Court Opinion

ID: 9533349
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 04:30:49.913346+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:29:01.346979
License: Public Domain

LUSK, J.,
specially concurring.
In Furgeson v. Jones, 17 Or 204, 20 P 842, 11 Am St Rep 808, 3 LRA 620, this court held that a. decree of adoption, entered without notice to the father of the adopted child and without the father’s consent, was void and open to collateral attack. The mother had given her consent. In a contest over the right to inherit upon the death of one of the adoptive parents, his widow (who had joined with her husband in the petition for adoption) and who had acquired the interest in certain real property of the presumptive heir of the deceased parent, prevailed over the claim of the adopted child. The contention that the widow was estopped because she and her deceased husband had procured the decree to be entered was rejected because the consent of both parents was a jurisdictional requirement, and “such a decree cannot bind or estop any one and may be collaterally assailed, whenever and wherever it may be interposed in any action.” 17 Or at 220. This case has been cited by this court many times, and the rule it enunciates has never been questioned, and is, I take it, the law of this state today, though it has been criticized by textwriters (see 1 Arn *682Jur 642, Adoption of Children § 40), and has met with apparent disapproval in a number of other jurisdictions: Magevney v. Karsch, 167 Tenn 32, 65 SW2d 562, 92 ALR 343; Child Saving Institute v. Knobel, 327 Mo 609, 37 SW2d 920, 76 ALR 1068; Re Reichel, 148 Minn 433, 182 NW 517, 16 ALR 1016; Appeal of Wolf, 10 Sadler (Pa) 139, 13 A 760; annotation, 16 ALR 1030 et seq.
We are not faced, however, with the question decided in Furgeson. The issue here is whether the plaintiffs, the adoptive parents, may collaterally attack the judgment of the juvenile court which terminated the parental rights of the mother of the chlid, Debra, on the ground that no notice of the proceeding or opportunity to be heard upon that question was given Debra’s mother.
I think that the affidavit in support of the order of publication of citation directed to the mother was insufficient for failure to state facts showing that due diligence was used to find her.(1)
I am further of the opinion that the mother was entitled to notice of the proceedings. The statute contains no express provision upon that subject. An implication that notice is required may, perhaps, be drawn from ORS 419.514, which relates to the method of obtaining jurisdiction of nonresident or unknown parents and of parents not found in the state by publication or personal service of citation outside the state. The section concludes:
a* * * In case a parent so served fails to answer such citation and the child is adjudged dependent and a temporary commitment is made, such *683commitment may be modified or made permanent without further notice to the parent so served and failing to answer.”
There is no such provision with reference to parents personally served within the state.
When a temporary commitment is made “guardianship of the person of the child remains with the court and a child under such an order may be recalled by the court for further action at any time.” ORS 419.-526 (2). A permanent commitment bears with it “guardianship of the person of such child” ORS 419.526 (3). An association or individual who has thus acquired the status of guardian under that statute “may be made party to any proceeding for the legal adoption of the child, and may appear in any court where such proceedings are pending and assent to such adoption. Such assent is sufficient to authorize the court to enter the proper order or decree of adoption.” ORS 419.538. These express provisions negative any implication that parental rights are terminated by a temporary commitment. It is only an order of permanent commitment which has that effect and results in dispensing with the necessity of securing the parents’ consent to an adoption. This, as I understand it, is the view of counsel for the defendants and is apparently the construction which has been placed upon the act by the juvenile court itself. It is the view taken by Mr. Justice Rossman more than 30 years ago when he was a circuit judge for Multnomah County.(2) Any uncertainty upon the question which may have previously existed has been removed by the enactment of ORS 109.316 (Oregon Laws 1957, ch 710 §4), which provides that a child-caring agency may consent to the adoption of a child who has been permanently committed to it by a court of competent juris*684diction, and that where snch consent is given no other consent is required. That section does not govern this case, having been enacted after the proceeding here involved, but it was evidently adopted for the purpose of removing possible ambiguities in the statute.
Thus the temporary order of commitment was not a final adjudication terminating the mother’s parental rights. That could not be accomplished without “further action” (ORS 419.526), and that action could not be validly taken without adequate notice to the child’s mother.
A parent’s right to the custody and control of his children is protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. “The child is not the mere creature of the State; those who nurture him and direct his destiny have the right, coupled with the high duty, to recognize and prepare him for additional obligations.” Pierce v. Society of Sisters of Holy Names, 268 US 510, 535, 69 L ed 1070, 45 S Ct 571, 39 ALR 468. See, also, Meyer v. Nebraska, 262 US 390, 67 L ed 1042, 43 S Ct 625, 29 ALR 1446.
To hold that a parent may be deprived by a court of so sacred a right without notice and an opportunity to be heard “is opposed to the principles which lie at the foundation of all judicial systems not essentially despotic in their character and methods of procedure.” Schiltz v. Roenitz, 86 Wis 31, 56 NW 194, 21 LRA 483, 39 Am St Rep 873. See, also, 1 Am Jur 645, Adoption of Children § 44; Jain v. Priest, 30 Ida 273, 164 P 364; Ex Parte Martin, 29 Ida 716, 161 P 573; 4 Or L Rev, supra, Note 2, at pp 248-254. Or, as stated in Magevney v. Karsch, supra, since the legislature has provided for proceedings in courts of record “it must be presumed that the Legislature intended that such proceedings would be in accordance with the usual practice *685of such, courts” requiring notice as an element of due process. See, also, In re Knott, 138 Tenn 349, 197 SW 1097.
The fact that the court is granted continuing jurisdiction to “set aside, change or modify” its original order (OES 419.522) does not excuse the failure to give notice of the proceeding looking towards a permanent commitment. Divorce courts, after a decree of divorce has been entered, have continuing jurisdiction for the purpose of modifying orders with respect to alimony and the support and custody of minors. But the courts hold that the modification of a divorce decree, made without notice to the party whose rights are adversely affected by the order, will, when challenged by such party, be treated as a violation of procedural due process and therefore void: Ex Parte Saunders, 17 Cal App2d 635, 637, 173 P2d 818; Moore v. Superior Court, 203 Cal 238, 241-242, 263 P 1009. A similar decision is Griffin v. Griffin, 327 US 220, 90 L ed 635, 66 S Ct 556, in which the question was upon the validity of a judgment for arrearages of alimony entered without notice to the defendant.
But the fact that the mother was entitled to notice of the proceedings and did not receive it, does not decide this case. She is not here complaining of the court’s action, and, for all that appears, is entirely satisfied with the existing situation. The actual question is whether the plaintiffs will be heard to assert an abridgement of the mother’s constitutional rights. Under general principles, I think that they will not. 11 Am Jur 748, Constitutional Law § 111. In the sense explained in Moore v. Superior Court, supra, the court retained the same jurisdiction over the parties and the subject matter that it had prior to the entry of the order of dependency and the making of a temporary *686commitment.(3) But the court could not “arbitrarily or ex parte,” to use the language of that case, enter an order of permanent commitment of the child divesting the mother of her parental rights which would bind her. As to her such an order is void, but she alone can challenge it. Thus, the case is not like Furgeson v. Jones, supra, which rests upon the principle that, where a court is exercising a special authority not known to the common law, failure to comply with a statutory requisite made essential to jurisdiction attaching renders the decree of the court a nullity.
I agree that the evidence of fraud is insufficient. As to whether judicial cognizance should be taken of the particular charges of fraud made by the plaintiffs here, see, 1 Am Jur 672, Adoption of Children § 72.
I concur in the result.

 The only facts stated in the affidavit are that registered letters were mailed to the mother at two addresses, one in Astoria the other in Portland, and returned to the writer with the notations "Not Known.”

 George Rossman, Parens Patriae, 4 Or L Rev 233, 242.

 “The language of section 138 of the Civil Code is read into every decree of divorce which purports to deal with the care, custody, and support of the minor children of the parties to the action, and, this being so, whatever orders or decrees the trial court may make or enter in the premises are not in the nature of final judgments which determine the relation of the parties to each other, or to the action or to the subject-matter over which the court has thus retained all of the jurisdiction which it had during every stage of the proceedings and pendency of such action. In the foregoing sense the trial court retained, under said section of the Civil Code, so read into its orders and decrees, the same jurisdiction over the parties and the subject matter to which said section relates that it had and exercised prior to the making and entry of either its interlocutory or its final decree in said action. The petitioner herein has referred us to no .authority which is opposed to this conclusion, and we are satisfied that no such authority exists.” 203 Cal at 241, 242.