Ex parte L.S. PETITION FOR WRIT OF MANDAMUS (In re: L.S. v. Madison County Department of Human Resources)

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REL: 08/16/2013 Notice: This o p i n i o n i s s u b j e c t t o f o r m a l r e v i s i o n b e f o r e p u b l i c a t i o n i n t h e advance s h e e t s o f Southern R e p o r t e r . R e a d e r s a r e r e q u e s t e d t o n o t i f y t h e R e p o r t e r o f D e c i s i o n s , Alabama A p p e l l a t e C o u r t s , 300 D e x t e r A v e n u e , M o n t g o m e r y , A l a b a m a 3 6 1 0 4 - 3 7 4 1 ((334) 2 2 9 - 0 6 4 9 ) , o f a n y t y p o g r a p h i c a l o r o t h e r e r r o r s , i n o r d e r t h a t c o r r e c t i o n s may b e made b e f o r e t h e o p i n i o n i s p r i n t e d i n Southern R e p o r t e r . ALABAMA COURT OF CIVIL APPEALS SPECIAL TERM, 2013 2120751 Ex p a r t e L.S. PETITION FOR WRIT OF MANDAMUS (In r e : L.S. v. Madison County Department o f Human Resources) (Madison J u v e n i l e Court, JU-08-1787.01 and JU-08-1788.01) THOMPSON, P r e s i d i n g J u d g e . L.S. mandamus ("the m o t h e r " ) p e t i t i o n s directing t h e Madison this court Juvenile f o ra writ of Court ("the t r i a l 2120751 c o u r t " ) t o v a c a t e i t s o r d e r o f J a n u a r y 2 9 , 2 0 1 3 , as v o i d f o r lack of j u r i s d i c t i o n court and t o r e i n s t a t e a judgment e n t e r e d on December 17, The 2012, case-action the trial entered juvenile-court referee's trial 2012. summary i n d i c a t e s t h a t court the a on December 17, ratifying the judgment r e c o m m e n d a t i o n o f December 11, 2012, t h a t c u s t o d y o f t h e m o t h e r ' s two c h i l d r e n ("the c h i l d r e n " ) awarded t o C.B., grandmother"), grandmother subject lives recommended Resources the c h i l d r e n ' s to in that the ("DHR") be paternal visitation Kentucky. Madison the The County r e l i e v e d of by grandmother Department J a n u a r y 3, e n t e r e d , DHR filed the DHR motion, 2013, of days Human temporary custody of a "Motion t o Review Custody S t a t u s . " In the parties the action. was that after the judgment stated 17 The further c h i l d r e n and t h a t t h e c a s e be c l o s e d t o f u r t h e r c o u r t On ("the mother. referee be had entered an a g r e e m e n t p u r s u a n t t o w h i c h c u s t o d y o f t h e c h i l d r e n was t o be awarded t o the grandmother. Cabinet for Families and A c c o r d i n g t o DHR, Children the Kentucky ("KCFC") h a d approved a s t u d y on t h e g r a n d m o t h e r p u r s u a n t t o t h e I n t e r s t a t e Compact on the Placement of C h i l d r e n ("ICPC"), b u t , a t t h e t i m e o f t h e 2 2120751 c h i l d r e n ' s permanency h e a r i n g not y e t made a on December 1 1 , 2012, KCFC h a d recommendation custody of the children. DHR custody of the c h i l d r e n before regarding stated the t r a n s f e r of that "[t]ransfer of recommendation by [ K C F C ] i s o u t s i d e o f [ D H R ] p o l i c y a n d may j e o p a r d i z e t h e c h i l d r e n ' s I C P C placement." to DHR's custody DHR a s k e d t h e t r i a l custody until KCFC court t o return the c h i l d r e n recommended t o t h e grandmother. On J a n u a r y 28, 2 0 1 3 , t h e t r i a l the motion t o review hearing, visitation smoothly." children. held a hearing to the court's with the children the c h i l d r e n t o continue b u t r e i n v e s t i n g DHR The o r d e r with also terminated w i t h t h e c h i l d r e n and o r d e r e d During on that attention that the "was not court On J a n u a r y 29, 2 0 1 3 , t h e t r i a l allowing grandmother court the status of the c h i l d r e n . i t was b r o u g h t mother's order the transfer of going entered an r e s i d i n g with the legal custody t h e mother's of the visitation t h e mother t o a t t e n d parenting c l a s s e s a t h e r own e x p e n s e . DHR a n d t h e g r a n d m o t h e r were t o work Kentucky with the appropriate officials to arrange s u p e r v i s e d v i s i t a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e m o t h e r a n d t h e c h i l d r e n . An 3 2120751 e v i d e n t i a r y h e a r i n g was s c h e d u l e d f o rFebruary 20, 2013, on the i s s u e o f v i s i t a t i o n . On February 4, 2013, t h e m o t h e r filed a motion to d i s m i s s , a s s e r t i n g t h a t DHR's m o t i o n t o r e v i e w t h e c h i l d r e n ' s custody s t a t u s was u n t i m e l y f i l e d a n d t h a t t h e t r i a l longer had j u r i s d i c t i o n over the matter. She a s k e d t h a t t h e e v i d e n t i a r y h e a r i n g be c a n c e l e d a n d t h a t t h e J a n u a r y order The suspending trial dismiss, court her v i s i t a t i o n d i d not rule on t h e mother's this motion date to scheduled. 25, 2 0 1 3 , t h e m o t h e r r e n e w e d h e r m o t i o n t o d i s m i s s for lack of subject-matter j u r i s d i c t i o n . the 29, 2 0 1 3 , r i g h t s be s e t a s i d e as v o i d . a n d t h e e v i d e n t i a r y h e a r i n g was h e l d as On F e b r u a r y c o u r t no the p e t i t i o n court, the t r i a l fora writ court mother's motion t o d i s m i s s . As o f June 10, 2 0 1 3 , o f mandamus was f i l e d still had not r u l e d with on t h e From t h e m a t e r i a l s p r o v i d e d t o t h i s c o u r t i n s u p p o r t o f and i n o p p o s i t i o n t o t h e p e t i t i o n , i t does n o t appear that the t r i a l judgment a f t e r t h e F e b r u a r y In seeking a writ the trial and that the order court entered an o r d e r or 20, 2 0 1 3 , h e a r i n g . o f mandamus, t h e m o t h e r a s s e r t s c o u r t no l o n g e r h a s j u r i s d i c t i o n of January over this that matter 29, 2013, i s v o i d a n d must be 4 2120751 set a s i d e b e c a u s e t h e t r i a l c o u r t d i d n o t have j u r i s d i c t i o n e n t e r the to order. The q u e s t i o n o f s u b j e c t - m a t t e r j u r i s d i c t i o n i s r e v i e w a b l e by a p e t i t i o n f o r a w r i t o f mandamus. Co., 775 So. 2d 805 extraordinary writ, ( A l a . 2000). t o be Ex p a r t e F l i n t Constr. "Mandamus i s a d r a s t i c i s s u e d o n l y where t h e r e is and (1) a c l e a r l e g a l r i g h t i n the p e t i t i o n e r to the order sought; an i m p e r a t i v e d u t y upon t h e r e s p o n d e n t t o p e r f o r m , accompanied by a refusal remedy; and to do so; (3) the (4) p r o p e r l y i n v o k e d Ex p a r t e Integon Rule 1(B), C o r p . , 672 Ala. postjudgment motions So. R. lack of another jurisdiction 2d 497, Juv. in juvenile P., 499 adequate of the set at 103 provides proceedings So. that must be 809 i s s u e was not a v a l i d postjudgment m o t i o n . ) . 2012. filed 1 until DHR's " M o t i o n January 3, 2012, a l l filed See J.K. (A m o t i o n t o a s i d e f i l e d more t h a n 14 d a y s a f t e r t h e e n t r y o f t h e a f t e r t h e e n t r y o f t h e December 17, 31, 3d 807, court." ( A l a . 1995). w i t h i n 14 d a y s a f t e r e n t r y o f t h e j u d g m e n t o r o r d e r . v. S t a t e Dep't o f Human Res., The o r d e r was order 14th t h e r e f o r e , i t was We take j u d i c i a l n o t i c e of the f a c t C o u n t y c o u r t h o u s e was open on December 31, 1 5 day December t o R e v i e w C u s t o d y S t a t u s " was 2013; (2) not untimely. t h a t the 2012. Madison 2120751 B e c a u s e DHR's p o s t j u d g m e n t m o t i o n was u n t i m e l y , c o u r t h a d no j u r i s d i c t i o n t o r u l e on i t . 99 So. 3d 1 2 3 7 , 1239-40 entered J.B. by a t r i a l B u r g e s s v. B u r g e s s , ( A l a . C i v . App. 2 0 1 2 ) . court without jurisdiction v. A.B., 888 So. 2d 528, 532 the t r i a l An order i s a nullity. ( A l a . C i v . App. 2004) . A c c o r d i n g l y , t h e o r d e r o f J a n u a r y 29, 2 0 1 3 , t h a t , among o t h e r t h i n g s , suspended t h e mother's v i s i t a t i o n w i t h t h e c h i l d r e n i s v o i d and due t o be s e t a s i d e . The right mother has d e m o n s t r a t e d t h a t to the r e l i e f requested she has a c l e a r and t h a t the t r i a l legal c o u r t has f a i l e d t o r u l e on h e r m o t i o n t o d i s m i s s t h i s a c t i o n o r t o s e t aside t h e J a n u a r y 29, 2 0 1 3 , o r d e r grant t h e mother's d i r e c t i n g the t r i a l 2013, petition as v o i d . and i s s u e court t o vacate and t o r e i n s t a t e t h e f i n a l Accordingly, a writ i t s order judgment o f mandamus o f J a n u a r y 29, o f December 17, 2012. PETITION GRANTED; WRIT ISSUED. Pittman, Thomas, Moore, a n d D o n a l d s o n , J J . , c o n c u r . 6 we

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