Court Opinion

ID: 9890470
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-10-13 05:08:10.804412+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:26:15.072195
License: Public Domain

If this opinion indicates that it is “FOR PUBLICATION,” it is subject to
                 revision until final publication in the Michigan Appeals Reports.

                           STATE OF MICHIGAN

                            COURT OF APPEALS

                                                                     UNPUBLISHED
In re N F SCOTT, Minor.                                              October 12, 2023

                                                                     No. 365520
                                                                     Calhoun Circuit Court
                                                                     Family Division
                                                                     LC No. 2014-003451-NA

Before: BOONSTRA, P.J., and BORRELLO and FEENEY, JJ.

PER CURIAM.

       Respondent appeals by right the trial court’s order terminating her parental rights to her
minor child, NFS.1 We affirm.

                   I. PERTINENT FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

         In July 2022, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS or petitioner) filed a
petition alleging that respondent had recently given birth to NFS and that both respondent and NFS
had tested positive for cocaine, opiates, and methadone. The petition further alleged that
respondent admitted to taking prescription opiates that she had purchased illegally and for which
she had no prescription. The petition noted that NFS had experienced drug withdrawal symptoms
after birth, requiring medical intervention. The petition also noted that respondent had her parental
rights to another child, TC, terminated in 2011 due to her failure to comply with and benefit from
court-ordered services to address her substance abuse and mental health issues, as well as domestic
violence and unstable housing. Further, respondent gave birth to another child (AP) in 2014, who
also tested positive for cocaine at birth and required withdrawal treatment.2 The petition also noted
that respondent was currently on probation for a substance abuse offense. The petition sought
termination of respondent’s parental rights at the initial dispositional hearing.

1
  NFS’s legal father was a respondent in the proceedings below, but his parental rights were not
terminated and he is not a party to this appeal.
2
 Respondent’s parental rights to AP were not terminated; the trial court noted at the termination
hearing that AP’s father had custody of her and another of respondent’s children.

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        The trial court authorized the petition and NFS was placed in a non-relative foster home.
An amended petition filed in September 2022 noted that respondent had tested positive for fentanyl
in July 2022 and had tested positive for fentanyl and methamphetamine three times in August
2022; all of these drug screens were taken after NFS’s birth.

        An adjudication bench trial was held on November 29, 2022 and December 12, 2022. At
the trial, a Children’s Protective Services (CPS) worker, Kayla Hughes, testified that she had
spoken to respondent on the day of NFS’s birth, after respondent and NFS tested positive for
cocaine and fentanyl. Hughes testified that respondent admitted to getting a prescription opiate
pill from “one of her drug dealers and it may have been laced with fentanyl.” A CPS investigator,
Joseph Rounds, Jr., testified similarly. Hughes noted that respondent was being provided with
psychological counseling and random drug screens through her probation. The trial court took
judicial notice that respondent had entered a no-contest plea to possession of methamphetamine in
April 2021 and had been placed on probation. The terms of her probation required respondent to
complete a residential substance-abuse treatment program and after-care treatment at Sacred Heart
Rehabilitation Center. Hughes testified that respondent was discharged from her residential
treatment program at Sacred Heart without completion in October 2022 after she “behaved in a
manner that was assaultive, abusive, threatening or intimidating” toward a therapist.

        Hughes further testified that respondent’s parental rights to TC were involuntarily
terminated, and that her two other children were placed with their father, who was not NFS’s
father. Both children had tested positive for controlled substances at birth, one in 2014 and one in
2016.

         NFS’s foster-care worker, Kelsey Calvert, testified regarding NFS’s medical treatment
after her birth. She testified that NFS remained hospitalized for eleven days and required
significant treatment for opiate withdrawal, including a morphine drip and a feeding tube. Calvert
testified that respondent told her she had resumed outpatient methadone treatment at Victory Clinic
in July 2022 after being released from the hospital following NFS’s birth. Calvert also testified
that respondent had tested positive for fentanyl in August 2022, and that respondent’s initial
psychological evaluation had been rescheduled “a couple times” but was currently scheduled for
December 2022.

        Respondent presented the testimony of Jonathan Bachman, a substance-abuse therapist and
clinical supervisor at Victory Clinic. When respondent’s counsel asked Bachman questions about
a typical patient’s experience with methadone treatment and examples of successful recovery,
petitioner objected on the ground that Bachman had not been qualified as an expert witness.
Respondent offered Bachman as an expert witness in substance abuse therapy. The trial court
conducted voir dire, and Bachman testified that he had a master’s degree in Counseling
Psychology, was a licensed professional counselor, and had “a certificate for advanced
alcohol/drug counselor.” At the time of the hearing, Bachman had been employed with Victory
Clinic “for about five and a half years doing substance abuse therapy,” and he was also employed
as a part-time individual therapist at Family Psychological Services. Before working at Victory
Clinic, Bachman interned at “another counseling facility for one year.” Bachman testified that he
had a certain number of continuing education hours that he must complete each year to maintain
his license as a counselor. He became “fully licensed” in professional counseling in 2020, and he
had a “limited license since 2017.” Bachman had not previously testified as an expert witness.

                                                -2-
         The trial court sustained petitioner’s objection, stating that Bachman was permitted to
testify about his treatment of respondent but not to testify as expert in the field of substance abuse
therapy generally. Bachman then testified that he had previously treated respondent for opioid use
at Victory Clinic in 2017 or 2018, and had begun a new round of outpatient opioid-use treatment
with respondent in January 2022. Respondent had tested positive for cocaine and fentanyl during
her pregnancy, and had tested positive for cocaine, opiates, and fentanyl at least eight times
between January 2022 and October 2022. Bachman further testified that he met with respondent
twice per month and that respondent was engaged and active in her treatment; however, he also
testified that he believed she would benefit from inpatient substance abuse treatment. Bachman
believed that respondent had “a very good chance at no longer using illegal drugs,” and that she
had a good chance of a successful recovery in 2017 or 2018.

        The trial court assumed jurisdiction over NFS on December 12, 2022 and issued an
adjudication order reflecting that jurisdiction. The trial court then proceeded to the initial
dispositional hearing, which was continued on December 14, 2022 and concluded on January 23,
2023. Respondent attended by videoconferencing software due to having been incarcerated for a
probation violation. Calvert testified that respondent had provided three negative drug screens in
October and November 2022, but had tested positive for fentanyl on December 7, 2022.
Respondent was incarcerated on December 9, 2022 and would not receive drug screens while
incarcerated. Calvert testified as follows regarding the services provided to respondent:

               For [respondent], she was also already participating at Victory Clinic, she
       felt that that—those services were benefitting her. We talked about her going to
       [Narcotics Anonymous] groups, she obtained a peer recovery coach through
       Recovery Services Unlimited. [Respondent] was also on probation at the time, so
       we—me and probation were working together so we weren’t doubling up on her
       services and [respondent] was attending psychological consultants here in Battle
       Creek. When she went to rehab, and came back out, she was told that she would
       have to recomplete an intake at psychological consultants, so she was advised by
       her probation officer to just go to Summit Pointe. She went to Summit Pointe—or
       she went to First Step to do—to the initial first step of the intake process and they
       advised her that she was not in need of services. At that point I decided I was gonna
       put outreach counseling in to address her individual counseling as well as their
       couples counseling.

       Calvert clarified that Summit Pointe had determined that respondent’s mental health needs
were “not intensive enough” for their services, but that Calvert had continued to seek counseling
for respondent. Respondent completed a psychological evaluation in December 2022; the
evaluator’s report noted significant addiction and substance abuse issues.

        Calvert testified regarding respondent’s previous CPS cases, noting that respondent had
been offered substance abuse and mental health services during those cases. Calvert opined that
respondent had not shown any benefit from services or made any changes in the conditions that
had led to NFS’s removal. Calvert testified that respondent would be incarcerated until April 2023
and that Calvert was attempting to connect respondent with whatever limited services might be
available in jail.

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        Calvert testified that respondent-mother had attended two one-hour supervised parenting
visits per week prior to her incarceration, and that she had not missed any visits other than during
her time in inpatient treatment. Respondent attended NFS’s doctor’s appointments. Respondent
had not been able to provide proof of thirty days of negative drug screens in order to increase her
parenting time to four hours per week.

        Calvert testified that NFS was placed in a preadoptive foster home. NFS was bonded to
her foster mother and her son, who was nine or ten years old at the time of the hearing. Calvert
opined that termination of respondent’s parental rights was in NFS’s best interests to allow for her
adoption.

        The trial court held that statutory grounds for termination had been proven by clear and
convincing evidence, noting respondent’s extensive history of substance abuse and failure to
benefit from substance abuse services as well as her prior termination:

       The Court took judicial notice, as I stated, of the previous termination of
       [respondent’s right to TC] and considering the circumstances, I really don’t see any
       difference from the 2010 case and her ability to parent and her capacity that I do
       today. It’s been a significant, lengthy period that she has these problems, not only
       is she not able to parent today, it does not appear that she will be able to parent in
       the future and under subsection (i), parental rights to one or more of the child’s
       siblings have been terminated, they have, that was due to serious and chronic
       neglect as testified to in this case for the substance abuse and the mental health, and
       the parent failed to rectify the conditions that led to the prior termination. So, for
       mother, both (i) and (j) are met by clear and convincing evidence.

The trial court then concluded that termination of respondent’s parental rights was in NFS’s best
interests, noting that respondent had used heroin as recently as late November 2022, and that “this
is a long-term issue and due to the prior terminations, even termination and losing her other
children, didn’t stop this and there’s a significant difference between her case and the father’s case
in that she’s had years and years and years to fix this problem, with services from the [DHHS],
with services from the Court, with formal substance abuse services that were offered, and she’s
failed to do so.”

       The trial court issued an order terminating respondent’s parental rights to NFS. This appeal
followed.

            II. REFUSAL TO QUALIFY BACHMAN AS AN EXPERT WITNESS

        Respondent argues that the trial court abused its discretion by not qualifying Bachman as
an expert witness. We disagree. “[T]his Court reviews a trial court’s rulings concerning the
qualifications of proposed expert witnesses to testify for an abuse of discretion.” Woodard v
Custer, 476 Mich 545, 557; 719 NW2d 842 (2006). An abuse of discretion occurs when the
decision results in an outcome falling outside the range of principled outcomes. Id. “A close
evidentiary ruling ordinarily cannot be an abuse of discretion.” Barr v Farm Bureau Gen Ins Co,
292 Mich App 456, 458; 806 NW2d 531 (2011). “However, if our inquiry requires interpretation

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of the Michigan Rules of Evidence, an issue of law is presented, which this Court reviews de
novo.” People v Dobek, 274 Mich App 58, 93; 732 NW2d 546 (2007).

       “MRE 702 establishes prerequisites for the admission of expert witness testimony.”
People v Kowalski, 492 Mich 106, 119; 821 NW2d 14 (2012). MRE 702 provides:

                If the court determines that scientific, technical, or other specialized
       knowledge will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a
       fact in issue, a witness qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience,
       training, or education may testify thereto in the form of an opinion or otherwise if
       (1) the testimony is based on sufficient facts or data, (2) the testimony is the product
       of reliable principles and methods, and (3) the witness has applied the principles
       and methods reliably to the facts of the case.

“The court may admit evidence only once it ensures, pursuant to MRE 702, that expert testimony
meets that rule’s standard of reliability.” People v Lane, 308 Mich App 38, 52; 862 NW2d 446
(2014) (quotation marks and citation omitted).

        In this case, Bachman testified that he had a master’s degree in counseling psychology,
was a licensed professional counselor, and had “a certificate for advanced alcohol/drug counselor.”
At the time of the hearing, Bachman had been employed with Victory Clinic “for about five and a
half years doing substance abuse therapy,” and he was also employed as a part-time individual
therapist at Family Psychological Services. Before working at Victory Clinic, Bachman interned
at “another counseling facility for one year.” Bachman explained that when helping clients reduce
their substance abuse, he uses “cognitive behavioral therapy or [] motivational interviewing.”
Bachman further explained that he became “fully licensed” in professional counseling in 2020,
and that he had possessed a “limited license since 2017.” Bachman had never testified as an expert
witness before.

         The trial court properly considered Bachman’s qualifications before finding that he was
not qualified to testify as an expert under MRE 702. A license may be evidence of expertise, but
it is neither necessary nor sufficient to qualify as an expert witness. Mulholland v DEC Int’l Corp,
432 Mich 395, 403-404; 443 NW2d 340 (1989). Therefore, the fact that Bachman held a
professional license as a counselor did not automatically qualify him as an expert witness. See id.
Additionally, “a trial court may properly consider other trial experience in determining whether a
witness should be allowed to testify as an expert.” People v Lewis, 160 Mich App 20, 28; 408
NW2d 94 (1987). Therefore, the trial court properly considered the fact that Bachman had never
testified as an expert witness before. See id. Bachman was relatively new to his field and his
education and licensure was primarily in the area of psychological counseling in general, not
substance abuse treatment in particular. He had never testified as an expert, had no writings
published in scientific or professional journals, had never taught classes, and did not testify to
holding membership in any professional associations or similar organizations dedicated to
substance abuse therapy. On balance, the trial court’s decision not to qualify Bachman as an expert
witness in substance abuse therapy fell within the range of principled outcomes. Woodard, 476
Mich at 557.

                                                 -5-
        Further, even if Bachman had been permitted to testify as an expert witness, it is unlikely
that the outcome of the case would have been different. Respondent argues that Bachman’s
“specialized knowledge in substance abuse therapy could have provided the trial court with
evidence that many have overcome substance-abuse issues and lived a productive life thereafter,
allowing the court to better understand that [respondent] could have parented the child.” However,
even if the trial court had heard those success-story examples, it would not have changed the fact
that respondent had displayed an inability to maintain sobriety for many years.

        The trial court noted that respondent had her parental rights to another child terminated in
2011. All four of respondent’s children, including NFS, were born addicted to controlled
substances; these births occurred over an eleven-year span. The trial court was given numerous
examples of respondent’s failure to benefit from various forms of substance abuse treatment;
Bachman himself testified that respondent had attempted treatment with him in 2017 or 2018, but
that treatment had obviously failed to keep respondent from using drugs. Respondent even
repeatedly tested positive for fentanyl, opiates, and cocaine after the birth and removal of NFS in
July 2022 and her incarceration in December 2022, despite the threat of losing her child and of
reincarceration for violating her probation. It is doubtful that testimony concerning the “typical”
course of substance abuse treatment or examples of successful recovery would have counteracted
the overwhelming evidence that respondent, specifically, had repeatedly failed to benefit from
such treatment. Therefore, even if the trial court erred by not qualifying Bachman as an expert,
the error would not be a ground for reversal because it was not outcome-determinative. See People
v Lukity, 460 Mich 484, 496; 596 NW2d 607 (1999).

               III. TERMINATION AT INITIAL DISPOSITIONAL HEARING

       Respondent also argues that the trial court erred by not articulating aggravated
circumstances to support termination of respondent’s parental rights at the initial dispositional
hearing. We disagree.

        “A court may terminate a respondent’s parental rights if one or more of the statutory
grounds for termination listed in MCL 712A.19b(3) have been proven by clear and convincing
evidence.” In re Olive/Metts Minors, 297 Mich App 35, 40; 823 NW2d 144 (2012). Furthermore,
“once a statutory ground for termination has been proven, the trial court must find that termination
is in the child’s best interests before it can terminate parental rights.” Id. We review the trial
court’s termination decision for clear error. “A trial court’s decision is clearly erroneous if
although there is evidence to support it, the reviewing court on the entire evidence is left with the
definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been made.” Id. at 41 (quotation marks and citation
omitted). We give “deference to the trial court’s special opportunity to judge the credibility of the
witnesses.” In re HRC, 286 Mich App 444, 459; 781 NW2d 105 (2009).

        MCR 3.977(E) governs the termination of parental rights at the initial dispositional hearing,
and states:

       The court shall order termination of the parental rights of a respondent at the initial
       dispositional hearing held pursuant to MCR 3.973, and shall order that additional
       efforts for reunification of the child with the respondent shall not be made, if

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       (1) the original, or amended, petition contains a request for termination;

       (2) at the trial or plea proceedings, the trier of fact finds by a preponderance of the
       evidence that one or more of the grounds for assumption of jurisdiction over the
       child under MCL 712A.2(b) have been established;

       (3) at the initial disposition hearing, the court finds on the basis of clear and
       convincing legally admissible evidence that had been introduced at the trial or plea
       proceedings, or that is introduced at the dispositional hearing, that one or more facts
       alleged in the petition:

       (a) are true, and

       (b) establish grounds for termination of parental rights under MCL 712A.19b(3)(a),
       (b), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), (j), (k), (l), or (m);

       (4) termination of parental rights is in the child's best interests.

        In this case, DHHS sought termination of respondent’s parental rights at the initial
dispositional hearing under MCL 712A.19a, which provides in relevant part:

               (2) The court shall conduct a permanency planning hearing within 30 days
       after there is a judicial determination that reasonable efforts to reunite the child and
       family are not required. Reasonable efforts to reunify the child and family must be
       made in all cases except if any of the following apply:

               (a) There is a judicial determination that the parent has subjected the child
       to aggravated circumstances as provided in section 18(1) and (2) of the child
       protection law, 1975 PA 238, MCL 722.638.

                                               * * *

              (c) The parent has had rights to the child’s siblings involuntarily terminated
       and the parent has failed to rectify the conditions that led to that termination of
       parental rights.

Therefore, reasonable efforts at reunification are “not required when a parent has his or her parental
rights involuntarily terminated to a sibling of the child at issue and the parent has failed to rectify
the conditions that led to that earlier termination of parental rights.” In re Sanborn, 337 Mich App
252, 260; 976 NW2d 44 (2021).

        After the adjudication hearing, the trial court noted that respondent’s parental rights to
another child had been terminated and that respondent failed to rectify the substance-abuse issues
that led to that previous termination. Moreover, at the termination hearing, the trial court reiterated
that the circumstances that led to the termination of respondent’s parental rights in her previous
case were substance-abuse and mental-health issues, and found that respondent had failed to rectify
those issues.

                                                  -7-
        The trial court found that the statutory grounds for termination found in
MCL 712A.19b(3)(i) and MCL 712A.19b(3)(j) were met by clear and convincing evidence and
that termination of respondent’s parental rights was in NFS’s best interests. Specifically, the trial
court noted:

                As to the [respondent] in this matter, there is no doubt in this Court’s mind
       that there’s a reasonable likelihood based on the conduct or capacity of the parent
       that the child be homed—the child would be harmed if returned to the home of the
       parent. The [respondent] has significant substance abuse history, she has
       significant criminality that is continued because of her substance abuse history and
       the Court both observed personally her mental health through her outbursts, as well
       as looking at her case. In reviewing her psychological evaluation, it is clear that,
       again, she needs significant services, her prognosis is considered poor. Dr. Haugen
       indicated that her problems are long term in nature, char—characterologically
       based and involve all issues of addiction, both individually and in her relationship
       and continue despite significant consequences as well as prior intervention. Her
       ability to commit herself to therapy process and make definite changes should be
       developed upfront. She has had inpatient treatment, she’s had a significant amount
       of services and despite that she appears from Calhoun County Jail, continuing with
       criminality and substance abuse charges.

                In looking at her history, she has [two other minor children and] . . . if it
       was not for the father being in a position to parent those children, there’s really no
       doubt that her rights would not be intact to those children. The Court took judicial
       notice, as I stated, of the previous termination of [respondent’s other child] and
       considering the circumstances, I really don’t see any difference from the 2010 case
       and her ability to parent and her capacity that I do today. It’s been a significant,
       lengthy period that she has these problems, not only is she not able to parent today,
       it does not appear that she will be able to parent in the future and under
       subsection (i), parental rights to one or more of the child’s siblings have been
       terminated, they have, that was due to serious and chronic neglect as testified to in
       this case for the substance abuse and the mental health, and the parent failed to
       rectify the conditions that led to the prior termination. So, for mother, both (i) and
       (j) are met by clear and convincing evidence.

                                              * * *

       As I stated, not only did the Court observe her issues, herself, but they’re clearly
       outlined in the psychological evaluation that was provided to the Court and there
       appears to be no changes. She identified heroin as her drug of—or choice, her
       evaluation in this matter was—according to this in December of—or the report was
       December of 2022, and it indicates that she used one week prior to the evaluation.
       So, again, short of being incarcerated, there’s no indication—and again I apologize,
       I gave the report date not the evaluation was actually December 6th, so one week
       prior to December 6th she was still using heroin. And this is a long-term issue and

                                                -8-
       due to the prior terminations, even termination and losing her other children, didn’t
       stop this . . . she’s had years and years and years to fix this problem, with services
       from the [DHHS], with services from the Court, with formal substance abuse
       services that were offered, and she’s failed to do so.

         The Court’s statements clearly indicate that it found that reasonable efforts were not
required because respondent’s parental rights to a sibling of NFS were involuntarily terminated,
and respondent had failed to rectify the conditions that led to that earlier termination of parental
rights—substance-abuse and mental-health issues. See MCL 712A.19a(2)(c); Sanborn, 337 Mich
App at 260. Contrary to respondent’s argument, the trial court made clear and detailed findings
supporting termination at the initial dispositional hearing under MCL 712A.19a(2)(c). Further,
MCL 712A.19b(3)(i) provides that statutory grounds for termination may be found if “Parental
rights to 1 or more siblings of the child have been terminated due to serious and chronic neglect
or physical or sexual abuse, and the parent has failed to rectify the conditions that led to the prior
termination of parental rights.” The trial court made findings concerning the prior termination of
respondent’s parental rights to NFS’s sibling and respondent’s failure to rectify the conditions that
led to that termination and concluded that this statutory ground for termination had been proven
by clear and convincing evidence. The trial court was therefore permitted to order termination at
the initial dispositional hearing under MCR 3.977(E).

        Contrary to respondent’s argument, the trial court did not need to make a finding of
aggravated circumstances under MCL 712a(2)(a), in light of its findings that satisfied
MCL 712A.19a(2)(c). The trial court did not clearly err by terminating respondent’s parental
rights at the initial dispositional hearing. Olive/Metts, 297 Mich App at 40; Sanborn, 337 Mich
App at 260.

       Affirmed.3

                                                              /s/ Mark T. Boonstra
                                                              /s/ Stephen L. Borrello
                                                              /s/ Kathleen A. Feeney

3
  Respondent does not challenge the trial court’s finding that statutory grounds that statutory
grounds for termination were established by clear and convincing evidence. See In re Trejo
Minors, 462 Mich 341, 353-354 (2000). Nevertheless, having reviewed the record, we conclude
that the trial court did not clearly err by finding clear and convincing evidence supporting
termination under MCL 712A.19b(3)(i) on the basis of respondent’s previous termination of
parental rights to NFS’s sibling and failure to rectify those conditions. Respondent also does not
challenge whether the trial court clearly erred by determining that terminating respondent’s
parental rights was in NFS’s best interests; therefore, respondent has also waived any challenge to
the trial court’s findings in that regard. Nevertheless, having reviewed the record, we conclude
that the trial court did not clearly err by determining that a preponderance of the evidence supported
that terminating respondent’s parental rights was in NFS’s best interests. In re Moss, 301 Mich
App 76, 90; 836 NW2d 182 (2013).

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