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IN RE: HAILEY W. and Tyler W. Steuben County Department of Social Services, Petitioner-Respondent; Amy N., Respondent, and Robert W., Respondent-Appellant.
Respondent father appeals from an “order of fact-finding and disposition” adjudging, inter alia, that he neglected his children pursuant to Family Court Act article 10. We reject the contention of petitioner and the Law Guardian that the father is precluded from appealing from that part of the order concerning the finding of neglect based on his stipulation to the dispositional portion of the order. The fact that the father is not aggrieved by the dispositional portion of the order does not bar his appeal from that part of the order with respect to the finding of neglect, which followed a fact-finding hearing (see Matter of Fatima Mc., 292 A.D.2d 532, 533, 740 N.Y.S.2d 87; see generally Matter of Beverly R., 38 A.D.3d 668, 669, 831 N.Y.S.2d 717; Matter of Shamasia M., 4 A.D.3d 359, 361, 771 N.Y.S.2d 541; Matter of Kayla M., 295 A.D.2d 613, 614, 744 N.Y.S.2d 696).
Nevertheless, we conclude that Family Court's finding that the father neglected his children is supported by a preponderance of the evidence (see Family Ct. Act § 1046[b][i] ). According to the undisputed evidence presented at the fact-finding hearing, the father abused drugs in the presence of his children and was at one time hospitalized for treatment of an overdose. In addition, he made statements to a child protective services worker admitting that he used illegal drugs on a daily basis (see § 1012[f] [i] [B]; § 1046[a][iii] ). We reject the contention of the father that his prior participation in a drug treatment program is sufficient to bring this matter within the statutory exception for parents who are “voluntarily and regularly participating in a recognized rehabilitative program” (§ 1046[a] [iii] ). There is no evidence that the father's prior participation in the drug treatment program was voluntary (cf. Matter of Iris B., 304 A.D.2d 301, 756 N.Y.S.2d 740; see generally Matter of Amber DD., 26 A.D.3d 689, 690, 809 N.Y.S.2d 657) and, in any event, the father was not participating in a drug treatment program either at the time of the filing of the petition or at the time of the fact-finding hearing. We thus conclude that petitioner established by a preponderance of the evidence that the father neglected his children (see generally Matter of Stefanel Tyesha C., 157 A.D.2d 322, 325-328, 556 N.Y.S.2d 280, appeal dismissed 76 N.Y.2d 1006, 564 N.Y.S.2d 716, 565 N.E.2d 1267).
It is hereby ORDERED that the order so appealed from be and the same hereby is unanimously affirmed without costs.
MEMORANDUM:
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Decided: July 06, 2007
Court: Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Department, New York.
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