Dependency Law Finder

Florida's dependency statutes, court rules and DCF operating procedures, with the appellate opinions that apply them

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B.D. v. Department of Children & Families46 So. 3d 650 (Fla. 5th DCA 2010) · 5D10-1536

Court
5th DCA
Decided
2010-10-26
Case
TPR
Appellant
Other

Reversed & remanded Termination by consent for nonappearance reversed because the parent reasonably tried to attend; the court should have continued the hearing or allowed telephone appearance.

Issues
Default & consent by nonappearance, Right to be heard & hearing procedure

Summary, issues, facts, outcome, and appellant were extracted automatically from the opinion. Check the opinion itself before relying on them.

On CourtListener
PER CURIAM.

We reverse the final judgment terminating appellant’s parental rights, rendered after the entry of a consent by default. Constructive consent should be the disfavored result in a termination of parental rights proceeding. A.H. v. Dep’t of Children and Families, 22 So.3d 801 (Fla. 5th DCA 2009). The trial court should have either granted a short continuance or permitted appellant to appear by telephone where the record reflects that appellant was making a reasonable effort to personally appear at the scheduled adjudicatory hearing. D.M. v. Dep’t of Children and Families, 921 So.2d 737 (Fla. 5th DCA 2006); see also B.H. v. Dep’t of Children and Families, 882 So.2d 1099, 1100-01 (Fla. 4th DCA 2004) (“Courts have made a distinction between parents who fail to appear at a hearing without a reasonable explanation versus those who have made some reasonable effort to be present.”)

REVERSED and REMANDED for New Adjudicatory Hearing.

ORFINGER, LAWSON and EVANDER, JJ., concur.

Opinion text: CourtListener, Free Law Project. Not an official reporter; check the court's version before citing.