In the Matter of S.L.M.W., Mason v. Hall

Citations

• 2025 OK CIV APP 37

Syllabus

¶1 Appellant is the biological father of S.L.M.W. After a hearing, the trial court entered an order granting Petitioner's application to adjudicate the minor child eligible for adoption without Father's consent. The Supreme Court has clarified that the trial court must consider the child's best interests when determining whether a child may be adopted without consent. Matter of Adoption of L.B.L. , 2023 OK 48 , 529 P.3d 175 . Here, the appealed order is silent as to the best interests of the child, and we are unable to conclude a best interest finding is inherent or implicit in the order. Id . at ¶12. Further, the transcript suggests the hearing may have been conducted under an assumption that the child's best interests was an issue solely relevant in a subsequent hearing. The order must be reversed for further proceedings.