PARENTAL RIGHTS WERE TERMINATED AS A RESULT
After the Bronx County Family Court found that she had “abandoned” her children, and terminated her parental rights, the mom appealed.
And on its review, the Appellate Division, First Department, noted that there was “clear and convincing evidence” in the record that the mother failed to maintain contact with her kids, “or send them gifts or cards, or to communicate with the agency” for the six-month period which immediately preceded the petition’s filing. She also did not establish (to the court’s satisfaction) that she was suffering from a “severe hardship” that interfered with her ability to communicate, and the agency was not found to have “prevented or discouraged” the mother from engaging with her offspring.
In addition to the fact that the children’s attorney supported the termination, the court was not persuaded that the mother had made “significant progress in addressing her parenting deficits.” As a result, the AD1 concluded that the Family Court had “providently exercised its discretion,” and affirmed the outcome.
Let's just say, it’s provident for us to end this post right there.
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DECISION