In the Matter of the Termination of the Parent-Child Relationship of C.M., J.M., V.M., L.M., and E.M. (Minor Children) J.O.M. (Father) v. Indiana Department of Child Services (mem. dec.) ( 2019 )

MEMORANDUM DECISION
Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D), FILED
this Memorandum Decision shall not be Dec 04 2019, 9:28 am
regarded as precedent or cited before any
CLERK
court except for the purpose of establishing Indiana Supreme Court
Court of Appeals
the defense of res judicata, collateral and Tax Court
estoppel, or the law of the case.
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE
Ernest P. Galos Curtis T. Hill, Jr.
South Bend, Indiana Attorney General of Indiana
Robert J. Henke
Deputy Attorney General
Indianapolis, Indiana
IN THE
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
In the Matter of the Termination December 4, 2019
of the Parent-Child Relationship Court of Appeals Case No.
of C.M., J.M., V.M., L.M., and 19A-JT-1724
E.M. (Minor Children); Appeal from the St. Joseph Probate
J.O.M. (Father), Court
The Honorable Jason A.
Appellant-Respondent,
Cichowicz, Judge
v. The Honorable Ashley Mills
Colborn, Magistrate
Indiana Department of Child Trial Court Cause Nos.
Services, 71J01-1811-JT-154
71J01-1811-JT-155
Appellee-Petitioner. 71J01-1811-JT-156
71J01-1811-JT-157
71J01-1811-JT-158
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Najam, Judge.
Statement of the Case
[1] J.O.M. (“Father”) appeals the trial court’s termination of his parental rights
over C.O.M., J.M.M., V.E.M., L.M., and E.M. (“the Children”). 1 Father
raises a single issue for our review, namely, whether the Indiana Department of
Child Services (“DCS”) presented sufficient evidence to show that there is a
reasonable probability that the reasons that resulted in the removal of the
Children from Father’s care will not be remedied. However, while the trial
court did conclude that DCS had presented sufficient evidence on that issue, the
court additionally, and independently, concluded that DCS had also presented
sufficient evidence to show that the continuation of the parent-child
relationships poses a threat to the well-being of the Children. As a matter of
law, the court’s second conclusion independently supported the termination of
Father’s parental rights. Ind. Code § 31-35-2-4(b)(2)(B) (2019). Accordingly,
Father’s failure to challenge the trial court’s conclusion that the continuation of
the parent-child relationships poses a threat to the well-being of the Children
requires us to affirm the court’s termination of his parental rights over the
Children.
1
The Children’s mother does not participate in this appeal.
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Facts and Procedural History
[2] On DCS’s petitions, in May of 2019 the trial court held an evidentiary hearing
on whether to terminate Father’s parental rights over the Children. Following
that hearing, the court entered the following findings and conclusions in an
especially detailed order:
2. There is a reasonable probability that the conditions that
resulted in the removal of [the Children] and their continued
placement outside of the home will not be remedied.
a. DCS family case manager Margaret Batteast
testified that [the Children] were removed from the care
of . . . Father due to lack of housing. Mother and Father
had placed the [C]hildren in the care of the paternal
grandmother, who was unable to continue caring for the
[C]hildren without the support of the parents. FCM
Batteast testified that the [C]hildren’s Medicaid had
lapsed, the [C]hildren’s vaccinations were not up to date,
and [L.M.] was in need of glasses which he did not have.
b. After the initial removal, Father tested positive for
methamphetamine. Father tested positive for
methamphetamine throughout the duration of the CHINS
case.
c. Father did complete a substance abuse program
through his probation. However, . . . Father continued to
test positive for methamphetamine.
d. Father denied using methamphetamine. However,
this Court does not find that testimony credible. . . .
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e. As a result of Father’s failure to abstain from
methamphetamine usage, he is now facing revocation of
his probation which carries a maximum sentence of 540
days of incarceration.
***
g. Father’s compliance in services offered by DCS has
been minimal at best. At the time of the termination
hearing, Father had failed to complete, or even start,
individual therapy. Father had attended only two (2)
classes out of forty (40) classes for the Batterer’s
Intervention Program.
h. While Father did complete an intensive outpatient
substance abuse program, he continues to test positive for
methamphetamine.
***
j. Father’s failure to meaningfully participate in and
benefit from services demonstrates a reasonable probability
that the conditions that resulted in the [C]hildren’s
removal will not be remedied. Although Father did
complete a parenting course and an intensive outpatient
treatment program, he has not shown growth or any
measurable benefit from either. Father continues to test
positive for methamphetamine, has yet to complete any
individual therapy, and has failed to substantially
participate in the Batterer’s Intervention Program.
k. Father did testify that he now had completed a
parent education class, obtained appropriate housing, and
is employed. However, Ms. Nandi Butler, the parent
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educator for Father’s parenting classes, credibly testified
that Father began the ten (10) week parenting course in
March 2018 and did not finish until March of 2019. She
further credibly testified that it appeared that Father was
“just going through the motions.”
l. Father’s minimal efforts to comply with the
Dispositional Decree mere weeks before the termination
[hearing] does not rectify the history of Father’s failure to
comply with services or to demonstrate any meaningful
change in his substance abuse. . . .
3. There is a reasonable probability that the continuation of the
parent-child relationship poses a threat to the well-being of [the
Children].
a. FCM Batteast, Mr. Prospers, and Shauna Cameron,
the [C]hildren’s CASA, testified at length about the
multitude of mental health issues [the Children] suffer
from, including PTSD and anger management issues.
b. Ms. Cameron testified that all five (5) of the
[C]hildren have disclosed emotional abuse, physical abuse,
and substance abuse by Father. Ms. Cameron further
testified that [two of the Children] disclosed sexual abuse
by [a] sibling . . . .
c. Father has stated he does not know if he believes
that [the two children] were sexually abused by [the third],
which is very much a threat to the well-being of [the
C]hildren and their safety.
d. Ms. Cameron testified that she believes a
continuation of the parent-child relationship poses a threat
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to the well-being of the [C]hildren because of Father’s
continued drug use. Further, Ms. Cameron credibly
opined that she would be concerned about all five (5)
[C]hildren residing together, an opinion that was also
echoed by Mr. Prospers, the [C]hildren’s former therapist.
e. Ms. Cameron testified that the five (5) [C]hildren
together are triggers for each other. Mr. Prosper further
testified that he would have concerns if all five (5) of the
[C]hildren were placed in the same home because of the
amount of trauma the [C]hildren have experienced. Mr.
Prospers credibly opined that [one child] needs individual
care to help him process the trauma he experienced.
Further, Mr. Prosper testified that [another child] cannot
live with her siblings again because she experiences panic
attacks within fifteen (15) to twenty (20) minutes of
exposure to her siblings.
f. Father testified that his plan would be for all five (5)
of his [C]hildren to be placed together in his care, a plan
that would pose a substantial threat to the [C]hildren’s
mental well-being.
g. FCM Batteast testified that she too believed that the
continuation of the parent-child relationship would pose a
threat to the well-being of [the Children] because of the
[C]hildren’s mental health needs and the trauma they
experienced while in Father’s care.
h. . . . [T]he substantial amou[n]t of trauma the
[C]hildren experienced while residing in Father’s care,
coupled with Father’s failure to substantially comply with
services or maintain sobriety, demonstrates that there is a
threat to the [C]hildren’s emotional and physical
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-JT-1724 | December 4, 2019 Page 6 of 9
development if the parent-child relationship[s] w[ere] to
continue.
[i]. Father’s physical abuse of the [C]hildren, combined
with his failure to complete the Batterer’s Intervention
Program and failure to maintain his sobriety, coupled with
the [C]hildren’s extensive mental health and caregiver
needs[,] demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence
that the continuation of the parent-child relationship
constitutes a threat to the well-being of [the Children].
Appellant’s App. Vol. II at 23-24 (citations omitted). The court concluded that
DCS had met its burden under Indiana Code Section 31-35-2-4 to show that the
termination of Father’s parental rights over the Children was proper, and the
court ordered the termination of those rights accordingly. This appeal ensued.
Discussion and Decision
[3] Father appeals the trial court’s termination of his parental rights over the
Children. The court’s termination order recites findings of fact and conclusions
thereon following an evidentiary hearing before the court. As our Supreme
Court has explained, in such circumstances
[w]e affirm a trial court’s termination decision unless it is clearly
erroneous; a termination decision is clearly erroneous when the
court’s findings of fact do not support its legal conclusions, or
when the legal conclusions do not support the ultimate decision.
We do not reweigh the evidence or judge witness credibility, and
we consider only the evidence and reasonable inferences that
support the court’s judgment.
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M.H. v. Ind. Dep’t of Child Servs. (In re Ma.H.), ___ N.E.3d ___, No. 19S-JT-323,
2019 WL 5617008, at *2 (Ind. Oct. 31, 2019) (citations omitted).
[4] “Parents have a fundamental right to raise their children—but this right is not
absolute.” Id. “When parents are unwilling to meet their parental
responsibilities, their rights may be terminated.” Id. To terminate parental
rights, Indiana Code Section 31-35-2-4(b)(2)(B) requires DCS to demonstrate
the following, among other requirements not relevant here:
that one (1) of the following is true:
(i) There is a reasonable probability that the conditions that
resulted in the child’s removal or the reasons for placement
outside the home of the parents will not be remedied.
(ii) There is a reasonable probability that the continuation of
the parent-child relationship poses a threat to the well-
being of the child.
(iii) The child has, on two (2) separate occasions, been
adjudicated a child in need of services . . . .
(Emphasis added.) As that statutory text makes clear, only one of those three
prongs needs to be satisfied in order to support the termination of parental
rights. Here, the trial court expressly found that two of the three prongs were
satisfied—that there is a reasonable probability that the conditions that resulted
in the Children’s removal will not be remedied, and that there is a reasonable
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probability that the continuation of the parent-child relationships poses a threat
to the well-being of the Children.
[5] On appeal, Father’s only argument is that the trial court erred when it
terminated his parental rights because, according to Father, the evidence does
not show that the conditions that resulted in the Children’s removal will not be
remedied. Father’s argument is, as a matter of law, insufficient to demonstrate
reversible error. Whatever the merits of the argument he presents on appeal,
the fact remains that the trial court’s separate conclusion that the evidence also
supported the termination of Father’s parental rights under Indiana Code
Section 31-35-2-4(b)(2)(B)(ii) is unchallenged. Father has not met his burden on
appeal to demonstrate reversible error.
[6] Father’s failure to argue both prongs of Indiana Code Section 31-35-2-
4(B)(2)(B) notwithstanding, DCS presented sufficient evidence to show that the
conditions that resulted in the removal of the Children would not be remedied.
Father’s argument on appeal is merely a request for this Court to reweigh the
evidence, which we cannot do. In re Ma.H., 2019 WL 5617008, at *2.
Accordingly, we affirm the trial court’s termination of Father’s parental rights.
[7] Affirmed.
Vaidik, C.J., and Tavitas, J., concur.
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