In re K.L.M., K.A.M., and K.L.M.

Summary

The Supreme Court of North Carolina affirmed an order terminating the respondent father's parental rights to three children in a private termination proceeding. The court held that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in determining that termination was in the children's best interests after considering their ages, lack of bond with the father, well-being in their current placement, and the father's lack of involvement.

Holdings

1. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in concluding that termination of respondent's parental rights was in the best interests of the children.
2. The trial court's determination was not based solely on the children's being settled in their current home; the court properly weighed that circumstance together with the other statutory and case-specific factors.

Questions Presented

1. Whether the trial court abused its discretion in determining that termination of respondent-father's parental rights was in the children's best interests under N.C.G.S. § 7B-1110(a).
2. Whether the trial court's best-interests determination was impermissibly based primarily or solely on the children's being settled in their current family unit.

Disposition

affirmed