Court Opinion

ID: 9665376
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 00:46:36.268809+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:15:15.163155
License: Public Domain

PAUL H. ANDERSON, Justice
(concurring in part, dissenting in part).
I concur in part and dissent in part. I do not conclude that appellant Dena Ro-dacker’s two-week delay in serving the guardian ad litem automatically requires the dismissal of her appeal. The majority has determined that failure to serve one necessary party places this action beyond the jurisdiction of our court. This is a too restrictive interpretation of the law, especially in the context of termination of a natural parent’s parental rights. We have said “[t]he rules of this court are designed to effectuate the orderly administration of justice and do not control its jurisdiction, for [the court] retains the constitutional power to hear and.determine, as a matter of discretion, any appeal in the interest of justice.” E.C.I. Corp. v. G.G.C. Co., 306 Minn. 433, 435, 237 N.W.2d 627, 629 (1976); see also Krug v. Independent School Dist. No. 16, 293 N.W.2d 26, 29 (Minn.1980); State v. M.A.P., 281 N.W.2d 334, 337 (Minn.1979). There are times when we must be able to look beyond procedural rules in order to act in the interests of justice. This type of case presents an example of such a time.
While I disagree with the majority and conclude that the court should reach the merits of this case, I understand and appreciate both the legal grounds and policy concerns it addresses. I agree with retired Connecticut Superior Court Judge Frederica S. Brenneman who maintains that “[N]o decision concerning child placement and visitation should ever be made without first estimating the probable impact on the particular child involved of what is proposed to be done.” Judge Brenneman said, if decisions do not “minimize the negative impact on that child, they are probably wrong and should not be made.” 1 As the majority indicates, expeditious handling of child protection cases, as provided in the rules, is necessary because undue delay in establishing permanency in a child’s life can have detrimental effects on the child. Delaying eases beyond the dictates of the rules in order to benefit parents may under many circumstances be prejudicial to the rights of children to have their cases timely heard.
Nevertheless, we need to proceed with caution in this area of the law. We must be wary of a broom that sweeps too broadly and rules that are so strictly enforced that justice has the very real potential of *7being denied. This court must retain the flexibility granted to it under our constitution to do what is right despite statutory proscriptions or presumptions. Minnesota Rule of Juvenile Procedure 57.01 expressly provides that the children’s guardian ad litem is a party to this matter, and here, the guardian ad litem was not timely served. A strict interpretation of the rules requires dismissal, but the interests of justice require that we reach the merits of this case where Rodacker’s attorney timely served notice with the court and the county. Further, unlike the majority, I am not concerned that taking such an approach will open the floodgates. Cases such as this are sufficiently rare to allow us to do our job and address each ease on its relative merits. Moreover, we can do so in an expeditious manner so that any detrimental effects on the child are minimized.
Having determined that this case should be decided on its merits, a more detailed account of the facts is required. Dena Rodacker is 36 years old and the natural mother of six children. She has a lengthy history of mental illness, controlled substance and alcohol abuse, and failed attempts at treatment. Since 1990, she has been diagnosed repeatedly with poly-substance abuse and personality disorders and, as recently as 2001, her psychologist reported that she “continues to be significantly chemically-dependent.” Her psychologist further noted that she “is very resistant towards accepting her mental-illness/chemical-dependency, and is also very resistant to accepting a treatment program.”
Rodacker’s parental rights to her four oldest children were involuntarily terminated in two separate proceedings, one in Wright County in 1996 and one in Kandi-yohi County in 1997. Rodacker’s attorney was present for trial at the Wright County termination proceedings, but Rodacker did not appear. In the Kandiyohi termination proceedings, Rodacker appeared by telephone for pretrial motions only and did not appear at trial. Rodacker’s counsel was at trial, but was allowed to withdraw prior to the trial provided he remained in an advisory capacity, which he did.
Rodacker’s fifth child, J.R., Jr., was born on April 18, 1998, and at the time of birth, both J.R., Jr. and Rodacker tested positive for cocaine. Shortly thereafter, Hennepin County initiated a Child in Need of Protection or Services (CHIPS) action and then a termination of parental rights action. Rodacker’s parental rights were terminated and J.R., Jr. was placed in foster care. Subsequently, the court vacated the first termination order regarding J.R., Jr. and reopened the CHIPS matter. Nevertheless, J.R., Jr. remained in foster care for more than two and a half years until December 2000, when he was returned to Rodacker. Three months before J.R., Jr. was returned to Rodacker, the CHIPS action was transferred from Hen-nepin County to Meeker County.
While the Hennepin County CHIPS action was still pending, Rodacker gave birth to her sixth child, A.I.R., on May 4, 2000.2 Meeker County filed a CHIPS petition on A.I.R. on May 5, 2000. In November 2000, Meeker County dismissed this CHIPS petition without a trial. Rodacker had custody of A.I.R. from birth to May 29, 2001.
On May 29, 2001, Rodacker voluntarily placed both A.I.R. and J.R., Jr. in foster care. She stated that bad things were happening where she lived, including a *8claim that the children had been sexually abused and that she could not keep them safe. Rodacker also admitted that she had been using methampthetamines on and off for nine days. After the children were placed in foster care, Rodacker voluntarily placed herself in the Woodland Crisis Center in Willmar, Minnesota. She was then transferred to the Willmar Regional Treatment Center (WRTC). As a result of the May 29 incident, Meeker County filed a petition for Rodacker’s commitment as mentally ill and chemically dependent. On or about June 18, 2001, her psychologist examined Rodacker and submitted a report to the court recommending against commitment. At Rodacker’s commitment hearing on June 29, 2001, the petition was dismissed and Rodacker was later released from the WRTC.
After Rodacker’s release, plans were made to reunify Rodacker with her children. When the foster parents attempted to return both of the children to Rodacker on July 3, 2001, she would accept only A.I.R. and suggested that J.R., Jr. stay with the foster parents. Two days later, Rodacker had a drug-induced psychotic episode and the police were called. The police took Rodacker and A.I.R. to the police station where Rodacker became upset and ran out. She was subsequently located and charged with disorderly conduct. A.I.R. was returned to foster care and Rodacker was transported to the WRTC.
Following this incident, Meeker County filed CHIPS petitions for both children, and at a hearing on July 17, 2001, Rodacker admitted that her children were in need of protection. Meeker County also filed a second petition for commitment of Rodacker as mentally ill and chemically dependent and Rodacker was committed on July 24, 2001. Rodacker remained at the WRTC from July 6, 2001 until August 22, 2001, when she was provisionally discharged. After her release, Rodacker violated a number of her conditions of provisional release, including discontinuing her medications without the consent of her treating psychiatrist, missing appointments with the Tri Star Community Action team, and being discharged from an outpatient chemical dependency treatment program because of her disruptive behavior, consumption of alcohol, and smoking marijuana.
On August 7, 2001, a dispositional hearing was held on the CHIPS petitions and Meeker County filed a petition for termination of parental rights. On August 23, 2001, the district court ordered that the children remain in foster care, Rodacker’s weekly visitation with the children continue, and a mental health examination be completed on the children. The court also ordered that no further reunification efforts by Meeker County Social Services were necessary based on Minn.Stat. § 260.012(a)(l)(ii) (2001), which provides that rehabilitation and reunification efforts are not required if the parental rights of the parent to another child have been terminated involuntarily.
In December 2001, a trial was held on the petition to terminate Rodacker’s parental rights. Sheila Thomas, a licensed psychologist and a state’s witness at the trial, evaluated both children to determine their current functioning, their relationship with their foster family, and their sibling relationship. Thomas testified, and the district court found, that initially A.I.R. was indiscriminately sociable and affectionate, but in later sessions was exercising more appropriate caution with new people and situations. Thomas was concerned that A.I.R. would develop attachment-related problems with additional changes in her primary caregivers. Thomas testified that J.R., Jr. appeared anxious, uncertain, and insecure about having a permanent *9place to live. She also testified that J.R., Jr. viewed his sister and his foster family as his family and got upset when Rodacker’s name was mentioned. In Thomas’ view, “another disruption in [J.R., Jr.’s] placement will impact on his ability to form trust relationships with adults.” Thomas recommended that both A.I.R. and J.R., Jr. remain with the foster family in an adoptive placement.
The children’s guardian ad litem testified that it would be in the best interests of the children to terminate Rodacker’s parental rights. Rodacker’s own therapist testified that the children should not be returned to Rodacker for at least six months, during which time she would need a number of services. Rodacker testified that she was not “totally mentally [and] emotionally restored from everything that took place” and wanted the children to go to her mother, the children’s maternal grandmother. On February 5, 2002, the court filed its findings, conclusions, and order terminating Rodacker’s parental rights.
Our standard of review in termination cases is “whether the [district] court’s findings address the statutory criteria, whether those findings are supported by substantial evidence, and whether those findings are clearly erroneous.” In re Welfare of M.D.O., 462 N.W.2d 370, 375 (Minn.1990). The best interests of the child must be the paramount consideration in a termination of parental rights case. Minn.Stat. § 260C.301, subd. 7 (2001); Welfare of M.D.O., 462 N.W.2d at 375. “Where the interests of parent and child conflict, the interests of the child are paramount.” Minn.Stat. § 260C.301, subd. 7 (2001).
The statutory criteria for termination of parental rights are found in Minn.Stat. § 260C.301 (2001). Though only one of the statutory grounds must be met, the district court made findings here that termination of parental rights was warranted on three separate grounds set forth in Minn.Stat. § 260C.301, subd. 1(b)(4) and (5). The court further found that termination of parental rights was in the children’s best interests.
The first ground for termination was found under § 260C.301, subd. 1(b)(4), which allows a presumption that the parent is unfit if her rights to other children have previously been involuntarily terminated. Finding that Rodacker had her parental rights to her four oldest children involuntarily terminated in 1996 and 1997, the district court presumed, as a matter of law, that Rodacker was palpably unfit to be a parent. Further, the court found that Rodacker did not rebut that presumption, citing Rodacker’s long history and continued issues with mental illness, chemical dependency, and alcoholism as evidence that Rodacker is unable to care for her own physical, mental, and emotional needs or to care for her children for the reasonably foreseeable future.
Rodacker contends that the termination of parental rights orders from Kandiyohi and Wright Counties were insufficient to raise the presumption of unfitness because she was not represented by counsel at either termination hearing. Records of the termination proceedings indicate, however, that while Rodacker failed to appear in both cases, she was represented at the Wright County termination hearing, and her attorney was allowed to withdraw but was ordered to continue in an advisory capacity at the Kandiyohi hearing. Furthermore, it does not appear that the termination orders were challenged on appeal.
Rodacker also contends that her psychologist stated that “with services she is immediately ready to parent the children as of the date of the hearing below and the *10months before.” However, at trial the psychologist testified that Rodacker was in need of a number of services and that even if she followed the plan established for her treatment, it would be six months before she could be reunified with her children. Rodacker herself testified that she is not “totally mentally [and] emotionally restored from everything that took place.” Given Rodacker’s continued failures to follow her treatment plans in the past, her psychologist’s testimony, and her own testimony, it was not clearly erroneous for the district court to find that Rodacker would not be able to care appropriately for her children in the reasonably foreseeable future.
The district court next found that Ro-dacker’s parental rights should be terminated under section 260C.301, subd. 1(b)(5), which allows termination when reasonable efforts have failed to correct the reason for the out-of-home placement and presumes failure of these efforts when four factors are shown. Applying the first factor that the child has resided outside the parent’s home for more than 12 of the last 22 months, the court found that reasonable efforts failed to correct the conditions that led to J.R., Jr.’s placement out of the home. The court found that J.R., Jr. had resided out of the parental home for a total of approximately three years at the time of trial and that, therefore, the first presumption that reasonable efforts have failed was met.3 The court found that Rodacker offered no evidence to rebut that presumption.
In AJ.R.’s case, A.I.R. was in out-of-home placement for five and one-half months, and thus, the first presumption did not apply. The court found, however, that evidence of Rodacker’s continued problems with drug and alcohol use indicated that “the conditions that led to [AJ.R.’s] placement are on-going and unresolved despite reasonable efforts by Hennepin and Meeker County Social Services, law enforcement, psychologists and medical practitioners * * *.” Thus, the court also concluded that reasonable efforts have failed to correct the conditions leading to AJ.R.’s placement.
The district court also determined that reasonable efforts have failed to correct the conditions leading to the children’s placement under the second half of § 260C.301, subd. 1(b)(5) (2001), which presumes reasonable efforts have failed if:
(A) the parent has been diagnosed as chemically dependent by a professional certified to make the diagnosis;
(B) the parent has been required by a case plan to participate in a chemical dependency treatment program;
(C) the treatment programs offered to the parent were culturally, linguistically, and clinically appropriate;
(D) the parent has either failed two or more times to successfully complete a treatment program or has refused *11at two or more separate meetings with a caseworker to participate in a treatment program; and
(E) the parent continues to abuse chemicals.
Specifically, the district court found that Rodacker has been diagnosed as chemically dependent by many professionals over a period in excess of 10 years, that she was required by case plans to participate in chemical dependency treatment programs, and that she was offered programs that were culturally, linguistically, and clinically appropriate. The court further found that Rodacker failed to successfully complete a program more than ten different times, refused multiple times to participate in treatment programs, and continues to abuse chemicals. Rodacker does not dispute these findings. Based upon the complete record and the district court’s thorough analysis, the court’s finding that reasonable efforts have failed to correct the conditions leading to J.R., Jr. and AJ.R.’s placement is not clearly erroneous.
The district court went on to find that it was in J.R., Jr.’s and AJ.R.’s best interests that Rodacker’s parental rights be terminated. Citing Matter of Welfare of R.T.B., the district court found that it must balance three factors in analyzing the best interests of the children: “(1) the child(ren)’s interest in preserving the parent-child relationship; (2) the parent’s interest in preserving the parent-child relationship; and (3) any competing interest of the child(ren).” 492 N.W.2d 1, 4 (Minn.App.1992). Applying both statutory and case law, the court noted that the parent’s and children’s interests are not given equal weight and that the best interests of the children are the paramount consideration. Based on Rodacker’s current actions and her history of mental illness and chemical dependency, the court believed that Ro-dacker would continue using drugs and that as a result, her children would be placed in and out of foster care. Accordingly, and in agreement with the children’s psychologist and the guardian ad litem, the court concluded that termination of Ro-dacker’s parental rights was in the best interests of the children. Like the other findings of the court, this finding is not clearly erroneous.
Finally, Rodacker contends that the district court should have ordered the children placed with the children’s maternal grandmother under Minn.Stat. § 260C.201, subd. 11(d)(1) (2001).4 Section 260C.201, subd. 11(d) provides that if a child is not returned to the home, the court must order one of five dispositions, among them permanent legal and physical custody to a relative or termination of parental rights. The statute does not give preference to one option over the other, but requires that the court act in the best interests of the children. In this case, the court found that the best interests of the children require the termination of Rodacker’s parental rights. Rodacker provides no evidence supporting her claim that placement with the children’s grandmother would be in their best interests.
Based on the reasons articulated by the district court and after reviewing the case on its merits, I would affirm that court’s order terminating Rodacker’s parental rights to J.R., Jr. and A.I.R.

. Frederica S. Brenneman, retired Judge of the Connecticut Superior Court, First Do No Harm: Protecting From the Protectors, Children’s Law Center of Minnesota, October 2, 2002. Judge Brenneman’s daughter, Amy Brenneman, is the creator, producer, and star of the show "Judging Amy,” which is based in part on Judge Brenneman's experiences as a judge.

. The presumed father's rights to both J.R., Jr. and A.I.R. were terminated and are not an issue in this appeal.

. While the coin! did not specifically address the other three factors, the findings of fact demonstrate an evidentiary basis to support the conclusion these last three factors were met. As to the second factor, the court's approval of a case plan, Rodacker's social worker testified that Rodacker refused to sign the Meeker County case plans because a “Hennepin County judge had prepared a case plan and she didn't want duplicate plans," thus indicating that there was a court-ordered case plan for J.R., Jr. in Hennepin County. As to the last two factors, failure to correct conditions leading to out-of-home placement and reasonable efforts by the social service agency to reunite family, the court found, while discussing A.I.R.’s situation, that conditions that led to A.I.R.'s out-of-home placement are ongoing and unresolved and that reasonable efforts have been made to rehabilitate Rodacker and reunify her family.

. The Meeker County social worker assigned to this case testified that she talked with the children's grandmother a number of times about taking the children and that the grandmother indicated that she was 58 years old, did not know if she could handle toddlers, and was not certain that her husband would want the children. The grandmother testified, however, that she never told the social worker that she would not take the children and that she believed that the children should be with Rodacker.