03/30/2020 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA No. DA 19-0122 IN THE MATTER OF R.R.S. and A.S., Youths in Need of Care. BRIEF OF APPELLEE On Appeal from the Montana Tenth Judicial District Court, Fergus County, The Honorable Jon A. Oldenburg, Presiding APPEARANCES: TIMOTHY C. FOX DANA A. HENKEL Montana Attorney General TERRAZAS HENKEL, P.C. JONATHAN M. KRAUSS 1923 S. Higgins Avenue Assistant Attorney General P.O. Box 9077 215 North Sanders Missoula, MT 59801 P.O. Box 201401 [email protected] Helena, MT 59620-1401 Phone: 406-444-2026 ATTORNEY FOR [email protected] FATHER/APPELLANT KENT M. SIPE FRED SNODGRASS Fergus County Attorney Fred Law Firm & Associates, PLLC 801 W. Broadway St. 214 North 24th Street Lewistown, MT 59457 P.O. Box 2157 Billings, MT 59103 ATTORNEYS FOR PLAINTIFF [email protected] AND APPELLEE GUARDIAN AD LITEM TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ................................................................................ iii STATEMENT OF THE ISSUES........................................................................... 1 STATEMENT OF THE CASE .............................................................................. 1 STATEMENT OF THE FACTS............................................................................ 2 First abuse and neglect petition (R.R.S.) .......................................................2 Interim voluntary protective agreements .......................................................3 Proceedings under the new petitions (R.R.S. and A.S.).....Error! Bookmark not defined. Adjudication and temporary legal custody ....................................................6 Extension of temporary legal custody .........................................................10 Emergency motion to attend Children’s heart surgery.................................12 Petition for termination ...............................................................................14 SUMMARY OF THE ARGUMENT....................................................................24 ARGUMENT........................................................................................................25 I. The district court properly and within its discretion terminated Father’s parental rights ............................................................................................25 A. Standard of review and applicable law..............................................25 B. The mandatory statutory criteria for termination were satisfied, as found and concluded by the district court .....................................30 C. The district court did not “unconstitutionally terminate” Father’s parental rights based on “reasonable efforts,” as Father claims for the first time on appeal .....................................................31 II. The district court properly allowed the GAL to cross-examine witnesses ...35 i A. Standard of review............................................................................35 B. The fundamental rights of children must be asserted by someone............................................................................................36 C. Allowing the GAL to cross-examine witnesses was appropriate .......38 CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................42 CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE.....................................................................42 ii TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Cases Bean v. Mont. Bd. of Labor Appeals, 1998 MT 222, 290 Mont. 496, 965 P.2d 256 .................................................. 41 Bonamarte v. Bonamarte, 263 Mont. 170, 866 P.2d 1132 (1994) ............................................................ 41 In re A.N.W., 2006 MT 42, 331 Mont. 208, 130 P.3d 619 ........................................ 33, 34, 39 In re A.S., 2006 MT 281, 334 Mont. 280, 146 P.3d 778 .................................................. 34 In re A.T., 2006 MT 35, 331 Mont. 155, 130 P.3d 1249 ............................................ 29, 34 In re A.W., 1999 MT 42, 293 Mont. 358, 975 P.2d 1250 .................................................. 37 In re B.B., 2001 MT 285, 307 Mont. 379, 37 P.3d 715 .............................................. 35, 40 In re C.M., 2019 MT 227, 397 Mont. 275, 449 P.3d 806 ................................ 26, 27, 32, 33 In re C.M.G., 2020 MT 15, 398 Mont. 369, ___ P.3d ___ ........................................ 25, 27, 32 In re D.B., 2007 MT 246, 339 Mont. 240, 168 P.3d 691 ................................ 26, 27, 28, 32 In re E.K., 2001 MT 279, 301 Mont. 328, 37 P.3d 690 .................................................... 29 In re G.S., 2002 MT 245, 312 Mont. 108, 59 P.3d 1063 ............................................ 33, 38 In re J.B., 2015 MT 342, 381 Mont. 525, 362 P.3d 859 .................................................. 36 In re J.D., 2019 MT 63, 395 Mont. 141, 437 P.3d 131. ................................. 25, 38, 39, 40 iii In re K.H., 2012 MT 175, 366 Mont. 18, 285 P.3d 474 .............................................. 36, 37 In re M.V.R., 2016 MT 309, 385 Mont. 448, 384 P.3d 1058 .................................... 27, 28, 32 In re R.J.F., 2019 MT 113, 395 Mont. 454, 443 P.3d 387 ...................................... 26, 27, 32 In re R.L., 2019 MT 267, 397 Mont. 507, 452 P.3d 890 ...................................... 27, 32, 33 In re S.L.M., 287 Mont. 23, 951 P.2d 1365 (1997) .............................................................. 36 In re T.C., 2008 MT 335, 346 Mont. 200, 194 P.3d 653 .................................................. 32 In re T.E., 2002 MT 195, 311 Mont. 148, 54 P.3d 38 .......................................... 33, 34, 38 Maryland v. Craig, 497 U.S. 836 (1990) ....................................................................................... 41 State v. Clark, 1998 MT 221, 290 Mont. 479, 964 P.2d 766 .................................................. 41 State v. Longfellow, 2008 MT 343, 346 Mont. 286, 194 P.3d 694 .................................................. 33 Montana Code Annotated § 41-3-101(1)(d) ............................................................................................ 36 § 41-3-101(4) ................................................................................................. 29 § 41-3-102(5) ................................................................................................. 29 § 41-3-112(1) ................................................................................................. 36 § 41-3-112(2) ................................................................................................. 36 § 41-3-112(3)(a) ............................................................................................. 40 § 41-3-422(11) ............................................................................................... 37 § 41-3-423 ............................................................................................... 27, 28 § 41-3-423(1) ........................................................................................... 26, 29 § 41-3-425(2)(b) ............................................................................................ 37 § 41-3-425(3) ................................................................................................. 37 § 41-3-445(8)(e)(v) ........................................................................................ 22 iv § 41-3-445(8)(e)(v)(B) ............................................................................. 23, 31 § 41-3-602 ..................................................................................................... 29 § 41-3-604(1) ................................................................................................. 30 § 41-3-609(1)(f) ..................................................................... 26, 27, 28, 30, 31 § 41-3-609(1)(f)(ii) .........................................................................................28 § 41-3-609(2) ..................................................................................... 28, 30, 31 § 41-3-609(3) ................................................................................................. 29 Montana Constitution Art. II, §15 ..................................................................................................... 36 Montana Rules of Evidence Rule 611(e) .................................................................................................... 41 United States Code Annotated 42 U.S.C. § 5106a(b)(2)(B)(xiii) (2020) ........................................................ 36 v STATEMENT OF THE ISSUES 1. Did the district court properly terminate Appellant Father’s parental rights? 2. Did the district court abuse its discretion by allowing, without objection, the GAL to cross-examine witnesses at termination? STATEMENT OF THE CASE Appellant Father, R.S., appeals from termination of parental rights to the Children, R.R.S. and A.S. (R.R.S. Docs. 191-95, 199-200; A.S. Docs. 129-33, 137-39; 1/2-3/19 Trs.) The district court also terminated the parental rights of birth mother, N.O., and she has not appealed. (R.R.S. Docs. 191 at 2, 195 at 1-2; A.S. Docs. 129 at 2, 133 at 1-2; 1/2/19 Tr at 46-56.) ICWA does not apply. (See R.R.S. Doc. 195 at 5; A.S. Doc. 133 at 5.) Five months after they were filed, this Court denied appellate counsel’s motion to withdraw and Anders brief, and identified two issues for Father’s appeal. (Motion at 1, and Anders Br. at 1, 22, 7/24/19, DA 19-0122; Order,