Court Opinion

ID: 3068997
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2015-10-16 00:03:01.321189+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T10:53:00.722037
License: Public Domain

In The

                                  Court of Appeals
                      Ninth District of Texas at Beaumont
                                  ________________

                                 NO. 09-14-00456-CV
                                  ________________

               IN THE INTEREST OF V.L.L., J.L.L., AND J.J.L.

__________________________________________________________________

                On Appeal from the 253rd District Court
                        Liberty County, Texas
                     Trial Cause No. CV1206391
__________________________________________________________________

                            MEMORANDUM OPINION

       D.J.L. appeals from an order terminating his parental rights to his minor children,

V.L.L., J.L.L., and J.J.L. The trial court found, by clear and convincing evidence, that

statutory grounds exist for termination of D.J.L.’s parental rights and that termination of

D.J.L.’s parental rights would be in the best interest of the children. See Tex. Fam. Code

Ann. § 161.001(1)(D), (E), (O) (West 2014).

       D.J.L.’s court-appointed appellate counsel submitted a brief in which counsel

contends there are no arguable grounds to be advanced on appeal. See Anders v.

California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967); In re L.D.T., 161 S.W.3d 728, 731 (Tex. App.—

Beaumont 2005, no pet.). The brief provides counsel’s professional evaluation of the

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record. Counsel certified that D.J.L. was served with a copy of the Anders brief filed on

his behalf. This Court notified D.J.L. of his right to file a pro se response, as well as the

deadline for doing so. This Court did not receive a pro se response.

       We have independently reviewed the appellate record and counsel’s brief, and we

agree that any appeal would be frivolous. We find no arguable error requiring us to order

appointment of new counsel to re-brief this appeal. Compare Stafford v. State, 813
S.W.2d 503, 511 (Tex. Crim. App. 1991). We affirm the trial court’s order terminating

D.J.L.’s parental rights, and we grant counsel’s motion to withdraw. 1

       AFFIRMED.
                                                  ______________________________
                                                         STEVE McKEITHEN
                                                            Chief Justice

Submitted on January 13, 2015
Opinion Delivered February 19, 2015

Before McKeithen, C.J., Kreger and Horton, JJ.

       1
       With respect to withdrawing from the case, counsel shall inform D.J.L. of
the outcome of this appeal and inform him that he has the right to file a petition for
review with the Texas Supreme Court. See Tex. R. App. P. 53; In the Interest of
K.D., 127 S.W.3d 66, 68 n.3 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2003, no pet.).
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