NEGLECT FINDING NOT SUPPORTED BY THE EVIDENCE, CRITERIA EXPLAINED (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing Family Court, determined the evidence did not support the neglect finding:

​

… [W]e agree with the mother that the court erred in determining that she neglected the child inasmuch as the AFC  [attorney for the child] failed to meet her burden of establishing by a preponderance of the evidence that the “child’s physical, mental or emotional condition has been impaired or is in imminent danger of becoming impaired” as a consequence of the mother’s failure to exercise a minimum degree of care … . It is well established that “any impairment to the child[ ] must be clearly attributable to the unwillingness or inability of the mother to exercise a minimum degree of care toward’ [the child] . . . , rather than what may be deemed undesirable parental behavior’ ” … . “Indeed, the statutory test is minimum degree of care — not maximum, not best, not ideal” … . Here, the court concluded that, “on one hand, [the mother] may simply be a mother determined to protect her child. On the other hand, she may be a woman determined to cause emotional harm to the father of their child. In either case, the consequence of this course of action may be emotional harm to [the child]” (emphasis added). While the record establishes that the mother’s conduct has been troubling at times, “there is no indication in the record that the child was . . . impaired or in imminent danger of impairment of her physical, mental, or emotional condition as a result of any acts committed by [the mother]” … . Matter of Ellie Jo L.H., 2018 NY Slip Op 00934, Fourth Dept 2-9-18

FAMILY LAW (NEGLECT FINDING NOT SUPPORTED BY THE EVIDENCE (FOURTH DEPT))/NEGLECT (NEGLECT FINDING NOT SUPPORTED BY THE EVIDENCE (FOURTH DEPT))/EVIDENCE (FAMILY LAW, NEGLECT FINDING NOT SUPPORTED BY THE EVIDENCE (FOURTH DEPT))