Court Opinion

ID: 9514766
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-06 22:51:35.439541+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:06:20.647475
License: Public Domain

MILLER, Chief Justice
(concurring specially).
[¶ 32.] I fully concur in the majority opinion.
[¶ 33.] The words that follow may seem harsh. However, after almost 40 years in the legal profession, nearly 30 of those as a judge, I’ve seen the deterioration of families, the loss of life, and the occurrence of other preventable tragedies that have been caused by the actions of irresponsible parents such as McVay.
[¶ 34.] I write specially to express my disgust for the despicable and illegal actions of this foolish, unthinking and irresponsible parent. Directly assisting her minor son and his friends in illegal, unsupervised alcohol consumption is appalling.
[¶ 35.] What could have ever possessed McVay, and what was she thinking, when she purchased a liter of hard liquor for D.S. and his young friends and then turned them loose on the town without thought or supervision? A boring Friday night, three teenage boys, one teenage girl, two cars and a liter of whiskey for entertainment: I cringe when I imagine what could have happened. She is lucky that no one died and that the only consequence of her stupid, irresponsible and illegal decision was J.L.’s severe intoxication and hypothermia.
[¶ 36.] MeVay’s blatant disrespect for the law clearly sanctions and probably fosters the same defiant attitude in her son. How is a young person like D.S. ever to learn or appreciate right from wrong when considering the horrible example set by a parent like McVay; someone who scoffs at the law and then has the audacity to challenge it when she is caught? McVay may consider herself a martyr for parents who want to show their children how to have a “good time.” In reality, she appears to be an irresponsible parent woefully unqualified to impart societal values to her child.
[¶ 37.] The discouraging aspect of this case is that it was entirely preventable. Throughout my career, I’ve seen the dam*579age inflicted by the actions of parents like McVay who ignore their responsibility to set an example of right and wrong for our children. It is no wonder that so many of our kids are in trouble today!
[¶ 38.] Shame on you Ms. McVay!!