Ex parte A.B. PETITION FOR WRIT OF MANDAMUS (In re: In the matter of N.C.B.) (Lawrence Juvenile Court: JU-23-122.01).

Rel: July 26, 2024

Notice: This opinion is subject to formal revision before publication in the advance sheets of Southern Reporter.
Readers are requested to notify the Reporter of Decisions, Alabama Appellate Courts, 300 Dexter Avenue,
Montgomery, Alabama 36104-3741 ((334) 229-0650), of any typographical or other errors, in order that corrections
may be made before the opinion is published in Southern Reporter.

ALABAMA COURT OF CIVIL APPEALS
SPECIAL TERM, 2024
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CL-2024-0325
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Ex parte A.B.

PETITION FOR WRIT OF MANDAMUS

(In re: In the matter of M.G.)

(Lawrence Juvenile Court: JU-23-120.01)
_________________________

CL-2024-0326
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Ex parte A.B.

PETITION FOR WRIT OF MANDAMUS

(In re: In the matter of M.S.B.)

(Lawrence Juvenile Court: JU-23-121.01)
CL-2024-0325; CL-2024-0326; and CL-2024-0327

_________________________

CL-2024-0327
_________________________

Ex parte A.B.

PETITION FOR WRIT OF MANDAMUS

(In re: In the matter of N.C.B.)

(Lawrence Juvenile Court: JU-23-122.01)

LEWIS, Judge.

A.B. ("the mother") has petitioned this court for a writ of mandamus

directing the Lawrence Juvenile Court ("the juvenile court") to vacate its

April 24, 2024, orders modifying her visitation with M.G., M.S.B., and

N.C.B. (collectively referred to as "the children"). We grant the petitions

and issue the writ.

Procedural History 1

On March 7, 2024, the juvenile court entered judgments ("the

dependency judgments") finding the children dependent; awarding

1With her petition, the mother submitted only documents
pertaining to case no. JU-23-120.01; she stated that "[t]he pertinent
documents … are exactly the same or substantially the same" in each
case. DHR has not controverted that representation. Therefore, we
consider the mother's statement on this point to be accurate. See, e.g.,
Ex parte Breslow, 259 So. 3d 673, 675 n.1 (Ala. Civ. App. 2018).
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custody of the children to the Lawrence County Department of Human

Resources ("DHR"); awarding the mother unsupervised midweek

visitation with the children; awarding the mother supervised visitation

with the children every Sunday; and ordering that J.B., a man with whom

the mother had been in a relationship, have no contact with the children.

The dependency judgments specifically found that J.B. had had

inappropriate contact with one of the children. On March 15, 2024, the

mother filed postjudgment motions in each action. The materials

submitted to this court do not indicate that the juvenile court ruled on

those motions; therefore, the motions were denied by operation of law on

March 29, 2024. See Rule 1(B), Ala. R. Juv. P.

On April 9, 2024, the juvenile court set the cases for a permanency

hearing to be held on April 16, 2024. On April 10, 2024, the mother filed

a notice of appeal to this court, challenging the dependency judgments.

On April 19, 2024, the mother filed motions seeking increased visitation

with the children, along with an affidavit in support thereof.

On April 23, 2024, DHR filed a motion requesting that the juvenile

court hold the mother in contempt and requesting that the mother's

unsupervised visitation be suspended. DHR alleged that the mother had

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permitted the children and J.B. to have contact in violation of the

dependency judgments, and DHR attached an affidavit in support of its

motion. On April 24, 2024, the juvenile court entered orders in each

action stating, in pertinent part:

"This Court, by extensive Order dated March 7, 2024,
set forth a schedule of visitation of the Mother with the
children herein. Said visitation schedule revolved around her
work schedule which consisted of being off every other
weekend and two 'floating' mid-week days. This was based
upon the testimony the Court received on February 7, 2024
and March 6, 2024. At the permanency hearing on April 16,
2024 the Court was informed the Mother no longer had that
schedule and now works Monday-Friday and is off every
weekend. The Mother again asked the Court to expand her
visitation. By filing on April 23, 2024 [DHR] asserts the
following:

"1. On at least three (3) occasions since the
inception of this case the Mother has allowed video
conferencing between [J.B.] and the children in
violation of this Court's orders. The most recent
allegation is [on] April 14, 2024.

"2. That [J.B.] has been released from prison
and bonded out of the Lawrence County jail on
April 23, 2024 although testimony was [that] his
earliest release date was January 2025.

"This Court based its March 7, 2024 visitation upon the
following conditions precedent:

"1. The Mother would maintain her work
schedule.

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"2. The Mother's testimony that she had not
allowed any form of contact with [J.B.] and the
children.

"3. [J.B.] would be incarcerated until at least
January 2025.

"It is therefore, ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND
DECREED as follows.

"The visitation set forth by [t]his Court in its March 7,
2024 Order is hereby SUSPENDED, SET ASIDE AND HELD
FOR NAUGHT.

"The Mother shall visit with the minor children as the
[individualized-service-plan] team deems appropriate.

"This Court will reserve the issues of contempt, perjured
testimony and fraud."

(Capitalization in original.)

On April 26, 2024, the mother filed a response to DHR's motion to

hold her in contempt, and she requested relief from the April 24, 2024,

orders. The mother stated that the affidavit attached to DHR's motion

averred that the children and J.B. had had contact only prior to the entry

of the dependency judgment. The mother also pointed out that the

juvenile court had suspended her visitation without a hearing. She

requested that the juvenile court vacate the April 24, 2024, orders, until

an evidentiary hearing could be held on DHR's motion.

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CL-2024-0325; CL-2024-0326; and CL-2024-0327

On May 3, 2024, the juvenile court entered orders setting the cases

for a permanency hearing to be held on May 14, 2024; however, those

orders were set aside as having been entered in error. On May 8, 2024,

the mother filed her petitions for a writ of mandamus with this court.

The petitions were consolidated ex mero motu. DHR filed an answer to

the petitions on May 24, 2024.

Standard of Review

" ' "A writ of mandamus is an extraordinary
remedy ... that should be granted only if the trial
court clearly abused its discretion by acting in an
arbitrary or capricious manner." Ex parte
Edwards, 727 So. 2d 792, 794 (Ala. 1998). The
petitioner must demonstrate:

" ' " '(1) a clear legal right in the
petitioner to the order sought; (2) an
imperative duty upon the respondent
to perform, accompanied by a refusal to
do so; (3) the lack of another adequate
remedy; and (4) properly invoked
jurisdiction of the court.' "

" 'Ex parte Edwards, 727 So. 2d at 794 (quoting Ex parte
Adams, 514 So. 2d 845, 850 (Ala. 1987)).' "

Ex parte C.T., 154 So. 3d 149, 151 (Ala. Civ. App. 2014) (quoting Ex parte

D.J.B., 859 So. 2d 445, 448 (Ala. Civ. App. 2003)).

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Discussion

In her petition, the mother first argues that the juvenile court

"erred in suspending the Mother's visitation with the … children without

first holding an evidentiary hearing on the same, thereby giving the

Mother notice and opportunity to be heard." In support of her argument,

she cites, among other authority, this court's decision in Ex parte M.F.B.,

228 So. 3d 460 (Ala. Civ. App. 2017). The mother points out that, in

M.F.B., this court recognized that "a party having visitation rights as to

a particular child or particular children has an accompanying procedural

due-process right to notice of a proceeding to deprive that party of

visitation rights and either a right to a predeprivation hearing or to a

postdeprivation hearing ' "as expeditiously as possible." ' " 228 So. 3d at

462 (quoting Ex parte C.T., 154 So. 3d at 153, quoting in turn Ex parte

Couey, 110 So. 3d 378, 381 (Ala. Civ. App. 2012)).

In C.T., this court explained that, in a situation in which "the

allegations contained in [a] petition demonstrate a likelihood that the

health and welfare of the child is in danger," a juvenile court may enter

an ex parte custody order. 154 So. 3d at 153; see also Thorne v. Thorne,

344 So. 2d 165, 170-71 (Ala. Civ. App. 1977) ("In the few situations where

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it appears the actual health and physical well-being of the child are in

danger, the court has authority under Ex parte White, [245 Ala. 212, 16

So. 2d 500 (1944)], to make a temporary grant of custody until a final

determination can be made."). This court noted, though, that "the right

to transfer custody in a 'summary proceeding' is limited by the

requirement that ' "an adequate remedy [be] available by which the

parent may afterward have his [or her] rights presented to a proper

tribunal." ' " C.T., 154 So. 3d at 153 (quoting Ex parte White, 245 Ala.

212, 215, 16 So. 2d 500, 503 (1944), quoting in turn 39 Am. Jur. 604, §

17).

In this case, DHR's motion to suspend the mother's visitation

alleged that the mother had allowed contact with J.B. in violation of the

juvenile court's dependency orders. The dependency orders specifically

found that J.B. had had inappropriate contact with one of the children.

Because the allegations of DHR's motion involved potential harm to the

children, the juvenile court had the authority to suspend the mother's

visitation until such time as a hearing could be held. We note, however,

that the juvenile court did not designate its April 24, 2024, orders as

temporary orders, nor did the juvenile court provide for a postdeprivation

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CL-2024-0325; CL-2024-0326; and CL-2024-0327

hearing to be held expeditiously. Therefore, we conclude that the juvenile

court's April 24, 2024, orders deprived the mother of her due-process

rights, and, thus, the mother has shown a clear legal right to

extraordinary relief. Accordingly, we grant the mother's petition for a

writ of mandamus and direct the juvenile court to set aside its April 24,

2024, orders and to enter new orders in compliance with this opinion.

Although the mother makes other arguments in her petition, based

on our disposition of the mother's first argument, we pretermit discussion

of the remaining arguments.

CL-2024-0325 -- PETITION GRANTED; WRIT ISSUED.

CL-2024-0326 -- PETITION GRANTED; WRIT ISSUED.

CL-2024-0327 -- PETITION GRANTED; WRIT ISSUED.

Hanson and Fridy, JJ., concur.

Edwards, J., concurs specially, with opinion, which Moore, P.J.,

joins.

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CL-2024-0325; CL-2024-0326; and CL-2024-0327

EDWARDS, Judge, concurring specially.

I agree that the petitions for the writ of mandamus filed by A.B.

("the mother") are due to be granted. As we explained in Ex parte M.F.B.,

228 So. 3d 460 (Ala. Civ. App. 2017), a juvenile court must hold an

evidentiary hearing either before or " ' "as expeditiously as possible" ' "

after the entry of an order affecting the visitation rights of a parent of a

dependent child. 228 So. 3d at 462 (quoting Ex parte C.T., 154 So. 3d

149, 153 (Ala. Civ. App. 2014), quoting in turn Ex parte Couey, 110 So.

3d 378, 381 (Ala. Civ. App. 2012)). Moreover, in my opinion, the April 24,

2024, orders entered by the Lawrence Juvenile Court ("the juvenile

court") suspending the mother's visitation are ex parte orders of

protection or restraint, and, thus, the juvenile court was required to have

held an evidentiary hearing on the motions to suspend the mother's

visitation filed by the Lawrence County Department of Human Resources

within 72 hours of the entry of the April 24, 2024, orders. See Ala. Code

1975, §§ 12-15-140 and 12-15-141.

The Alabama Juvenile Justice Act governs the conduct of juvenile

proceedings by the juvenile courts of this state. See Ala. Code 1975, § 12-

15-101 et seq. Juvenile courts are expressly given the authority to enter

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orders of protection or restraint in Ala. Code 1975, § 12-15-138, which

provides that "[t]he juvenile court, at any time after a dependency

petition has been filed, or on an emergency basis, may enter an order of

protection or restraint to protect the health or safety of a child subject to

the proceeding." According to § 12-15-140(b)(3), a "protection or restraint

order," among other things, may require any person or persons to

"[p]ermit a parent, legal guardian, or legal custodian to visit the child

subject to a juvenile court proceeding at stated periods pursuant to stated

conditions or deny visitation." (Emphasis added.) A juvenile court is

permitted to

"enter an ex parte order of protection or restraint on an
emergency basis, without prior notice and a hearing, upon a
showing of verified written or verbal evidence of abuse or
neglect injurious to the health or safety of a child subject to a
juvenile court proceeding and the likelihood that the abuse or
neglect will continue unless the order is issued. If an
emergency order is issued, a hearing, after notice, shall be
held within 72 hours of the written evidence or the next
judicial business day thereafter, to either dissolve, continue,
or modify the order."

§ 12-15-141 (emphasis added). Because I conclude that §§ 12-15-140 and

12-15-141 are applicable to the juvenile court's April 25, 2024, orders, I

would rely on those statutes as an additional basis for granting the

mother's petitions, and I would instruct the juvenile court to either hold

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a hearing within 72 hours of the issuance of this court's opinion or to

vacate the April 24, 2024, orders suspending the mother's visitation.

Moore, P.J., concurs.

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