Matter of Seandell L.
2008 NY Slip Op 10420 [57 AD3d 1511]
December 31, 2008
Appellate Division, Fourth Department
As corrected through Wednesday, February 11, 2009


In the Matter of Seandell L. and Another, Infants. Monroe CountyDepartment of Human and Health Services, Respondent; Shantele L.,Appellant.

[*1]Paloma A. Capanna, Penfield, for respondent-appellant.

Daniel M. Delaus, Jr., County Attorney, Rochester (Paul N. Humphrey of counsel), forpetitioner-respondent.

Rekha Jain, Law Guardian, Pittsford, for Seandell L. and Shaquell L.G.

Appeal from an order of the Family Court, Monroe County (John J. Rivoli, J.), entered June 27,2007 in a proceeding pursuant to Social Services Law § 384-b. The order, among other things,terminated respondent's parental rights.

It is hereby ordered that the order so appealed from is unanimously affirmed without costs.

Memorandum: Respondent mother appeals from an order that, inter alia, revoked a suspendedjudgment entered upon a finding of permanent neglect and terminated her parental rights with respect toher children. Contrary to the contention of the mother, Family Court's determination following a hearingthat she violated the conditions of the suspended judgment is supported by a preponderance of theevidence (see Matter of Aaron S., 15AD3d 585 [2005]; Matter of Veronica W., 289 AD2d 1055, 1056 [2001], lvdenied 97 NY2d 613 [2002]). The mother's further contentions that petitioner failed to establishthat it exercised diligent efforts to encourage and strengthen the parental relationship and that theevidence did not support a finding of permanent neglect are "not properly before us because [thoseissues were] conclusively determined in the prior proceeding to terminate [the mother's] parental rights"(Matter of Ronald O., 43 AD3d1351, 1351 [2007]). We reject the mother's contention that the court failed to conduct adispositional hearing inasmuch as "[a] hearing on a petition alleging the violation of a suspendedjudgment is part of the dispositional phase of a permanent neglect proceeding" (Matter of SaboorC., 303 AD2d 1022, 1023 [2003]; seeMatter of Carlos D., 24 AD3d 1263 [2005], lv denied 6 NY3d 710 [2006]). Theevidence supports the court's determination that termination of the mother's parental rights is in the bestinterests of the children (see Ronald O., 43 AD3d 1351 [2007]; Aaron S., 15 AD3d585 [2005]). We have considered the mother's remaining contention and conclude that it is withoutmerit. Present—Martoche, J.P., Smith, Centra, Green and Pine, JJ.


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