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In the Interest of N.M., Minor Child
State of Iowa, Appellant
Attorney for Appellant
Ellen Ramsey-Kacena, Assistant Attorney General
Attorney for Appellees Intervenors
Dustin D. Hite and Randy S. DeGeest
Guardian ad Litem
Denise McKelvie Gonyea
Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals Opinion
Opinion Number:
Date Published:
Summary
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Mahaska County, Rose Anne Mefford, District Associate Judge. REVERSED AND REMANDED. Considered by Bower, C.J., and May and Ahlers, JJ. Opinion by Ahlers, J. (8 pages)
Following termination of parental rights, the State appeals from the juvenile court’s order removing the Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) as the child’s guardian and custodian and appointing the child’s foster parents to serve as guardians and custodians. OPINION HOLDS: We treat the foster parents’ post-termination filings as a request to remove and replace a guardian. The DHS’s decisions with regard to the child were within its discretion as guardian and custodian. Therefore, the juvenile court’s order removing the DHS must be reversed.
