IN RE CURRY MINORS
Annotate this Case
Download PDF
STATE OF MICHIGAN
COURT OF APPEALS
In the Matter of CHANTAE CURRY, DANTAE
CURRY, NICHOLE CURRY, CLIFF CURRY,
DESIREE CURRY and JEREMIAH CURRY, Minors.
__________________________________________
FAMILY INDEPENDENCE AGENCY, f/k/a
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES,
UNPUBLISHED
December 19, 1997
Petitioner-Appellee,
v
No. 202208
Wayne Juvenile Court
LC No. 92-299019
CLEVELAND CURRY,
Respondent-Appellant,
and
IVORY CURRY,
Respondent.
Before: MacKenzie, P.J., and Hood and Hoekstra, JJ.
PER CURIAM.
Respondent-appellant appeals by delayed application granted from the juvenile court order
terminating his parental rights to the minor children under MCL 712A.19b(3)(b)(i), (c)(i), (g), and (j);
MSA 27.3178(598.19b)(3)(b)(i), (c)(i), (g), and (j). We affirm.
Respondent-appellant suggests that this Court wrongly affirmed the decision of the juvenile
court to terminate the rights of his wife, respondent Ivory Curry. Respondent-appellant does not have
standing to bring such a collateral attack. Moreover, respondent-appellant cannot collaterally attack the
juvenile court’s termination of Ivory Curry’s parental rights because this Court has already examined this
issue and affirmed the juvenile court’s decision with regard to Ivory Curry in its January 23, 1997 order.
-1
Respondent-appellant also argues that the juvenile court did not have clear and convincing
evidence on which to terminate his parental rights. We disagree. The court provided four separate
bases on which it acted to terminate respondent-appellant’s parental rights to the children. The primary
reason the children were taken from respondent-appellant and Ivory Curry was because of the physical
injuries that two of the children suffered while in the custody of the Currys. After a review of the
record, we conclude that the juvenile court did not clearly err in finding that the statutory grounds for
termination were established by clear and convincing evidence. MCR 5.974(I); In re Miller, 433 Mich
331, 337; 445 NW2d 161 (1989).
On the basis of the factual record established in this case, the juvenile court did not clearly err in
determining that there was clear and convincing evidence that if returned to the custody of their parents,
there was a reasonable likelihood that the children would be harmed and subject to physical or sexual
abuse, respondent-appellant and Ivory Curry could not provide proper care, and the conditions that led
to the original adjudication would not be rectified within a reasonable time. See In re Hall-Smith, 222
Mich App 470, 472-473; 564 NW2d 156 (1997).
The basis on which the juvenile court acted to terminate respondent-appellant’s parental rights
also provided a sound basis on which to reject his request to allow him the opportunity to retain custody
of only Jeremiah or both Jeremiah and Nichole. The juvenile court found that Desiree was deliberately
injured. Hence, the dangers that the children faced did not stem exclusively from the fact that there
were six young children to raise at once. Respondent-appellant did not provide any evidence that the
decision to terminate his parental rights was not in the children’s best interests. MCL 712A.19b(5);
MSA 27.3178(598.19b)(5).
Affirmed.
/s/ Barbara B. MacKenzie
/s/ Harold Hood
/s/ Joel P. Hoekstra
-2
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.