ADRIAN — The Michigan Supreme Court has ruled that a Lenawee County mother should permanently lose her parental rights after serious abuse allegations involving her daughter.
The case began when a young girl told investigators she had been repeatedly abused by two men her mother knew. The girl said her mother allowed the abuse to happen, and in at least one case, traded access to her daughter for drugs. Child Protective Services removed the children and asked the court to terminate the mother’s rights right away, without trying to reunite the family.
The local judge agreed, but a state appeals court reversed that decision. The Michigan Supreme Court has stepped in, siding with the original ruling.
The justices said the mother’s actions were serious enough to skip the usual reunification process. Even though she wasn’t the one who committed the assault, the court said she knowingly allowed it to happen.
The ruling also noted a technical error; the mother wasn’t told she could appeal the decision to remove her kids, but the court said that didn’t change the outcome of the case.