In re M.H.

Citations

• 2023 Ohio 3776

Syllabus

CHILDREN – LEGAL CUSTODY – SUITABILITY – BEST INTEREST– R.C. 3109.04(F) – GUARDIAN AD LITEM : The juvenile court's determination that appellant mother abandoned her two children was supported by competent and credible evidence, and therefore reasonable, where testimony, including mother's own, demonstrated that mother did not visit or communicate with her daughters for months. The juvenile court's determination that awarding custody of mother's two children to their grandmother was not an abuse of discretion because the best-interest factors under R.C. 3109.04(F) were considered as part of the court's analysis, and several factors including the children's wishes, their relationships with their grandmother, and their adjustment to life with grandmother, were supported by competent and credible evidence. There was no evidence in the record to substantiate mother's claim that the guardian ad litem's report and testimony were motivated by bias where the guardian ad litem's testimony described her investigation, and she was cross-examined on the contents of her report.