IN RE SMITH/GARNER MINORS
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STATE OF MICHIGAN
COURT OF APPEALS
In the Matter of TAYSON VALDEZ WILLIE
SMITH and TREYVON MUKISAAC GARNER,
Minors.
FAMILY INDEPENDENCE AGENCY,
UNPUBLISHED
January 6, 2004
Petitioner-Appellee,
v
No. 248262
Wayne Circuit Court
Family Division
LC No. 02-407798
APRIL JENEA GARNER,
Respondent-Appellant,
and
LORNE WAYNE SMITH and CHRISTOPHER
WILDER,
Respondents.
Before: Donofrio, P.J., and Griffin and Jansen, JJ.
MEMORANDUM.
Respondent-appellant appeals as of right from the trial court order terminating her
parental rights to the minor children under MCL 712A.19b(3)(c)(i) and (g). We affirm.
Respondent-appellant argues that if the caseworker had tailored her efforts to respondentappellant’s unique situation as a minor in care herself, the trial court could have concluded that
there was a reasonable likelihood that the conditions that led to adjudication would have been
rectified and that respondent-appellant would have been able to provide proper care and custody
within a reasonable time. However, respondent-appellant fails to describe or explain how the
caseworker should have tailored her efforts to respondent-appellant’s needs or what additional
services should have been offered to her. It is insufficient for an appellant to merely announce
her position and leave it up to this Court to discover and rationalize the basis for her claims and
then search for authority to sustain or reject her position. Wilson v Taylor, 457 Mich 232, 243;
577 NW2d 100 (1998). Moreover, the record establishes that petitioner was prepared to place
respondent-appellant in a mother-baby program immediately after the petition was authorized,
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but respondent-appellant would not stay in her foster care placement. Respondent-appellant’s
own actions thwarted petitioner’s attempts to assist respondent-appellant.
The trial court did not clearly err in finding that the statutory grounds for termination
were established by clear and convincing evidence. MCR 5.974(I), now MCR 3.977(J); In re
Miller, 433 Mich 331, 337; 445 NW2d 161 (1989). Further, the evidence did not show that
termination of respondent-appellant’s parental rights was clearly not in the children’s best
interests. MCL 712A.19b(5); In re Trejo Minors, 462 Mich 341, 356-357; 612 NW2d 407
(2000). Thus, the trial court did not err in terminating respondent-appellant’s parental rights to
the children.
Affirmed.
/s/ Pat M. Donofrio
/s/ Richard Allen Griffin
/s/ Kathleen Jansen
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