Court Opinion

ID: 7737136
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2022-07-30 19:54:51.752155+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:39:48.873988
License: Public Domain

I concur with the affirmance of the custody determination, but dissent from the *Page 1187 
reversal of the judgment terminating the parental rights of R.H. andthe remand for further proceedings. Instead, I would reverse the judgment of the circuit court and render a judgment in favor of D.W.M.
Because R.H. has no parental rights as to D.M., there was no need for a parental-rights-termination proceeding. See Exparte Presse, 554 So.2d 406 (Ala. 1989). See also §26-17-5(a)(1), Ala. Code 1975. Accordingly, while it may be true that the circuit court did not have subject-matter jurisdiction of the rights-termination proceeding, there is no other court that would be authorized to entertain such a proceeding. Therefore, I believe the judgment should be reversed and a judgment for D.W.M. rendered.