Court Opinion

ID: 9948656
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-03-07 17:14:04.864564+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:25:44.761973
License: Public Domain

J-S05031-24

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT O.P. 65.37

  IN THE INTEREST OF: T.H., A                  :   IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
  MINOR                                        :        PENNSYLVANIA
                                               :
                                               :
  APPEAL OF: S.W., MOTHER                      :
                                               :
                                               :
                                               :
                                               :   No. 1364 WDA 2023

              Appeal from the Order Entered October 19, 2023
    In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County Orphans' Court at
                      No(s): CP-02-AP-0000046-2023

BEFORE: PANELLA, P.J.E., KING, J., and BENDER, P.J.E.

MEMORANDUM BY BENDER, P.J.E.:                        FILED: March 7, 2024

       S.W. (Mother) appeals from the order entered October 19, 2023, that

granted the petition filed by the Allegheny County Office of Children, Youth

and Families (Agency) to involuntarily terminate Mother’s parental rights to

T.H. (Child), born in May of 2019, pursuant to sections 2511(a)(1), (2), (5),

(8), and (b) of the Adoption Act, 23 Pa.C.S. §§ 2101-2938.1 After review, we

affirm.

       In her brief, Mother sets forth the following issues for our review:

       1. Did the trial court abuse its discretion and/or err as a matter of
          law in granting the petition to involuntarily terminate Mother’s
          parental rights pursuant to 23 Pa.C.S. § 2511(a)(1), (2), (5),
          and (8)?

____________________________________________

1 Notably, the Agency has been involved with this family since March of 2021,

when it received reports concerning domestic violence against both Mother
and Child. Additionally, Father’s parental rights were terminated and he did
not appeal.
J-S05031-24

      2. Did the trial court abuse its discretion and/or err as a matter of
         law in concluding that [Agency] met its burden of proving by
         clear and convincing evidence that termination of Mother’s
         parental rights would best serve the needs and welfare of the
         child pursuant to 23 Pa.C.S. § 2511(b)?

Mother’s brief at 6.

      We review an order terminating parental rights in accordance with the

following standard:

            When reviewing an appeal from a decree terminating
      parental rights, we are limited to determining whether the
      decision of the trial court is supported by competent evidence.
      Absent an abuse of discretion, an error of law, or insufficient
      evidentiary support for the trial court’s decision, the decree must
      stand. Where a trial court has granted a petition to involuntarily
      terminate parental rights, this Court must accord the hearing
      judge’s decision the same deference that we would give to a jury
      verdict. We must employ a broad, comprehensive review of the
      record in order to determine whether the trial court’s decision is
      supported by competent evidence.

In re R.N.J., 985 A.2d 273, 276 (Pa. Super. 2009) (quoting In re S.H., 879

A.2d 802, 805 (Pa. Super. 2005)). The burden is upon the petitioner to prove

by clear and convincing evidence that its asserted grounds for seeking the

termination of parental rights are valid. R.N.J., 958 A.2d at 276. Moreover,

we have explained that:

      The standard of clear and convincing evidence is defined as
      testimony that is so “clear, direct, weighty and convincing as to
      enable the trier of fact to come to a clear conviction, without
      hesitance, of the truth of the precise facts in issue.”

Id. (quoting In re J.L.C. & J.R.C., 837 A.2d 1247, 1251 (Pa. Super. 2003)).

The trial court is free to believe all, part, or none of the evidence presented

and is likewise free to make all credibility determinations and resolve conflicts

                                      -2-
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in the evidence.      In re M.G., 855 A.2d 68, 73-74 (Pa. Super. 2004).       If

competent evidence supports the trial court’s findings, we will affirm even if

the record could also support the opposite result. In re Adoption of T.B.B.,

835 A.2d 387, 394 (Pa. Super. 2003).

       We have reviewed the certified record, the briefs of the parties, the

applicable law, and the comprehensive opinion authored by the Honorable

Jennifer McCrady of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, filed on

December 15, 2023. We conclude that Judge McCrady’s well-reasoned opinion

properly disposes of the issues raised by Mother.2 Specifically, the trial court

extensively discusses the testimony provided at the various hearings held in

this matter, including information about Child’s special needs and the many

referrals and services provided throughout this case for both Mother and Child.

Essentially, Mother’s arguments center on challenging the trial court’s findings

that Agency had met its burden under 23 Pa.C.S. § 2511(a) and (b), and

claiming that the record evidence does not support the termination of her

parental rights. However, our standard of review prohibits this Court from

overturning the trial court’s findings so long as they are supported by the

evidence.     In this case, the court’s determinations are supported by an

overwhelming majority of the evidence.           Accordingly, we adopt Judge

____________________________________________

2 While Judge McCrady suggests that waiver should be found due to Mother’s

vague concise statement, we decline to find waiver on this basis, as Judge
McCrady was able to sufficiently address the merits of Mother’s issues in her
opinion. Thus, we do not endorse that limited aspect of her opinion.

                                           -3-
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McCrady’s opinion as our own and affirm the order appealed from on that

basis.

         Order affirmed.

DATE: 3/7/2024

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Circulated 02/15/2024 11:13 AM