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In the Interest of R.P., Minor Child
R.P., Mother-Appellant
Attorney for Appellant Mother
David R. Fiester
Attorney for Appellee State
Anagha Dixit, Assistant Attorney General
Guardian ad Litem
Kimberly Opatz
Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals Opinion
Opinion Number:
Date Published:
Summary
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Linn County, Carrie K. Bryner, District Associate Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Vaitheswaran, P.J., and Ahlers and Badding, JJ. Opinion by Ahlers, J. (6 pages)
A mother appeals the termination of her parental rights. She claims the juvenile court violated her federal due-process rights by holding the termination hearing in her absence and without appointing counsel. She also challenges the juvenile court’s best-interest determination and claims the parent-child bond should preclude termination. OPINION HOLDS: The mother’s due-process claim is not preserved. Termination is in the child’s best interests. The mother did not preserve her claim that a permissive exception based on a parent-child bond should be applied, and, even if she had preserved it, the mother did not establish that termination would be detrimental to the child due to the claimed bond.