IN RE JOSEPHINE MARTINA MANDILEGO MINOR
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STATE OF MICHIGAN
COURT OF APPEALS
In the Matter of JOSEPHINE MARTINA
MANDILEGO, Minor.
FAMILY INDEPENDENCE AGENCY,
UNPUBLISHED
June 17, 2004
Petitioner-Appellee,
v
No. 252944
Bay Circuit Court
Family Division
LC No. 02-007761-NA
KATHRYN LOUDENSLAGER,
Respondent-Appellant,
and
JOHN DEWAYNE SEYMOUR,
Respondent.
Before: Sawyer, P.J., and Gage and Owens, JJ.
MEMORANDUM.
Respondent-appellant appeals as of right from the trial court order terminating her
parental rights to the minor child under MCL 712A.19b(3)(g). We affirm. This appeal is being
decided without oral argument pursuant to MCR 7.214(E).
The trial court did not clearly err in finding that the statutory ground for termination was
established by clear and convincing evidence. MCR 3.977(J); In re Trejo, 462 Mich 341, 355;
612 NW2d 407 (2000). While respondent-appellant complied with some of the terms of her
parent-agency agreement, she failed or refused to cooperate with FIA to obtain the necessary
psychiatric care and medication. Without medication, respondent-appellant’s thinking was
delusional and paranoid and her behavior bizarre to the point of being dangerous or at least
severely neglectful to her minor child. Respondent-appellant’s testimony and behavior in court
reinforced the conclusion that she was not sufficiently grounded in reality to care for a very
young child. Much other evidence and testimony supported this conclusion.
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Further, the evidence did not show that termination of respondent-appellant’s parental
rights was clearly not in Josephine’s best interests. MCL 712A.19b(5); Trejo, supra at 356.
Although respondent-appellant loved the child, her mental illness and refusal to obtain proper
treatment placed the child at risk of further neglect and serious harm in respondent’s care.
Josephine needs permanence and a stable home, which respondent-appellant cannot provide.
Thus, the trial court did not err in terminating respondent-appellant’s parental rights to the minor
child.
Affirmed.
/s/ David H. Sawyer
/s/ Hilda R. Gage
/s/ Donald S. Owens
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