Court Opinion

ID: 9525894
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 03:09:11.488403+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:17:22.317830
License: Public Domain

ROBERTSON, Judge,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent. Because this appeal involves the care of children, court policy dictates that it shall be given expedited consideration. See In re the Visitation of Walker, 665 N.E.2d 586 (Ind.1996); Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard, State of the Judiciary Address to Indiana General Assembly (Jan. 17, 1996). Nevertheless, the majority takes the extraordinary action of dismissing this appeal of a CHINS adjudication sua sponte on the basis that the trial court’s CHINS adjudication and order removing the child from the home is technically not a final, appealable order. This action is inimical to the interests of all persons involved as well as the interests of judicial economy. It renders nugatory nearly a year of litigation affecting the young life of J.L.V. Jr. If we are to intervene in the process to address the procedural defect in this ease, we should enter an order, sua sponte, certifying the CHINS adjudication for interlocutory appeal and dispose of the case on the merits.
We have a long-standing policy that cases should be decided on the merits and justice should not be defeated by technicalities. Constanzi v. Ryan, 174 Ind.App. 454, 368 N.E.2d 12, 15, 17 (1977). In Constanzi, the First District of this Court held, per curiam, that:
‘Although our procedural rules are extremely important, it must be kept in mind that they are merely a means for achieving the ultimate end of orderly and speedy justice. We must examine our technical rules closely when it appears that invoking them would defeat justice; otherwise we become slaves to the technicalities themselves and they acquire the position of being the ends instead of the means. This is especially true in a case such as the one at bar where we prejudice no one by allowing the record to be corrected at this point.’
174 Ind.App. at 463, 368 N.E.2d at 17 (Emphasis original; quoting, American States Insurance Co. v. State ex rel. Jennings, 258 Ind. 637, 640, 283 N.E.2d 529, 531 (1972)).
In the present case, although the trial court did not hold a formal dispositional hearing or enter a formal dispositional order, it did make perhaps the most drastic of orders regarding the disposition and future of J.L.V.: the trial court ordered J.L.V. removed from his mother’s home. Immediately after this disposition, the parents moved the trial court to:
stay execution of its turn over order pending the submission and the disposition of the Appeal until the propriety of this court’s order is either sustained or overruled by the Appellate tribunal.
In support of this motion, the parents alleged:
That compliance with the such an order ... would significantly impair the minor child’s relationship with his parents at a very critical informative time.... That any harm to the parties and the minor child involved is believed to far outweigh any cursory benefits to the children’s protective services should that order be continued to be stayed.
*192The trial court granted the parents’ motion, staying execution of its order for the removal of the child from the home of the mother pending this appeal.
The substance and effect of the parents’ motion and the trial court’s order was to certify the CHINS adjudication for interlocutory appeal. See Ind.Appellate Rule 4(B)(6). All that is lacking is an order from this court accepting the interlocutory order for appeal. Id. No party or court has been misled or prejudiced by the procedural irregularity involved here.
We should not exalt form over substance by permitting the technical procedural defect to suspend (and possibly defeat) justice for young J.L.V. We should exercise our discretionary authority to hear this appeal on the merits and fulfill our promise and duty to dispense speedy justice to Indiana’s children.
Therefore, I dissent.