Court Opinion

ID: 4530027
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2020-04-29 20:14:00.876072+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:23:40.661331
License: Public Domain

04/29/2020
              IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF TENNESSEE
                          AT KNOXVILLE
                       January 23, 2020 Session

                               IN RE ISABELLA W.
                 Appeal from the Juvenile Court for Knox County
                     No. 147106 Timothy E. Irwin, Judge
                    ___________________________________

                           No. E2019-01346-COA-R3-PT
                      ___________________________________

D. MICHAEL SWINEY, C.J., with whom THOMAS R. FRIERSON, II, J., joins, concurring and
dissenting.

       I concur with the majority’s opinion except as to the holding that the ground as to
the “failure to manifest an ability and willingness to assume custody” was not satisfied.
This Court is split on this issue, and I agree with the line of cases that hold that the parent
has to be able and willing rather than just either of the two. See In re Amynn K., No.
E2017-01866-COA-R3-PT, 2018 WL 3058280, at *12-14 (Tenn. Ct. App. June 20,
2018). I concur in all the rest of the majority’s opinion including termination of the
father’s parental rights. Given this Court’s clear and irreconcilable split as to this
question of statutory interpretation, I request the Tennessee Supreme Court accept and
resolve this issue once it has the opportunity to do so.

                                           ____________________________________
                                           D. MICHAEL SWINEY, CHIEF JUDGE