In re J.B. , 2019 Ohio 1929 ( 2019 )


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  • [Cite as In re J.B., 2019-Ohio-1929.]
    STATE OF OHIO                     )                   IN THE COURT OF APPEALS
    )ss:                NINTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT
    COUNTY OF LORAIN                  )
    IN RE: J.B.                                           C.A. No.     18CA011424
    APPEAL FROM JUDGMENT
    ENTERED IN THE
    COURT OF COMMON PLEAS
    COUNTY OF LORAIN, OHIO
    CASE No.   18JC53984
    DECISION AND JOURNAL ENTRY
    Dated: May 20, 2019
    TEODOSIO, Presiding Judge.
    {¶1}    Appellant Mother appeals the judgment of the Lorain County Court of Common
    Pleas, Juvenile Division, that adjudicated her child J.B. abused, neglected, and dependent. This
    Court affirms
    I.
    {¶2}    Mother is the biological mother of J.B. (d.o.b. 4/26/13). Father appeared in the
    juvenile court and asserted that he did not wish to participate in any proceedings regarding the
    child.
    {¶3}    Based on injuries discovered on the child’s body, Lorain County Children
    Services (“LCCS” or “the agency”) filed a complaint alleging that J.B. was an abused, neglected,
    and dependent child. After an adjudicatory hearing, the magistrate issued a decision finding the
    child to be abused, neglected, and dependent. The juvenile court adopted the magistrate’s
    decision the same day. Mother filed timely objections. The juvenile court heard the arguments
    2
    of counsel at a hearing on the objections. Subsequently, the juvenile court issued a judgment
    overruling Mother’s objections and adhering to its prior judgment adjudicating J.B. an abused,
    neglected, and dependent child.      Mother filed a timely appeal in which she raises three
    assignments of error for review.
    II.
    ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR I
    THE TRIAL COURT ERRED WHEN IT ADMITTED AS EVIDENCE, UH
    ELYRIA REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER OUTPATIENT SUMMARY,
    REGISTRATION HISTORY, AND CLINICAL CHART, WHEN SUCH
    RECORD CONTAINED HEARSAY.
    {¶4}    Mother argues that the juvenile court erred by admitting the child’s medical
    records into evidence at the adjudicatory hearing. Mother’s argument is not well taken.
    {¶5}    A review of the record indicates that the magistrate declined to admit the child’s
    medical records as evidence after Mother’s objection to their admission during the adjudicatory
    hearing. Instead, the magistrate merely allowed the agency to proffer the medical records. In
    addition, the magistrate expressly asserted that he did not need to consider the medical records to
    make his decision. Rather, he found J.B. to be abused, neglected, and dependent based on the
    remaining “overwhelming evidence” adduced at the hearing.           Moreover, at the hearing on
    Mother’s objections, Mother’s attorney admitted that the magistrate had not considered the
    medical records in his decision. The juvenile court further did not indicate that it would consider
    the medical records when ruling on the objections. The juvenile court’s judgment in which it
    overruled Mother’s objections and adhered to its prior judgment of adjudication does not
    reference any consideration of the child’s medical records. As there is nothing to indicate that
    the juvenile court admitted or considered J.B.’s medical records, Mother’s argument fails.
    Mother’s first assignment of error is overruled.
    3
    ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR II
    THE TRIAL COURT ERRED WHEN IT PERMITTED THE CHILD’S OUT OF
    COURT STATEMENTS TO BE ADMITTED AS EVIDENCE.
    {¶6}    Mother argues that the juvenile court erred by considering testimony by the
    agency caseworker and the child’s school nurse regarding statements made by the child that
    Mother’s boyfriend had caused the child’s injuries, because those statements contained
    inadmissible hearsay. This Court disagrees.
    {¶7}    While this Court generally reviews the trial court’s action with respect to a
    magistrate’s decision for an abuse of discretion, we do so with reference to the nature of the
    underlying matter. In re I.R., 9th Dist. Summit No. 27775, 2016-Ohio-2919, ¶ 8, citing Fields v.
    Cloyd, 9th Dist. Summit No. 24150, 2008-Ohio-5232, ¶ 9, and Tabatabai v. Tabatabai, 9th Dist.
    Medina No. 08CA0049-M, 2009-Ohio-3139, ¶ 18. Given the broad discretion accorded to trial
    courts to admit or exclude evidence, this Court “will not disturb evidentiary rulings absent an
    abuse of discretion ‘that produced a material prejudice’ to the aggrieved party.” In re I.W., 9th
    Dist. Wayne Nos. 07CA0056 and 07CA0057, 2008-Ohio-2492, ¶8, quoting State v. Roberts, 9th
    Dist. Summit No. 21532, 2004-Ohio-962, ¶ 14. An abuse of discretion is more than an error of
    judgment; it means that the trial court was unreasonable, arbitrary, or unconscionable in its
    ruling. Blakemore v. Blakemore, 
    5 Ohio St. 3d 217
    , 219 (1983). When applying the abuse of
    discretion standard, an appellate court may not substitute its judgment for that of the trial court.
    Pons v. Ohio State Med. Bd., 
    66 Ohio St. 3d 619
    , 621 (1993).
    {¶8}    It is well established that the juvenile court must strictly adhere to the rules of
    evidence during the adjudicatory hearing. In re E.R., 9th Dist. Medina No. 05CA0108-M, 2006-
    Ohio-4816, ¶ 41, citing In re Baby Girl Baxter, 
    17 Ohio St. 3d 229
    , 233 (1985). Evid.R. 802
    4
    proscribes the admission of hearsay. Accordingly, hearsay is not admissible for purposes of
    adjudication. In re E.R. at ¶ 41.
    {¶9}    Evid.R. 803 sets forth multiple exceptions to the hearsay rule. Mother argued
    below and on appeal that this case involves the application of Evid.R. 803(4) which permits the
    admission of
    [s]tatements made for purposes of medical diagnosis or treatment and describing
    medical history, or past or present symptoms, pain, or sensations, or the inception
    or general character of the cause or external source thereof insofar as reasonably
    pertinent to diagnosis or treatment.
    Mother argues that the juvenile court erred in determining that the child’s statements were made
    for purposes of diagnosis or treatment, rather than for some other purpose.
    {¶10} The Supreme Court of Ohio has clarified that a child-declarant’s competency is
    not an issue that must be determined in these cases. Instead, the only issue relevant to the
    admission of a child’s statements pursuant to Evid.R. 803(4) is whether the statements were
    made for purposes of medical diagnosis or treatment. State v. Muttart, 
    116 Ohio St. 3d 5
    , 2007-
    Ohio-5267, ¶ 46. The high court set out a nonexhaustive list of considerations to determine the
    purpose of the child’s statements, including (1) whether the child’s statements were elicited in a
    leading or suggestive manner; (2) whether a motive to lie exists, e.g., in relation to a “bitter
    custody battle[;]” and (3) whether the child understood the need to be truthful to the medical
    provider. 
    Id. at ¶
    49, quoting State v. Dever, 
    64 Ohio St. 3d 401
    , 410 (1992). Other contextual
    considerations include the child’s age, the consistency of the child’s assertions, and whether the
    interview of the child was conducted pursuant to proper protocol. 
    Id. {¶11} The
    school nurse testified that she receives ongoing training relevant to her duties
    at the school, some of which has addressed the identification of abuse in children. She explained
    that she routinely conducts a head-to-toe assessment of a child who comes to her with an issue.
    5
    In addition, she questions the child about how he feels and the reason for his visit to determine
    what medical treatment is required. If the nurse is concerned about what she learns following
    her exam and questioning, she then calls in the principal to assess the need for further action.
    But the nurse was clear that she conducts her evaluation of the children in her clinic to determine
    whether and what kind of medical treatment is necessary.
    {¶12} In this case, J.B. was almost five years old when he was brought to the nurse’s
    clinic after complaining that his back hurt and a teacher saw bruising all over the child’s back.
    The nurse adhered to her established protocol and told J.B. that she heard he had a “boo-boo.”
    The child told her he did and added, “I don’t know what Daddy hit me with.” When conducting
    a head-to-toe evaluation of J.B., the nurse observed a “very large goose egg” which appeared to
    be fresh on the back of the child’s head. She then observed a multitude of bruises that appeared
    to be several days old covering the child’s back. After the nurse asked J.B. how he got those the
    child responded that his daddy got mad after the child did not put on his seatbelt.
    {¶13} The nurse conducted her standard evaluation of the child and asked open-ended
    questions. The child was able to clearly articulate the general cause of his injuries. Even though
    he could not identify the instrument used, he was able to describe the context and perpetrator.
    J.B. was consistent in his responses. There was no indication that the child was motivated to lie
    to the nurse. Based on a consideration of the circumstances surrounding J.B.’s disclosures to the
    nurse, the juvenile court did not err by determining that the child’s statements were made for the
    purpose of medical treatment. Accordingly, the juvenile court did not abuse its discretion by
    admitting the child’s statements to the nurse pursuant to Evid.R. 803(4).
    {¶14} Mother also challenges the admission of the child’s statements to a doctor at
    University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center as testified to by the LCCS caseworker. Mother
    6
    argues that the caseworker was not competent to testify that the child’s statements were made for
    purposes of medical diagnosis or treatment, because only the doctor could provide that
    information. Because the doctor did not testify at the adjudicatory hearing, Mother asserts that
    the child’s statements merely overheard by the caseworker are not admissible.
    {¶15} Neither Mother nor LCCS provide any legal authority regarding whether a
    witness who overhears a patient’s comments made to a doctor may testify as to the patient’s
    statements for purposes of Evid.R. 803(4). Assuming, without deciding that the juvenile court
    erred by admitting the caseworker’s testimony regarding J.B.’s statements to the doctor, this
    Court concludes that any error was harmless. J.B.’s statements to the doctor that his daddy
    caused his injuries were merely cumulative of the nurse’s testimony that we have already
    concluded was admissible. For the foregoing reasons, Mother’s second assignment of error is
    overruled.
    ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR III
    THE TRIAL COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION WHEN IT FOUND [J.B.]
    TO BE AN ABUSED CHILD, A NEGLECTED CHILD, AND A DEPENDENT
    CHILD, AS THOSE FINDINGS ARE AGAINST THE MANIFEST WEIGHT
    OF THE EVIDENCE.
    {¶16} Mother argues that the juvenile court’s findings that J.B. was an abused,
    neglected, and dependent child are against the manifest weight of the evidence. This Court
    disagrees.
    {¶17} Juvenile abuse, neglect, and dependency cases are initiated by the filing of a
    complaint. See Juv.R. 22(A); Juv.R. 10; R.C. 2151.27(A). The complaint is “the legal document
    that sets forth the allegations that form the basis for juvenile court jurisdiction.” Juv.R. 2(F).
    The juvenile court must base its adjudication on the evidence adduced at the adjudicatory hearing
    to support the allegations in the complaint. See In re Hunt, 
    46 Ohio St. 2d 378
    , 380 (1976). If
    7
    allegations in the complaint are not proved by clear and convincing evidence at the adjudicatory
    hearing, the juvenile court must dismiss the complaint. Juv.R. 29(F); R.C. 2151.35(A)(1). Clear
    and convincing evidence is that which will “‘produce in the mind of the trier of facts a firm
    belief or conviction as to the facts sought to be established.’” In re Adoption of Holcomb, 
    18 Ohio St. 3d 361
    , 368 (1985), quoting Cross v. Ledford, 
    161 Ohio St. 469
    (1954), paragraph three
    of the syllabus.
    {¶18} This Court reviews as follows:
    In determining whether the juvenile court’s adjudication of dependency is against
    the manifest weight of the evidence, “this court [reviews] the entire record,
    weighs the evidence and all reasonable inferences, considers the credibility of
    witnesses and determines whether in resolving conflicts in the evidence, the [trier
    of fact] clearly lost its way and created such a manifest miscarriage of justice that
    the [adjudication] must be reversed[.]”
    (Alterations sic.) In re R.L., 9th Dist. Summit No. 28387, 2017-Ohio-4271, ¶ 8, quoting In re
    C.S., 9th Dist. Summit No. 26178, 2012-Ohio-2884, ¶ 5, quoting In re A.W., 
    195 Ohio App. 3d 379
    , 2011-Ohio-4490, ¶ 8 (9th Dist.).
    {¶19} Mother challenges the findings that J.B. is abused, neglected, and dependent as
    alleged in the complaint. An abused child is one who “[e]xhibits evidence of any physical or
    mental injury or death, inflicted other than by accidental means, or an injury or death which is at
    variance with the history given of it.” R.C. 2151.031(C). Discipline rises to the level of abuse in
    some instances, e.g., where it is “excessive under the circumstances and creates a substantial risk
    of serious physical harm to the child[.]” R.C. 2919.22(B)(3); see also R.C. 2151.031(C). A
    neglected child is one “[w]ho lacks adequate parental care because of the fault or habits of the
    child’s parents, guardian, or custodian[.]” R.C. 2151.03(A)(2).        A dependent child is one
    “[w]hose condition or environment is such as to warrant the state, in the interests of the child, in
    assuming the child’s guardianship[.]” R.C. 2151.04(C). In addition,
    8
    [a] dependency finding under [Revised Code Section] 2151.04(C) does not
    require specific parental fault; rather the focus is on the child’s situation to
    determine whether the child is without proper or adequate care or support. In re
    R.P., 9th Dist. Summit No. 26836, 2013-Ohio-5728, ¶ 19. “The conduct of the
    parent is relevant only insofar as it forms a part of the child[ ]’s environment and
    it is significant only if it has a detrimental impact on [him].” In re A.C. at ¶ 14,
    citing In re Burrell, 
    58 Ohio St. 2d 37
    , 39 (1979).
    In re I.T., 9th Dist. Summit Nos. 27513, 27560, and 27581, 2016-Ohio-555, ¶ 32.
    {¶20} On March 19, 2018, J.B. was in his afternoon pre-kindergarten class at school.
    Eleven children are in the class which is supervised by a teacher and an associate teacher. The
    associate teacher (“Ms. O.”) testified that she asked J.B. to pick up a glue stick he had dropped.
    The child refused because his back hurt and he did not want to bend over. After receiving J.B.’s
    permission to look at his back, Ms. O. lifted the child’s shirt and saw that his back was covered
    with bruises.     Because she felt bad for being stern with the child, requiring him to pick
    something up when he claimed he was in pain, Ms. O. apologized and gave J.B. a hug. At that
    time, Ms. O. felt a “giant lump” on the child’s head. The associate teacher asked the other
    classroom teacher to take pictures of the child’s injuries and she then sent J.B. to the school
    nurse’s clinic.
    {¶21} Ms. O. testified that the students are supervised at all times by two teachers and
    that J.B. had not fallen or otherwise injured himself at school that day. She described J.B. as a
    typical child who occasionally falls on the playground or collides with other children. She
    described the playground as a grassy area which includes a sand box and toy houses, but no
    jungle gyms. In any event, Ms. O. testified that the children had not gone outside for recess on
    the day she discovered J.B.’s injuries. At no time during that day did J.B. cry as though he had
    been injured.
    9
    {¶22} Ms. O. testified that she had received her most recent training in recognizing signs
    of child abuse and neglect two months before she saw J.B.’s injuries. Based on the nature of the
    bruises covering the child’s back, Ms. O. suspected that the child had been abused.
    {¶23} The school nurse conducted a head-to-toe evaluation of J.B. The child had a very
    large (1 ½ to 2 inches) black and blue lump on his head. His back was covered with older
    bruises that were in a state of healing, having already turned green and yellow. When the nurse
    asked J.B. how he received his injuries, the child made multiple statements that “Daddy” had
    caused them while angry.
    {¶24} The school principal (“Ms. L.”) testified that she receives annual training to
    identify different types and levels of child abuse and neglect, including physical, sexual, and
    emotional abuse. She has also been trained to look for indicators that a child is lying. She was
    trained to know that purple bruises are new, while greenish or yellowish bruises are older and in
    a state of healing. Ms. L. saw the newer lump on J.B.’s head and the older bruises covering his
    back when the school nurse called her to the clinic based on her suspicions of abuse. The
    principal testified that some bruising on children is normal, given their “rumble-tumble” natures.
    For example, she would expect children to exhibit bruising on knees, shins, and elbows where
    they have fallen. Ms. L. emphasized that bruises on a child’s torso, however, are not typical of
    the everyday activities of a child, but rather are suspicious and a cause for investigation. As an
    example, she described an incident where a child came to school with a black and bruised eye,
    which is not a typical childhood injury. After questioning the child, who did not appear to be
    lying, and receiving confirmation from three others, Ms. L. was satisfied that that child had been
    hit with a baseball during a game. Accordingly, the principal did not report that incident to law
    enforcement.
    10
    {¶25} In J.B.’s case, however, Ms. L. suspected that the child had been abused based on
    the nature of his injuries, the lack of any incident report by a teacher indicating that the child had
    fallen or been injured at school, and her discussions with the school nurse. Ms. L. called the
    school resource officer who is a sheriff’s deputy. She took photographs of the child’s injuries at
    the deputy’s request. Those photographs were admitted into evidence and show the multitude of
    bruises on J.B.’s back and the large discolored lump on his head.
    {¶26} The LCCS caseworker testified that she received a hotline referral to the agency
    on March 19, 2018, regarding bruises on a child’s back and a “goose egg” on the child’s head.
    The caseworker was able to see the photographs of the child’s injuries taken by the school
    principal. The next morning, the caseworker went to J.B.’s home where he was living with
    Mother, her boyfriend (“Boyfriend”), and another man. When no one answered the door, the
    caseworker sought assistance from the Sheriff’s Department. Three deputies joined her at the
    home.    Boyfriend answered and was angry because of the early hour.               By the time the
    caseworker returned with the deputies, it would have been after 9:30 a.m.
    {¶27} Based on information the caseworker had received from the referral and Sheriff’s
    Department, she proposed a safety plan for the child that would require Boyfriend to vacate the
    home. Mother refused. She further refused to place the child outside the home. Based on
    concerns for the child’s safety inside the home, the caseworker obtained an emergency order of
    temporary custody of J.B. Upon returning to retrieve the child, the caseworker heard yelling and
    the sound of things being thrown inside the home. Mother continued screaming and threatening
    the caseworker as the child was removed.
    {¶28} The caseworker took J.B. to the hospital, spending the entire day with him,
    including while he was examined by a doctor.           She testified that the child never tripped,
    11
    stumbled, or fell during normal play or activity throughout the approximately twelve hours they
    were together. The agency had a family team decision meeting, where the caseworker spoke
    with collateral contacts regarding the case. During discussions with Mother, the caseworker
    learned that Boyfriend spanks the child, but Mother denied any abuse. She discovered that the
    child refers to Boyfriend as “Daddy.” The locations and severity of the child’s injuries caused
    the caseworker to believe that the injuries were inflicted on the child, and not caused by a fall,
    despite Mother’s assertions that J.B. is simply a very clumsy child. Based on her investigation,
    the caseworker substantiated the claim of physical abuse of the child by Boyfriend, but found
    that any claim of physical abuse by Mother was unsubstantiated. The caseworker was concerned
    that Mother refused to believe that Boyfriend was harming the child despite strong indications
    that he was, and that Mother was failing to keep J.B. safe.
    {¶29} On cross-examination, Mother admitted that she has three other children who
    reside with their fathers, but she claimed that one child is in another home by “[m]utual
    agreement” without court intervention, while the other two were placed outside of her home
    based on “[f]alse accusations” of Mother’s “failure to protect” them. Mother also admitted that
    she has a lifelong history of being in abusive relationships, first in her mother’s home where her
    mother and her mother’s many boyfriends abused her, and later when she habitually dated
    abusive men. Mother has dated Boyfriend for two years. She denied that Boyfriend is abusive,
    despite past allegations of violence made by an “enemy” of Boyfriend. In fact, Mother claimed
    that, in the thirteen years she has known Boyfriend, he has only lost his temper once. That
    occurred when the agency caseworker was removing J.B. from the home.
    {¶30} Mother described Boyfriend as the primary caregiver of J.B., because Mother
    works daily from 3:00 p.m. until 11:30 p.m. The child is in school from 1:00 until 3:30 p.m.
    12
    three days a week. Even though Mother is home before the child goes to school, she testified
    that she does not get up until around 10:00 a.m., so Boyfriend takes care of the child in the
    mornings.
    {¶31} Although she had been aware of them, Mother could not account for the bruises
    on J.B.’s back or the discolored lump on his head. She claimed, however, that the child is
    particularly clumsy and that he bruises easily. Mother asserted that J.B. falls out of bed a lot and
    chases the family’s cat under tables. She has noticed these bruises, as well as previous ones, on
    the child; but she testified that she was not concerned. She has never taken J.B. to see a doctor
    for bruises because she “wasn’t raised that way.” Additionally, she believes that “a lot of bruises
    are typical.”
    {¶32} Mother testified that J.B. tells “crazy stories” and lies. When she has questioned
    the child about bruises, she admitted that sometimes J.B. says that “[m]y daddy” did it, and
    sometimes he says, “I don’t know.” Mother believes that the child answers “[a]ny question”
    with “[m]y daddy[,]” simply because he loves Boyfriend so much. Mother was adamant that,
    although Boyfriend paddles J.B. “when the case calls for it[,]” he has never abused the child.
    {¶33} The other man (“Mr. P.”) who lives with Mother and Boyfriend testified that he
    has seen Boyfriend put J.B. in a time-out for misbehavior, but that he has never seen either
    Mother or Boyfriend paddle the child. He testified that he has frequently heard “loud thud[s]”
    from the child’s bedroom as J.B. plays alone, followed by the child’s crying. When Mr. P. has
    checked on J.B. afterwards, the child reports that he is okay and continues playing. Mr. P.
    recounted times that J.B. has become frustrated, hitting himself and banging his head on the
    couch while throwing a tantrum. Although Mr. P. asserted that he frequently helps bathe J.B., he
    denied ever seeing any bruises on the child, not even around March 19, 2018. Mr. P. testified
    13
    that he is indebted to Mother and Boyfriend for their help, e.g., allowing him to live with them.
    He asserted that he would not lie for them, however.
    {¶34} Based on a review of the evidence, this is not the exceptional case where the
    finder of fact clearly lost its way and created a manifest miscarriage of justice in adjudicating
    J.B. an abused, neglected, and dependent child. Multiple witnesses with experience identifying
    signs of child abuse testified that J.B.’s injuries indicated abuse. There was no evidence that J.B.
    injured himself at school on March 19, 2018, given that his small class was closely supervised by
    two teachers, neither of whom made an injury incident report that day. Neither did J.B. cry or
    indicate that he had been hurt at school. Accordingly, the evidence indicates that the child
    arrived at school with the large lump on his head. His back was covered with multiple large
    bruises that were healing but still causing the child pain. Photographs show the severe and
    extensive nature of J.B.’s physical injuries which he consistently claimed were caused by
    Boyfriend, whom the child called “Daddy,” with an instrument the child could not identify.
    Mother, who admitted a lifelong history of victimization in abusive relationships, acknowledged
    that Boyfriend uses corporal punishment on J.B. and that J.B. frequently is covered in bruises,
    but nevertheless denied that Boyfriend would abuse the child. Instead, she incredibly claimed
    that J.B. receives extensive bruising on his torso from chasing the family’s cat under tables. The
    pictures of the child’s bruises do not appear to have been made by bumps from the underside of a
    table. Rather, they are lateral bruises that span from his shoulders to his hips. Despite the
    multitude of bruises on the child’s back, Mother’s housemate who frequently helps bathe the
    child denied ever seeing any bruises on the child. The housemate admitted he is in debt to
    Mother and Boyfriend for the significant help they have given him which reasonably indicates
    the housemate’s bias.
    14
    {¶35} The clear and convincing evidence established that J.B. suffered physical injuries
    inflicted other than by accidental means. The reasonable inference is that Boyfriend, the child’s
    primary caregiver, inflicted those injuries on J.B outside the realm of permissive corporal
    punishment. The child reported to the school nurse during her medical evaluation of him that
    Boyfriend, while angry, had hit him with something. Mother’s assertions that the child is simply
    very clumsy are not borne out by other witnesses who testified that the child is a normally active
    child who is not prone to falling and self-injury. The child’s injuries did not mesh with the
    history Mother provided for their basis. Accordingly, the juvenile court’s finding that J.B. is an
    abused child is not against the manifest weight of the evidence.
    {¶36} Mother has historically been in abusive relationships. Based on her upbringing,
    she is unable to recognize signs that her child requires medical attention. Two other of Mother’s
    children have been removed based on her failure to protect them. Given Mother’s adamant
    denial that Boyfriend was capable of harming J.B., despite the nature and severity of the child’s
    injuries and his assertions that “Daddy” caused them, the clear and convincing evidence
    established that J.B. lacks adequate parental care due to the faults or habits of Mother.
    Moreover, without a parent who is willing and able to protect J.B. from abuse inside his home,
    the child’s condition or environment warrants the state, in the child’s interest, in assuming his
    guardianship. Accordingly, the juvenile court’s findings that J.B. is a neglected and dependent
    child are not against the manifest weight of the evidence. Mother’s third assignment of error is
    overruled.
    III.
    {¶37} Mother’s three assignments of error are overruled. The judgment of the Lorain
    County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division, is affirmed.
    15
    Judgment affirmed.
    There were reasonable grounds for this appeal.
    We order that a special mandate issue out of this Court, directing the Court of Common
    Pleas, County of Lorain, State of Ohio, to carry this judgment into execution. A certified copy of
    this journal entry shall constitute the mandate, pursuant to App.R. 27.
    Immediately upon the filing hereof, this document shall constitute the journal entry of
    judgment, and it shall be file stamped by the Clerk of the Court of Appeals at which time the
    period for review shall begin to run. App.R. 22(C). The Clerk of the Court of Appeals is
    instructed to mail a notice of entry of this judgment to the parties and to make a notation of the
    mailing in the docket, pursuant to App.R. 30.
    Costs taxed to Appellant.
    THOMAS A. TEODOSIO
    FOR THE COURT
    CARR, J.
    HENSAL, J.
    CONCUR.
    APPEARANCES:
    LORIE K. BROBST, Attorney at Law, for Appellant.
    DENNIS P. WILL, Prosecuting Attorney, and EMILY W. KIRSCH, Assistant Prosecuting
    Attorney, for Appellee.
    JUSTIN MILLER, Guardian ad Litem.
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 18CA011424

Citation Numbers: 2019 Ohio 1929

Judges: Teodosio

Filed Date: 5/20/2019

Precedential Status: Precedential

Modified Date: 5/20/2019