Filed Jan 23, 2019
View Opinion No. 18-1249
View Summary for Case No. 18-1249
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Black Hawk County, Daniel L. Block, District Associate Judge. AFFIRMED ON BOTH APPEALS. Considered by Tabor, P.J., and Mullins and Bower, JJ. Opinion by Mullins, J. (9 pages)
A mother and a father separately appeal from the termination of their parental rights. OPINION HOLDS: Because grounds for termination exist and termination of the parents’ parental rights is in the children’s best interests, we affirm on both appeals.
Filed Jan 23, 2019
View Opinion No. 18-1317
View Summary for Case No. 18-1317
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Polk County, Joseph W. Seidlin, District Associate Judge. AFFIRMED ON BOTH APPEALS. Considered by Tabor, P.J., and Mullins and Bower, JJ. Opinion by Bower, J. (4 pages)
A mother and father separately appeal the termination of their parental rights to three children. The mother and father challenge the existence of grounds for termination. The father also asserts the juvenile court erred in determining termination is in the children’s best interests. OPINION HOLDS: Because the children are under three years of age, have been adjudicated children in need of assistance, have been out of the parents’ custody for at least six consecutive months, and cannot be returned to the parents at present, termination of parental rights is appropriate pursuant to Iowa Code section 232.116(1)(h) (2018). Permanency for these children is in their best interests. No factor listed in section 232.116(3) mitigates against termination.
Filed Jan 23, 2019
View Opinion No. 18-1333
View Summary for Case No. 18-1333
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Black Hawk County, Daniel L. Block, District Associate Judge. REVERSED AND REMANDED. Considered by Tabor, P.J., and Mullins and Bower, JJ. Opinion by Bower, J. (5 pages)
A mother appeals the district court’s decision denying her petition seeking to terminate the father’s parental rights. OPINION HOLDS: We find the father abandoned the child and termination is in the child’s best interest. We reverse the juvenile court’s decision.
Filed Jan 23, 2019
View Opinion No. 18-1443
View Summary for Case No. 18-1443
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Worth County, Adam D. Sauer, District Associate Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Vogel, C.J., and Vaitheswaran and McDonald, JJ. Opinion by Vogel, C.J. (3 pages)
A mother appeals the termination of her parental rights to her child, E.P. She requests an additional six months to work towards reunification, and she asserts termination is not in the child’s best interests and the bond they share should preclude termination. OPINION HOLDS: We find nothing in this record to support an extension of time that would delay termination. We also agree with the district court termination is in E.P.’s best interests. We therefore affirm the district court’s termination of the mother’s parental rights without further opinion.
Filed Jan 23, 2019
View Opinion No. 18-1693
View Summary for Case No. 18-1693
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Polk County, Romonda D. Belcher, District Associate Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Tabor, P.J., and Mullins and Bower, JJ. Opinion by Tabor, P.J. (5 pages)
A mother appeals the termination of her parental rights to her three children under Iowa Code subsections 232.116(1)(e), (f), (h), and (l) (2018), arguing termination would be detrimental to the children due to the closeness of the parent-child relationship and asking for six additional months to reunify. OPINION HOLDS: Because we do not find clear and convincing evidence termination would be detrimental to the children, nor that delaying permanency for six additional months would serve the children’s best interests, we affirm.
Filed Jan 23, 2019
View Opinion No. 18-1701
View Summary for Case No. 18-1701
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Pottawattamie County, Charles D. Fagan, District Associate Judge. AFFIRMED ON BOTH APPEALS. Considered by Tabor, P.J., and Mullins and Bower, JJ. Opinion by Mullins, J. (3 pages)
A mother and father separately appeal the termination of their parental rights. OPINION HOLDS: The parents have waived and failed to preserve their reasonable-efforts challenges. The State met its burden for termination under Iowa Code section 232.116(1)(h) (2018). Termination is in the child’s best interests. We affirm.
Filed Jan 23, 2019
View Opinion No. 18-1731
View Summary for Case No. 18-1731
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Webster County, Angela L. Doyle, District Associate Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Tabor, P.J., and Mullins and Bower, JJ. Opinion by Bower, J. (6 pages)
A father appeals the juvenile court order terminating his parental rights. OPINION HOLDS: We find there is clear and convincing evidence in the record to support termination of his rights, it would be contrary to the children’s interests to give him additional time to work on reunification, and termination is in the children’s best interests. We affirm the juvenile court’s decision.
Filed Jan 23, 2019
View Opinion No. 18-1768
View Summary for Case No. 18-1768
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Linn County, Barbara H. Liesveld, District Associate Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Tabor, P.J., and Mullins and Bower, JJ. Opinion by Bower, J. (6 pages)
A father appeals the juvenile court’s modification of the permanency goal in the child-in-need-of-assistance case placing the child in the mother’s custody. The father claims the juvenile court abused its discretion in denying his motion to continue the second day of the permanency hearing. OPINION HOLDS: We find the juvenile court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to grant the father’s motion.
Filed Jan 23, 2019
View Opinion No. 18-1828
View Summary for Case No. 18-1828
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Winnebago County, Karen Kaufman Salic, District Associate Judge. AFFIRMED IN PART AND REVERSED IN PART ON BOTH APPEALS. Considered by Vogel, C.J., and Vaitheswaran and McDonald, JJ. Opinion by Vaitheswaran, J. (8 pages)
A mother and father separately appeal a permanency order involving their two children. They contend the district court (1) should not have denied their request to cancel a no-contact order preventing interaction with their children; (2) should have lifted a sequestration order which prohibited disclosure of the children’s locations; and (3) should have concluded that the department of human services failed to make reasonable efforts toward reunification. OPINION HOLDS: We affirm all aspects of the permanency order except the portion denying the parents’ motion to lift the sequestration order. We reverse that portion of the order.
Filed Jan 23, 2019
View Opinion No. 18-1840
View Summary for Case No. 18-1840
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Polk County, Colin J. Witt, District Associate Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Vogel, C.J., and Vaitheswaran and McDonald, JJ. Opinion by McDonald, J. (3 pages)
A mother challenges the permanency review order in a child-in-need-of-assistance proceeding. OPINION HOLDS: The juvenile court had the authority to transfer custody of the child to his father, the juvenile court was not required to find a material and substantial change in circumstances before transferring custody, and the custody transfer is in the best interest of the child.
Filed Jan 23, 2019
View Opinion No. 18-1842
View Summary for Case No. 18-1842
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Polk County, Colin J. Witt, District Associate Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Vogel, C.J., and Vaitheswaran and McDonald, JJ. Opinion by Vogel, C.J. (2 pages)
A father appeals the permanency order granting the mother an additional three months to work toward reunification with their children. OPINION HOLDS: On our de novo review, we find the district court did not err in granting a three-month extension. We therefore affirm the permanency order without further opinion.
Filed Jan 23, 2019
View Opinion No. 18-1881
View Summary for Case No. 18-1881
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Story County, Stephen A. Owen, District Associate Judge. AFFIRMED ON BOTH APPEALS. Considered by Vaitheswaran, P.J., and Potterfield and Doyle, JJ. Opinion by Doyle, J. (10 pages)
A mother and father separately appeal the termination of parental rights. OPINION HOLDS: Because we find clear and convincing evidence that grounds for termination of the parents’ parental rights were established under section 232.116(1) paragraphs (f) and (h) (2018), termination of the parents’ parental rights is in the children’s best interests, and exceptions to termination do not apply here, we affirm the juvenile court’s order terminating the parents’ parental rights.