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MOTHER’S MOTION FOR FINDINGS ALLOWING HER CHILD TO PETITION FOR SPECIAL IMMIGRANT JUVENILE STATUS SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED.

Reversing Family Court, the Second Department determined mother’s motion for findings allowing her child to petition for special immigrant juvenile status (SIJS) should have been granted:

… [W]e declare that the child has been legally committed to, or placed under the custody of, an individual appointed by a state or juvenile court, and we find that the child is unmarried and under 21 years of age, that reunification with one of his parents is not viable due to parental abandonment, and that it would not be in his best interests to return to El Salvador … . Matter of Tommy E. H. (Anonymous) v Silvia C. (Anonymous), 2015 NY Slip Op 09104, 2nd Dept 12-9-15

MONTHLY COMPILATION INDEX ENTRIES FOR THIS CASE:

SPECIAL IMMIGRANT JUVENILE STATUS (MOTHER’S MOTION FOR FINDINGS SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED)/IMMIGRATION LAW (MOTHER’S MOTION FOR FINDINGS ALLOWING HER CHILD TO PETITION FOR SPECIAL IMMIGRANT JUVENILE STATUS SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED)

DESPITE FLORIDA DIVORCE, NEW YORK HAD JURISDICTION OVER THE CUSTODY/VISITATION MATTERS BASED UPON THE PARTIES’ PRESENCE IN NEW YORK.

Reversing Family Court, the Third Department determined New York had jurisdiction over the custody/visitation matters, despite the Florida divorce. The parties had subsequently moved from Florida to New York and there was no indication the relocation was temporary. The criteria for New York’s jurisdiction under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) has nothing to do with the legal residence of the parties. The court further determined that the relevant provisions of the UCCJEA did not conflict with the Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act (PKPA) and was therefore not preempted by the PKPA. With respect to New York’s juriisdiction, the court wrote:

Consistent with the provisions of the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (hereinafter UCCJEA), which is codified in Domestic Relations Law article 5-A, “a court of this state may not modify a child custody determination made by a court of another state unless a court of this state has jurisdiction to make an initial custody determination under [Domestic Relations Law § 76 (1) (a) or (b)]” and, insofar as is relevant here, “[a] court of this state . . . determines that the child, the child’s parents, and any person acting as a parent do not presently reside in the other state” (Domestic Relations Law § 76-b [2]). As to the first criteria, jurisdiction to render an initial custody determination may be predicated upon, among other things, a finding that “this state is the home state of the child on the date of the commencement of the proceeding” (Domestic Relations Law § 76 [1] [a]). A child’s home state, in turn, is defined as “the state in which a child lived with a parent or a person acting as a parent for at least six consecutive months immediately before the commencement of a child custody proceeding” (Domestic Relations Law § 75-a [7]…). A child custody proceeding includes a proceeding in which visitation with the child is at issue (see Domestic Relations Law § 75-a [4]), and the commencement of a proceeding “means the filing of the first pleading in a proceeding” (Domestic Relations Law § 75-a [5] … ). Matter of Lewis v Martin, 2015 NY Slip Op 08879, 3rd Dept 12-3-15

FAMILY LAW (JURISDICTION OVER CUSTODY, NEW YORK’S JURISDICTION DESPITE FLORIDA DIVORCE)/JURISDICTION (CUSTODY, NEW YORK’S JURISDICTION DESPITE FLORIDA DIVORCE)/UNIFORM CHILD CUSTODY JURISDICTION AND ENFORCEMENT ACT (UCCJEA) (JURISDICTION OF NEW YORK DESPITE FLORIDA DIVORCE)/PARENTAL KIDNAPPING PREVENTION ACT (PKPA) (NO CONFLICT WITH UCCJEA)

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PRIMA FACIE CASE OF NEGLECT REBUTTED BY MOTHER’S EXPERT.

Reversing Family Court, the Second Department determined expert testimony on behalf of the mother rebutted the petitioner’s prima facie case of neglect. The court noted the nature of petitioner’s prima facie proof is akin to the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur in negligence. Proof of an injury to a child which would not occur if the child had been in the care of a responsible caregiver is enough to make out a prima facie case. Expert testimony demonstrating the injuries may have occurred when the child was not in the mother’s care and further demonstrating alternate causes of the injuries was sufficient to rebut the prima facie case of neglect/abuse:

Section 1046(a)(ii) of the Family Court Act permits a finding of abuse based upon evidence of an injury to a child which would ordinarily not occur absent acts or omissions of the responsible caretaker, and “authorizes a method of proof which is closely analogous to the negligence rule of res ipsa loquitur” … . “If the petitioner establishes a prima facie case of abuse, the burden of going forward shifts to respondents to rebut the evidence of parental culpability,’ although the burden of proof always remains with the petitioner” … .

The petitioner established a prima facie case of abuse … . Contrary to the petitioner’s contention, however, the mother presented sufficient evidence to rebut the petitioner’s case, through the testimony of her expert witness. The mother’s expert witness testified that the injuries … occurred during a period of time when the petitioner had not established that [the child] was in the exclusive care of the mother. Additionally, the expert opined that the injuries could have resulted from alternate mechanisms. Thus, the petitioner failed to establish, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the mother abused [the child] … . Matter of Miguel G. (Navil G.). 2015 NY Slip Op 08834, 2nd Dept 12-2-15

FAMILY LAW (NEGLECT NOT ESTABLISHED, PETITIONER’S CASE REBUTTED)/NEGLECT (PETITIONER’S PRIMA FACIE CASE REBUTTED BY EXPERT TESTIMONY)/EXPERT TESTIMONY (SUFFICIENT TO REBUT PRIMA FACIE CASE OF NEGLECT)

Extraordinary Circumstances Warranted Award of Custody to Non-Parent

The Fourth Department, over a two-justice dissent, determined Family Court properly awarded custody of the child to the child’s half brother:

It is well-settled that, “as between a parent and nonparent, the parent has a superior right to custody that cannot be denied unless the nonparent establishes that the parent has relinquished that right because of surrender, abandonment, persisting neglect, unfitness or other like extraordinary circumstances’ ” … . Here, the evidence established that the mother and the father changed residences frequently over a period of 18 months, and they were evicted from one residence and were homeless for several months, living in a tent or their vehicle. The child changed schools five times in four school districts over that same time period and, with each change in school, the child missed at least several days and sometimes several weeks of school. Indeed, we note that “[u]nrebutted evidence of excessive school absences [is] sufficient to establish . . . educational neglect” … . The evidence also supports the court’s conclusion that the child had poor hygiene. Thus, the record establishes that the mother and the father have exhibited “behavior evincing utter indifference and irresponsibility,” and the court therefore properly concluded that extraordinary circumstances exist…  .

It is well settled that, “once extraordinary circumstances are found, the court must then make the disposition that is in the best interest[s] of the child” … , and we agree with the court that the child’s best interests are served by awarding petitioner custody of the child with visitation to the mother and the father… . Matter of Stent v Schwartz, 2015 NY Slip Op 08535, 4th Dept 11-20-15

 

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Neglect Finding Cannot Be Based Upon Judicial Notice of a Drug Conviction

Reversing Family Court, the Second Department explained the pre-requisites for a neglect finding. Here Family Court erroneously made a neglect finding by taking judicial notice of mother’s drug conviction:

Family Court Act § 1051(a) provides that the Family Court may enter an order finding that a child is an abused child or a neglected child on the consent of all parties and the attorney for the child, or following the completion of a fact-finding hearing at which the petitioning agency establishes the allegations of abuse or neglect by a preponderance of the evidence (see Family Ct Act §§ 1044, 1046[b][i]). Further, in appropriate cases, the Family Court may also enter an order finding that a child is an abused child or a neglected child on a motion for summary judgment in lieu of holding a fact-finding hearing, upon the petitioning agency’s prima facie showing of neglect or abuse as a matter of law, and the respondent’s failure to raise a triable issue of fact in opposition to the motion … .

Here, the Family Court did not enter the finding of neglect on the consent of all parties and the attorney for the child, or following the completion of a fact-finding hearing (see Family Ct Act § 1051[a]). Moreover, the Family Court did not enter the finding of neglect upon a motion by the DSS for summary judgment … . Thus, the Family Court, which simply took judicial notice at a conference of a certificate of disposition, lacked the authority to enter a finding of neglect. Matter of Vincent M. (Jamie M.), 2015 NY Slip Op 08170, 2nd Dept 11-12-15

 

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Motions for Findings Allowing Child to Petition for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Should Have Been Granted

The Second Department, reversing Family Court, determined mother’s motions for the issuance of special findings to enable the child [Jose] to petition for special immigrant juvenile status should have been granted:

… [I]t is declared that Jose … has been legally committed to, or placed under the custody of, an individual appointed by a State or juvenile court, and it is found that Jose …  is unmarried and under 21 years of age, that reunification with one of his parents is not viable due to parental abandonment, and that it would not be in his best interests to return to Honduras, his previous country of nationality or last habitual residence. Matter of Gomez v Sibrian, 2015 NY Slip Op 08165, 2nd Dept 11-12-15

 

Two-Justice Dissent Argued Termination of Father’s Parental Rights Was Not In the Best Interests of the Child

The Second Department, over a two-justice dissent, determined father had abandoned the child and his parental rights were properly terminated. The dissent argued that, because of new facts revealed after the order appealed from was issued, and because the mother’s parental rights were not terminated, severing the child from his father was not in the child’s best interests:

FROM THE DISSENT

A petition to terminate parental rights on the ground of abandonment may be denied where, despite evidence that the parent abandoned the child during the six-month period prior to the filing of the petition, the record nevertheless demonstrates that termination would not be in the best interests of the child … . Here, my colleagues in the majority conclude that the father’s failure to take prompt action to assert paternity after the mother informed him that he might be the child’s father in the six months prior to the filing of the petition constituted abandonment. However, that finding does not mandate granting the petition to terminate parental rights where, as here, new facts arose after the filing of the petition, and after the issuance of the order appealed from, which demonstrate that termination of the father’s parental rights is not in the child’s best interests … . * * *

.[T]here are no facts in this record which indicate that a relationship between the child and his father will be harmful to the child … . * * * It appears from this record that terminating the father’s parental rights would serve no purpose other than to sever any potential ties between the child and his father and paternal kindred. Matter of Jake W.E. (Jonathan S.), 2015 NY Slip Op 07840, 2nd Dept 10-28-15

 

 

Children’s Remaining in Foster Care Until Father’s Release from Prison Was Not a Sufficient Plan for the Children’s Future, Permanent Neglect Finding Proper

The Second Department determined a permanent neglect finding was proper. Children’s remaining in foster care until father’s release from prison was not a sufficient plan for the children’s future:

A parent’s incarceration does not obviate the obligation to develop a “realistic and feasible” plan for the children’s future … . A plan for children to remain in foster care throughout a parent’s incarceration and for a period of time thereafter as necessary to establish suitable living arrangements for the children is not a viable plan to secure permanency for the children … . Thus, “[t]he failure of an incarcerated parent to provide any realistic and feasible’ alternative to having the children remain in foster care until the parent’s release from prison . . . supports a finding of permanent neglect” … .

Here, the father failed to provide any feasible plan for the subject children other than continued foster care until after he was released from prison and had time to “get on [his] feet.” Accordingly, despite the petitioner’s diligent efforts to encourage and strengthen the parental relationship, the father failed to adequately plan for the children’s future, and the Family Court’s finding of permanent neglect was supported by clear and convincing evidence … . Matter of Jenna K. (Jeremy K.), 2015 NY Slip Op 07843, 2nd Dept 10-28-15

 

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The Precise Terms of the Stipulation Were Not Demonstrated to Have Been Violated—Contempt Finding Improper

The Third Department determined the wife was improperly held in contempt re: a stipulation about refinancing the marital residence. The stipulation required that the wife make a good faith effort to refinance, but did not address the consequences of a failed attempt. By finding the wife in contempt for failing to refinance, the court improperly re-wrote the stipulation:

“To sustain a civil contempt finding based upon the violation of a court order, it must be established that there was a lawful court order in effect that clearly expressed an unequivocal mandate, that the person who allegedly violated the order had actual knowledge of its terms, and that his or her actions or failure to act defeated, impaired, impeded or prejudiced a right of the moving party” … . Such violation, in turn, “must be established by clear and convincing evidence” … . “The decision of whether to hold in contempt a party who fails to comply with a court order rests within the court’s sound discretion” … .

Here, a review of the underlying order makes clear that Supreme Court found the wife to be in contempt of the parties’ April 2012 stipulation based upon her failure to refinance the marital residence “as agreed or otherwise take action to remove [the husband’s] name from the existing mortgage.” The parties’ stipulation, however, did not require the wife to successfully refinance the marital residence and remove the husband’s name from the existing mortgage; rather, the stipulation only imposed upon her the obligation to “make a good faith effort to obtain [such] financing . . . and remove [the husband’s] name from the mortgage within 45 days after receiving the [quitclaim deed].” Notably, the stipulation was silent as to the parties’ respective rights and obligations in the event that the wife attempted — but did not actually succeed — in obtaining such financing … and, by directing the sale of the marital residence in the event that the wife did not obtain refinancing within a specified time period, Supreme Court essentially revised the parties’ agreement to supply a solution to a problem that, on the face of the agreement, the parties themselves apparently did not contemplate. Howe v Howe, 2015 NY Slip Op 07709, 3rd Dept 10-22-15

 

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Hearsay Supporting Child Abuse Report Seriously Controverted—Report Expunged

The Third Department determined a report maintained by the central register of child abuse and maltreatment should have been amended to state “unfounded” and expunged. Mother brought an Article 78 petition to amend the report, which stated abuse was “indicated.” The Third Department found that the hearsay evidence in support of the report was seriously controverted by the petitioner’s evidence, which included expert evidence about the cause of the child’s broken leg:

“To establish maltreatment, the agency was required to show by a fair preponderance of the evidence that the physical, mental or emotional condition of the child had been impaired or was in imminent danger of becoming impaired because of a failure by petitioner to exercise a minimum degree of care in providing the child with appropriate supervision or guardianship” … . As there is no dispute that the child suffered a broken leg, there can be no question that her physical condition was in fact impaired. Accordingly, our inquiry distills to whether the record supports a finding that such impairment was the result of petitioner’s failure to provide appropriate supervision and guardianship.

In this regard, the evidence against petitioner consisted primarily of the investigation progress notes, which summarized the caseworker’s interviews with, among others, petitioner’s son, the child’s treating orthopedic surgeon and the child’s geneticist. “[T]here is no question that hearsay is admissible in expungement hearings and, if sufficiently relevant and probative, may constitute substantial evidence to support the underlying determination” … . That said, the substantial evidence standard is not satisfied where, as here, the hearsay evidence at issue is “seriously controverted” … . Matter of Gwen Y. v New York State Off. of Children & Family Servs., 2015 NY Slip Op 07710, 3rd Dept 10-22-15

 

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