In re Adoption of Shayleigh S.
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The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgments entered by the probate court terminating Father’s parental rights to his two children in anticipation of an adoption, holding that the court did not err in its use of statements made by one of the children during an in camera interview and that there was sufficient evidence to support the court’s finding of parental unfitness as to both children.
The probate court terminated Father’s parental rights pursuant to Me. Rev. Stat. 18-A, 9-204(a)-(b) and Me. Rev. Stat. 22, 4055(1)(A)(2), (B)(2)(a) and (B)(2)(b)(ii). The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed, holding (1) any errors made by the probate court with regard to statements given by S.S. during the in camera interview were harmless; (2) the evidence was sufficient to support the court’s findings; and (3) Father was not deprived of a fair trial or treated unjustly as a result of the trial court’s erroneous sequence of its fact-finding.
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