Matter of L.D.L.B.

September 2 2014
DA 13-0731
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA
2014 MT 237N
IN RE THE MATTER OF:
L.D.L.B.,
A Minor Child.
APPEAL FROM: District Court of the Eighth Judicial District,
In and For the County of Cascade, Cause No. DDA 12-089
Honorable Dirk M. Sandefur, Presiding Judge
COUNSEL OF RECORD:
For Appellant:
Brenda Wahler, Attorney at Law; Helena, Montana
For Appellee:
Darcy M. Crum, Rebeck & Crum; Great Falls, Montana
Submitted on Briefs: July 23, 2014
Decided: September 2, 2014
Filed:
__________________________________________
Clerk
Justice Michael E. Wheat delivered the Opinion of the Court.
¶1 Pursuant to Section I, Paragraph 3(d), Montana Supreme Court Internal Operating
Rules, this case is decided by memorandum opinion and shall not be cited and does not
serve as precedent. Its case title, cause number, and disposition shall be included in this
Court’s quarterly list of noncitable cases published in the Pacific Reporter and Montana
Reports.
¶2 L.D.L.B. was born on November 21, 2009 to N.L. D.B. is the mother of N.L. and
the grandmother of L.D.L.B. For the majority of L.D.L.B.’s life, she has lived with D.B.
In November of 2010, D.B., N.L. and L.D.L.B. all lived together in Great Falls, Montana.
D.B. was the primary caretaker for the child during this period, although N.L. was in
frequent contact with the child. In February of 2011, N.L. and her husband moved into
housing at Malmstrom Air Force Base. N.L. and D.B. agreed that L.D.L.B. would
remain in the custody and care of D.B., rather than move into base housing with N.L.
Pursuant to that agreement, N.L. consented to court appointment of D.B. as the guardian
of L.D.L.B. N.L. had limited contact with L.D.L.B. since that time, and has not engaged
in any parenting or parental role beyond visiting with the child occasionally.
¶3 On November 8, 2012, D.B. brought a petition to terminate N.L.’s parental rights
and to adopt L.D.L.B. The District Court held a hearing for the consideration of evidence
on the parenting of L.D.L.B. The District Court determined that N.L. had abandoned
L.D.L.B. pursuant to §§ 41-3-102(1)(a)(ii) and 42-2-608(1)(b), MCA, and accordingly,
terminated N.L.’s parental rights. The court made this determination based on its finding
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that N.L. had only limited contact with the child, had not taken on any parenting roles in
the child’s upbringing, and that the child had begun referring to D.B. as her mother.
¶4 We review a district court’s decision to terminate parental rights for an abuse of
discretion. In re A.J.W., 2010 MT 42, ¶ 12, 355 Mont. 264, 227 P.3d 1012. A court
abuses its discretion when it acts arbitrarily, without employment of judgment, or in
excess of the bounds of reason. A.J.W., ¶ 12. Under this standard, we review a district
court’s findings of fact for clear error, and its conclusions of law to determine whether
they are correct. In re C.J.K., 2005 MT 67, ¶ 13, 326 Mont. 289, 109 P.3d 232.
¶5 N.L. argues that she did not abandon L.D.L.B., and at any rate, termination of her
rights was not required by statute. Section 41-3-102(1)(a)(ii), MCA, defines
“abandonment” as “willfully surrendering physical custody for a period of 6 months and
during that period not manifesting to the child and the person having physical custody of
the child a firm intention to resume physical custody or to make permanent legal
arrangements for the care of the child.” We first turn to whether the District Court’s
determination of abandonment was supported by substantial evidence. N.L. argues that
the District Court improperly resolved a number of factual disputes in favor of D.B. N.L.
argues that her periodic visits with L.D.L.B. did constitute parenting, that she had more
frequent contact with the child than D.B. alleged, and that D.B. somehow thwarted her
contact with the child. However, N.L. can point to no facts in the record demonstrating
that the court’s findings were in error or were unsupported by substantial evidence. The
District Court heard the testimony of D.B. and N.L. during the hearing, and specifically
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determined that many of N.L.’s claims lacked credibility, especially her assertion that
D.B. had thwarted any parenting by making N.L. feel uncomfortable. The court also took
notice of undisputed facts that underscore N.L.’s lack of parenting the child, such as her
agreement that the child would continue to live with D.B. and the fact that N.L. had not
seen the child for an extended period of time. In fact, the court found that N.L. had not
seen the child for a total of seven months before the hearing at which the court terminated
her parental rights. This finding satisfies the provision of § 41-3-102(1)(a)(ii), MCA,
defining abandonment, which, as noted, includes the willful surrender of physical custody
for a period of six months. The court characterized N.L.’s attitude as one of “manifest
disinterest in the parenting of this child since moving on to base housing.” Thus,
substantial evidence supported the court’s legal conclusion that N.L. had abandoned her
daughter.
¶6 N.L. also argues that the court was not “required” to terminate her parental rights.
The decision to terminate parental rights is a matter of discretion for the district court.
A.J.W., ¶ 12. After a thorough hearing of the evidence presented by both parties, the
court exercised that discretion in determining that the best interest of the child would be
served by terminating N.L.’s parental rights and awarding custody to D.B. That decision
was based on the child’s need for a permanent home, the child’s relationship with D.B.,
and N.L.’s waning visitation of the child.
¶7 For the foregoing reasons, we affirm. The District Court’s decision was supported
by substantial evidence and the legal issues are controlled by settled Montana law, which
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the District Court correctly interpreted. We have therefore determined to decide this case
pursuant to Section I, Paragraph 3(d) of our Internal Operating Rules, which provides for
noncitable memorandum opinions.
/S/ MICHAEL E WHEAT
We Concur:
/S/ MIKE McGRATH
/S/ LAURIE McKINNON
/S/ BETH BAKER
/S/ PATRICIA COTTER
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