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IN RE: TONY H., and Another, Dependent Children Under the Age of Eighteen Years, etc., Gwendolyn H., Respondent-Appellant, New Alternatives for Children, Inc., Petitioner-Respondent.
Orders of disposition, Family Court, New York County (Sara P. Schechter, J.), entered on or about October 2, 2007 and October 17, 2007, terminating respondent's parental rights upon a finding that she violated the terms and conditions of a suspended judgment, unanimously affirmed, without costs.
A preponderance of the evidence supports the court's finding, based in part upon its unassailable credibility determinations (see Matter of Kairi Jazlyn F., 50 A.D.3d 602, 857 N.Y.S.2d 520 [2008] ), that there were several instances of respondent's violation of the suspended judgment. In any event, contrary to respondent's argument, her failure to submit to the required random drug testing was a material violation of a core term of the suspended judgment that, by itself, would have warranted its revocation (see Matter of Male M., 46 A.D.3d 471, 472, 848 N.Y.S.2d 143 [2007]; see also Matter of Christian Lee R., 38 A.D.3d 235, 831 N.Y.S.2d 153 [2007], lv. denied 8 N.Y.3d 813, 836 N.Y.S.2d 552, 868 N.E.2d 235 [2007] ). Termination of respondent's parental rights is in the best interests of the children where, over the course of the suspended judgment, respondent repeatedly exhibited poor parental judgment and utterly failed to make progress in several of the problem areas that led to the suspended judgment (see Matter of Darren V., 61 A.D.3d 986, 878 N.Y.S.2d 171 [2009], lv. denied 12 N.Y.3d 715, 884 N.Y.S.2d 690, 912 N.E.2d 1071 [2009] ), including interacting appropriately with the children's medical and educational providers and appropriately supervising the children during visits.
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Decided: December 03, 2009
Court: Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department, New York.
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