G.P. v. Dale County Department of Human Resources (Appeal from Dale Juvenile Court: JU-21-41.03). CL-2023-0677 G.P. v. Dale County Department of Human Resources (Appeal from Dale Juvenile Court: JU-21-42.02).

Rel: June 14, 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
OCTOBER TERM, 2023-2024
_________________________

CL-2023-0676 and CL-2023-0677
_________________________

G.P.

v.

Dale County Department of Human Resources

Appeals from Dale Juvenile Court
(JU-21-41.03 and JU-21-42.02)

EDWARDS, Judge.

In February 2023, the Dale County Department of Human

Resources ("DHR") filed in the Dale Juvenile Court ("the juvenile court")

petitions seeking to terminate the parental rights of K.R. ("the mother")
CL-2023-0676 and CL-2023-0677

and of G.P. ("the father") to A.E. and D.P. ("the children"). 1 After two

continuances, the juvenile court held a trial on the petitions on August

17, 2023. On September 7, 2023, the juvenile court entered a judgment

in each action concluding that the mother and the father were "unable or

unwilling to discharge their responsibilities to and for [each] child" and

terminating their parental rights to each child. In those judgments, the

juvenile court found "that the father had [had] ample time to show his

ability and willingness to care for the child[ren] but that he [had] failed

to do so" and that the father, despite having testified that he was not

aware that the children had been in foster care, had "[known the]

children were in foster care for nearly two years before he reached out to

a caseworker." The juvenile court also found that the father had not

provided material support for the children, that DHR had made

reasonable efforts to rehabilitate the father, that no viable alternatives

to the termination of the father's parental rights existed, and,

specifically, that DHR had "explored all potential relative resources

1The petition relating to D.P. was assigned case number JU-21-
41.03. The petition relating to A.E. was assigned case number JU-21-
42.02.
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CL-2023-0676 and CL-2023-0677

without locating a suitable placement for the child[ren]." The father

timely appealed those judgments. The mother has not appealed.

The termination of parental rights is governed by Ala. Code 1975,

§ 12-15-319. That statute reads, in part:

"(a) If the juvenile court finds from clear and convincing
evidence, competent, material, and relevant in nature, that
the parent[] of a child [is] unable or unwilling to discharge [his
or her] responsibilities to and for the child, or that the conduct
or condition of the parent[] renders [him or her] unable to
properly care for the child and that the conduct or condition
is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future, it may
terminate the parental rights of the parent[]. In a hearing on
a petition for termination of parental rights, the court shall
consider the best interests of the child. In determining
whether or not the parent[] [is] unable or unwilling to
discharge [his or her] responsibilities to and for the child and
to terminate the parental rights, the juvenile court shall
consider the following factors including, but not limited to, the
following:

"….

"(2) Emotional illness, mental illness, or
mental deficiency of the parent, or excessive use of
alcohol or controlled substances, of a duration or
nature as to render the parent unable to care for
the needs of the child.

"….

"(4) Conviction of and imprisonment for a
felony.
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CL-2023-0676 and CL-2023-0677

"….

"(7) That reasonable efforts by the
Department of Human Resources or licensed
public or private child care agencies leading
toward the rehabilitation of the parent[] have
failed.

"….

"(9) Failure by the parent[] to provide for the
material needs of the child or to pay a reasonable
portion of support of the child where the parent is
able to do so.

"….

"(12) Lack of effort by the parent to adjust his
or her circumstances to meet the needs of the child
in accordance with agreements reached, including
agreements reached with local departments of
human resources or licensed child-placing
agencies, in an administrative review or a judicial
review."

The test a juvenile court must apply in a termination-of-parental-

rights action is well settled:

"A juvenile court is required to apply a two-pronged test
in determining whether to terminate parental rights: (1) clear
and convincing evidence must support a finding that the child
is dependent; and (2) the court must properly consider and
reject all viable alternatives to a termination of parental
rights. Ex parte Beasley, 564 So. 2d 950, 954 (Ala. 1990)."

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CL-2023-0676 and CL-2023-0677

B.M. v. State, 895 So. 2d 319, 331 (Ala. Civ. App. 2004). A juvenile court's

judgment terminating parental rights must be supported by clear and

convincing evidence. P.S. v. Jefferson Cnty. Dep't of Hum. Res., 143 So.

3d 792, 795 (Ala. Civ. App. 2013). "Clear and convincing evidence" is

" '[e]vidence that, when weighed against evidence in opposition, will

produce in the mind of the trier of fact a firm conviction as to each

essential element of the claim and a high probability as to the correctness

of the conclusion.' " L.M. v. D.D.F., 840 So. 2d 171, 179 (Ala. Civ. App.

2002) (quoting Ala. Code 1975, § 6-11-20(b)(4)). Although a juvenile

court's factual findings in a judgment terminating parental rights based

on evidence presented ore tenus are presumed correct, K.P. v. Etowah

Cnty. Dep't of Hum. Res., 43 So. 3d 602, 605 (Ala. Civ. App. 2010), "[t]his

court does not reweigh the evidence but, rather, determines whether the

findings of fact made by the juvenile court are supported by evidence that

the juvenile court could have found to be clear and convincing." K.S.B. v.

M.C.B., 219 So. 3d 650, 653 (Ala. Civ. App. 2016). That is, this court

" 'must ... look through ["the prism of the substantive
evidentiary burden," Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477
U.S. 242, 254 (1986),] to determine whether there was
substantial evidence before the trial court to support a factual
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CL-2023-0676 and CL-2023-0677

finding, based upon the trial court's weighing of the evidence,
that would "produce in the mind [of the trial court] a firm
conviction as to each element of the claim and a high
probability as to the correctness of the conclusion." ' "

Id. (quoting Ex parte McInish, 47 So. 3d 767, 778 (Ala. 2008), quoting in

turn Ala. Code 1975, § 25-5-81(c)).

The record reveals the following facts relating to the father. The

father was late to the termination-of-parental-rights trial. The father's

counsel explained that the father had believed that the trial was set to

begin at 1:30 p.m. and that he was en route to the Dale County

courthouse from his home in Vero Beach, Florida. The juvenile court

concluded the testimony being offered by DHR and continued the trial to

after the lunch break, permitting the father to appear at that time to

present his own testimony.

Dominique Thomas, the DHR caseworker assigned to the cases at

some point in early 2023, testified that she had intended to reach out to

the father in the week following her assignment to the cases; however,

she said, the father had contacted her before she had attempted to contact

him. Thomas said that the father had told her that he had seen the

children at the mother's house at some point during the pendency of the
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CL-2023-0676 and CL-2023-0677

dependency proceedings, which had apparently begun in 2021, and that

he had been under the impression that the children were transitioning

back into the home of the mother at that time.

Thomas explained that she had required the father to submit to

both a hair-follicle drug test and a urine drug test in March 2023. She

said that the father's urine drug test was negative for illegal substances

but that he had tested positive for marijuana and cocaine on his hair-

follicle drug test. According to Thomas, the father held a medical-

marijuana card, but, she said, when she viewed the card in March 2023,

she noticed that the expiration date on the card had passed. She said

that he had denied regular use of cocaine but had admitted that he had

tried it after the October 2022 death of his mother, for whom he had been

caring during her terminal illness.

According to Thomas, the father had begun visiting the children

after March 2023 and had visited A.E. once or twice and D.P. four times.

She said that D.P. was 11 or 12 years old and indicated that he suffered

from unspecified behavioral issues. She explained that "you can tell

there's no real bond [between the father and D.P.]. [D.P.] wants a

7
CL-2023-0676 and CL-2023-0677

relationship with [the father] but, because of the inconsistency on [the

father's] part, there's really not much there." She also commented that

D.P. had negative perceptions of the father that had been caused by

information that the mother had provided to him. Thomas further

explained that D.P. "wants to [return to the father's custody] but the

negative perceptions kind of hinder him from just coming out with it."

Regarding A.E., Thomas indicated that she desired to return to the

father's custody. Thomas said that A.E. was nine years old.

Thomas testified that the father had disclosed a criminal history on

the home-evaluation questionnaire that he had completed. Specifically,

she testified that the father had been incarcerated for a 2012 robbery

conviction in Indiana. She also noted that he had disclosed a 2014

conviction for failing to have a driver's license and convictions in 2017

and 2018 for possession of marijuana. Thomas testified that the mother

had reported that her relationship with the father had included acts of

domestic violence on his part, but no detailed evidence relating to the

domestic-violence allegations against the father was presented.

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CL-2023-0676 and CL-2023-0677

When initially questioned about whether DHR had sought to

complete a home study on the father through the Interstate Compact for

the Placement of Children ("ICPC"), Ala. Code 1975, § 44-2-20 et seq.,

Thomas said that DHR had declined to request an ICPC home study from

the Florida Department of Children and Families ("DCF") because, she

said, the father had tested positive on his hair-follicle drug test. That

fact, she said, would have resulted in a denial of the home study by DCF.

However, Thomas later testified that

"[DHR] was not able to start [the ICPC process] because
[DHR] had to wait for DNA testing. And [DHR was] waiting
for [the father's] substances abuse results, and so whenever
[DHR] got everything together, [the trial] was [set] within,
like, two weeks. And so ICPC typically takes a while."

Victoria Shaw, a DHR supervisor, testified that DHR does not "send off

for an ICPC because it's going to be denied at that proceeding state

because of the drug concerns." She further explained that DHR could not

pay for any services for the father, who resided in Florida, and indicated

that DHR could not move forward with any plan for the father because of

his residing in Florida and having no ICPC approval. Instead, she

explained, the father would have to seek out and pay for any

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CL-2023-0676 and CL-2023-0677

recommended services in Florida. She stated, however, that DHR would

complete an ICPC home study on the father if ordered to do so.

The home-evaluation questionnaire that the father had completed

was admitted as an exhibit at the trial. The questionnaire listed the

father's address and revealed that he lived with his girlfriend, K.C., and

a 12-year-old "stepdaughter," J.M., in Vero Beach. According to the

responses on the questionnaire, the father was employed by a tree-service

company and had been so employed for four years. The questionnaire

also contained the names of relatives of the father, including S.W., the

father's sister; D.E., the father's brother; and C.G., an aunt of the father

who lives in Alabama.

According to the father, he had not been aware that the children

had been in the custody of DHR since February 2021. He said that, before

visitation was reestablished in March 2023, he had last spoken to D.P.

nearly two years before the trial and that, at that time, D.P. had been at

the mother's house. However, he later admitted that he knew that DHR

had removed the children from the mother's custody a second time. He

also said that he had asked the mother if he needed to come and get the

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CL-2023-0676 and CL-2023-0677

children and that she had told him that she "would take care of it." The

father said that he had not been able to focus on the children because he

had been taking care of his mother, who had suffered from cancer, for

approximately two years preceding her death in October 2022.

The father testified at the trial that he had been incarcerated for a

robbery he had committed when he was 18 years old. He admitted that

one of his convictions had, in fact, been for possession of cocaine. He

denied, however, that he used cocaine, stating that it had been in the

automobile with him and his "friend" at the time.

The father stated that he would be willing to submit to another

hair-follicle drug test on the date of the trial. He explained that he would

be negative for all substances other than marijuana, for which, he said,

he had an active medical-marijuana card. At the conclusion of the trial,

counsel for DHR indicated that DHR would be willing to submit an ICPC

home-study request if the father passed his hair-follicle drug test. The

father submitted to a hair-follicle drug test; the results again indicated

that he was positive for cocaine metabolite and marijuana.

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CL-2023-0676 and CL-2023-0677

On appeal, the father challenges the sufficiency of the evidence

supporting the juvenile court's conclusion that he is unable and unwilling

to discharge his parental responsibilities to and for the children. He

specifically contends that the record contains no evidence indicating that

his potential use of any illegal substance impacts his ability to parent the

children. See A.M. v. R.S., 373 So. 3d 215, 220-21 (Ala. Civ. App. 2022)

(explaining that "a party seeking to terminate the parental rights of a

parent based on that parent's drug use must establish that the parent's

use of drugs impacts the parent's ability to perform the duties of a

parent"); J.C. v. Madison Cnty. Dep't of Hum. Res., 293 So. 3d 901, 909

(Ala. Civ. App. 2019). The father also challenges the judgments insofar

as the juvenile court concluded that DHR established that no viable

alternative to the termination of his parental rights existed. He points

out that DHR had not initiated the ICPC process, that DHR presented

no evidence about his current circumstances, and that DHR had not

presented evidence regarding the consideration and rejection of

placement of the children with any relative resources identified by the

12
CL-2023-0676 and CL-2023-0677

father as a potential alternative to the termination of the father's

parental rights.

In its appellate brief, DHR presents the following argument in

response to the father's contention that it failed to present clear and

convincing evidence that no viable alternative to the termination of his

parental rights existed:

"The record reflects that DHR personnel undertook an
ICPC investigation in order to determine if placement with
the father was a viable alternative to the termination of his
parental rights. In J.A. v. Etowah Cty. Dep't of Human Res.,
12 So. 3d 1245, 1254 (Ala. Civ. App. 2009), this Court
determined that a juvenile court may base its determination
as to whether a placement is a viable alternative to the
termination of parental rights … on the totality of the
evidence. In the underlying matter, placement with the
father was not a viable alternative to the termination of
parental rights. Thomas had also been unable to conduct a
home evaluation of the father's residence. (R. 21.) She
explained that the ICPC process had been started but would
not be successful. (R. 21.) Thomas also explained the delay
in the ICPC process including waiting for the DNA testing to
confirm paternity and waiting on drug screening. (R. 31.)
Additionally, Shaw explained that the delay in the ICPC
process also related to substance abuse concerns. If an
individual had an issue with substance abuse and tested
positive, especially on a hair follicle screen, the ICPC … forms
are not forwarded for processing because [the ICPC request]
will be denied due to drug use concerns. (R. 48.). … [T]he
father tested positive for cocaine and marijuana, clearly
demonstrating that he had not addressed his drug abuse.
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CL-2023-0676 and CL-2023-0677

Based on the foregoing, the trial court could have reasonably
determined that there was no viable alternative to the
termination of parental rights, given the remote possibility of
the father addressing parenting deficiencies and achieving
the requisite stability to safely care for the children after they
had been in care for more than two years. S.B. v. State Dep't
of Human Res., 743 So. 2d 470, 472 (Ala. Civ. App, 1992).
Therefore, the trial court could have reasonably determined
that no viable alternative to the termination of parental rights
existed."

DHR's brief at 16-17.

Of course, the father does not argue that placement with him was

a viable alternative to the termination of his own parental rights. DHR's

response to the father's argument is illogical and does not answer the

father's argument in any meaningful way. 2 DHR does not even

acknowledge the legal principles applicable to the father's argument.

2We further note that DHR makes contradictory statements in that

argument, stating both that DHR conducted an ICPC investigation and
that it did not, and in other sections of its brief, including that it made
reasonable efforts to rehabilitate the father, which, it says, failed, and
that the father had failed to cooperate with services. Thomas testified
that the father had complied with the request that he undergo a
substance-abuse assessment but that DHR had not offered the father
services recommended in the assessment because he lived in Florida. She
stated that DHR was unable to pay for any services in another state. No
other evidence contradicted that testimony.
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CL-2023-0676 and CL-2023-0677

We have often stated that, in addition to establishing the

dependency of a child and that grounds for the termination of parental

rights exist, "DHR must also present evidence indicating that there are

no viable alternatives to the termination of a parent's parental rights."

A.R.H.B. v. Madison Cnty. Dep't of Hum. Res., 378 So. 3d 543, 549 (Ala.

Civ. App. 2022). We have also reiterated that " 'DHR must present

"evidence of recent attempts to locate viable alternatives in order to

establish that termination of parental rights is the least [drastic]

alternative." ' " C.T. v. Calhoun Cnty. Dep't of Hum. Res., 8 So. 3d 984,

987 (Ala. Civ. App. 2008) (quoting V.M. v. State Dep't of Hum. Res., 710

So. 2d 915, 921 (Ala. Civ. App. 1998), quoting in turn Bowman v. State

Dep't of Hum. Res., 534 So. 2d 304, 306 (Ala. Civ. App. 1988)) (emphasis

omitted). Because DHR was petitioning for the termination of the

father's parental rights in the present cases, DHR bore " ' "the burden of

proving the lack of a viable alternative by clear and convincing

evidence." ' " A.R.H.B., 378 So. 3d at 551 (quoting D.J. v. Etowah Cnty.

Dep't Hum. Res., 351 So. 3d 1067, 1074 (Ala. Civ. App. 2021), quoting in

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CL-2023-0676 and CL-2023-0677

turn K.R.S. v. DeKalb Cnty. Dep't of Hum. Res., 236 So. 3d 910, 912 (Ala.

Civ. App. 2017)).

The record in the present appeals does not contain such evidence.

DHR failed to pursue an ICPC home study on the father's home and did

not present testimony or other evidence indicating that DHR had

contacted the relatives listed on the father's home-evaluation

questionnaire. DHR also failed to present evidence indicating that

Thomas or any other caseworker had asked the father to provide the

names of any relatives that he might desire to be considered for

placement of the children, much less that any DHR caseworker had

contacted any of the father's relatives to see if they may be a possible

resource for the children. Without such evidence, we are constrained to

reverse the judgments of the juvenile court terminating the parental

rights of the father to the children and to remand the cases to the juvenile

court for that court to enter judgments denying DHR's petitions insofar

as they requested termination of the father's parental rights. See

A.R.H.B., 378 So. 3d at 551 (explaining that this court will reverse a

judgment terminating parental rights when the record lacks evidence

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CL-2023-0676 and CL-2023-0677

indicating that efforts to locate and to investigate relatives were made);

see also K.F. v. Millwood, [Ms. CL-2023-0393, Feb. 23, 2024] ___ So. 3d

___, ___ (Ala. Civ. App. 2024). Having concluded that the failure to

present clear and convincing evidence that no viable alternative to the

termination of the father's parental rights existed, we pretermit

discussion of the father's other arguments on appeal. See J.M.S. v.

B.M.H., 379 So. 3d 419, 424 n.2 (Ala. Civ. App. 2023) (indicating that this

court may pretermit consideration of other issues raised on appeal when

our resolution of one issue is dispositive of the appeal); L.M.W. v. D.J.,

116 So. 3d 220, 223 (Ala. Civ. App. 2012) (same).

CL-2023-0676 -- REVERSED AND REMANDED WITH

INSTRUCTIONS.

CL-2023-0677 -- REVERSED AND REMANDED WITH

INSTRUCTIONS.

Hanson, Fridy, and Lewis, JJ., concur.

Moore, P.J., concurs in the result, without opinion.

17