Opinion ID: 2520807
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Trial Court Properly Denied Martin's Request To Stay the Termination Proceedings Pending Investigation of Placement of Amanda with Martin's Relatives Under AS 47.14.100(e).

Text: Martin claims that the trial court erred when it refused to stay his termination trial pending placement of Amanda with his relatives in Washington under AS 47.14.100(e), and in the alternative asks that Amanda be placed with his relatives whether his parental rights are terminated or not. The existence of relatives with whom Amanda might have been placed, a factor affecting DFYS foster placements under Title 47.14 of the Alaska Statutes, is unrelated to whether Martin's parental rights should have been terminated, a decision governed by AS 47.10. [26] Therefore there was no reason to stay his termination trial pending the outcome of that investigation. Moreover, we have recently held that [i]n reaching its termination decision, the superior court was not required to revisit its earlier placement decision[,] and its termination order superseded all earlier placement orders. [27] If Martin or his relatives wished to challenge the placement of Amanda with a foster family, they could have done so by asking for internal DFYS review or by bringing the matter specifically to the superior court on its own merits; [28] but the superior court's termination order now renders earlier issues of placement moot. [29] The superior court properly denied Martin's stay request.