In the Interest of L.R.L., a Child v. the State of Texas ( 2023 )

Fourth Court of Appeals
San Antonio, Texas
MEMORANDUM OPINION
No. 04-22-00859-CV
IN THE INTEREST OF L.R.L., a Child
From the 81st Judicial District Court, La Salle County, Texas
Trial Court No. 21-04-00043-CVL
Honorable Melissa Uram-Degerolami, Judge Presiding
Opinion by: Beth Watkins, Justice
Sitting: Patricia O. Alvarez, Justice
Beth Watkins, Justice
Liza A. Rodriguez, Justice
Delivered and Filed: April 19, 2023
AFFIRMED; MOTION TO WITHDRAW DENIED
Appellant M.S. appeals the trial court’s order terminating her parental rights to her child,
L.R.L. Her court-appointed appellate counsel filed a motion to withdraw and a brief containing a
professional evaluation of the record, concluding there are no arguable grounds for reversal of the
termination order. The brief satisfies the requirements of Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738(1967). See In re P.M., 520 S.W.3d 24, 27 n.10 (Tex. 2016) (per curiam) (recognizing that Anders
procedures apply in parental termination cases). Additionally, counsel represents that she provided
M.S. with a copy of the brief and the motion to withdraw, advised M.S. of her right to review the
record and file her own brief, and informed M.S. how to obtain a copy of the record, providing her
with a form motion for access to the appellate record. We issued an order setting a deadline for
M.S. to file a pro se brief. However, M.S. did not request the appellate record or file a pro se brief.
04-22-00859-CV
After reviewing the appellate record and appointed counsel’s brief, we conclude no
plausible grounds exist for reversal of the termination order. Accordingly, we affirm the trial
court’s termination order. We deny counsel’s motion to withdraw because it does not show good
cause for withdrawal. See id. at 27 & n.7 (holding that counsel’s obligations in a parental
termination case extend through exhaustion or waiver of all appeals and that withdrawal should be
permitted by a court of appeals “only for good cause” (citing TEX. R. CIV. P. 10)).
Beth Watkins, Justice
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