcerated for murder and armed robbery and later for aggravated assault of a correctional officer while incarcerated. In Vance, one of the children testified that he had not seen his mother for five years though he had written to her and talked with her on the phone and he seemed anxious to be adopted by someone, and the other child evidently had no memory of her mother since she was only two years old when she was separated from her mother. Id. at 418. The trial judge found the already-bad relationship eroded to one that was practically non-existent, and this Court refused to hold that the trial court's finding of a substantial erosion was manifestly wrong. Id. Under the circumstances it appeared that no viable alternative to termination was available to the court. Id. The record supported a finding of serious neglect by the mother and the mother's conduct resulted in consequences tantamount to abandonment. Id. ¶ 17. Returning to the facts of today's case, Tonya no doubt has a history of drug abuse and addiction and has been diagnosed as bi-polar. However, testimony was presented to show her pursuit of regular treatment, her dedicated regimen of medication, and her sobriety for several years prior to the hearing. Evidence of these facts included drug screening reports showing her sobriety over the previous several years and improvement with her bi-polar disorder through medication and psychiatric care. From the record in this case, we are unconvinced that the evidence presented by LCDHS was clear and convincing to overcome the strong presumption of retaining parental rights in Tonya's favor or to show an extreme and deep-seated antipathy by the child toward the parent or . . . some other substantial erosion of the relationship between the two. Miss.Code Ann. § 93-15-103(3)(f). It is thus clear that for parental rights to be terminated under § 93-15-103(3)(f), any antipathy or erosion of the relationship must be caused at least in part by the parent's serious neglect, abuse, prolonged and unreasonable absence, unreasonable failure to visit or communicate, or prolonged imprisonment. Id. Here, the circumstances of the case wholly fail to rise to such a level required by the statute to necessitate terminating Tonya's parental rights to Valerie. Though Tonya may not be fit to be awarded custody, the termination of her parental rights is inappropriate and is not justified from the record before us and the applicable law. Testimony at the motion hearing, as well as evidence within the entire record, is certainly not lacking as to the mother's rehabilitation efforts and that she in fact makes efforts to maintain contacts with her daughter by, among other things, writing her letters twice a week and sending her Christmas presents. The trial court's decision to terminate Tonya's parental rights is not supported by substantial, credible evidence. G.Q.A., 771 So.2d at 335. We thus likewise find this issue raised by Tonya to have merit. ¶ 18. Tonya also raises these additional issues: III. Whether visitation between the mother and the child should have been allowed and whether, if allowed, the visitation should have been restricted; IV. Whether the trial court failed to make findings of fact and conclusions of law which were supported by credible evidence and not manifestly wrong; V. Whether the trial court failed to correctly implement the proper statutory procedures. ¶ 19. However, based on our disposition of the issues already discussed, we deem it unnecessary to address these remaining issues. Instead, inasmuch as we have determined that the trial court committed error in terminating Tonya's parental rights to Valerie, we deem it appropriate, based on the passage of time since the last trial court adjudication, to remand this case to the Lowndes County Youth Court to revisit the issue of visitation between Tonya and Valerie. Notwithstanding our remand for this purpose, we in no way make any inference as to the appropriate decision concerning visitation. Whether Tonya is even afforded visitation with Valerie, and if so, to what extent and on what terms, is a decision quite appropriately left to the trial judge on the scene. See Culbreath v. Johnson, 427 So.2d 705, 708 (Miss.1983).