IN RE CAMILLE BRIDGES MINOR

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STATE OF MICHIGAN COURT OF APPEALS In the Matter of CAMILLE BRIDGES, Minor. DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES, f/k/a FAMILY INDEPENDENCE AGENCY, UNPUBLISHED February 15, 2007 Petitioner-Appellee, v No. 270158 Oakland Circuit Court Family Division LC No. 05-713269-NA ELISA LEAPHEART, Respondent-Appellant. Before: Meter, P.J., and O’Connell and Davis, JJ. MEMORANDUM. Respondent mother appeals as of right from the trial court’s order terminating her parental rights to the minor child pursuant to MCL 712A.19b(3)(c)(i), (g), and (j). We affirm. Termination of parental rights is mandatory if the trial court finds that the petitioner established a statutory ground for termination, unless the court finds that termination is clearly not in the child’s best interests. In re Trejo, 462 Mich 341, 344; 612 NW2d 407 (2000). A statutory ground for termination was established by respondent mother’s plea, and the trial court did not clearly err in its best interests determination. Camille was sixteen months old at the time of trial and needed permanency and stability. Respondent mother and her therapist testified that respondent mother was not ready to provide care for Camille and that respondent mother needed more time. Respondent mother was four months pregnant and, therefore, unable to take the medication that controlled her mental health issues. Camille had waited more than half her life for respondent mother to be able to care for her, and respondent mother was still not able to have unsupervised visitation. Under all the circumstances, the trial court did not clearly err in finding that termination of respondent mother’s parental rights was not contrary to Camille’s best interests. Affirmed. /s/ Patrick M. Meter /s/ Peter D. O’Connell /s/ Alton T. Davis -1-

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