New Jersey Division of Youth & Family Services v. M.M.

In this appeal, we must decide whether the trial court properly terminated a father’s parental rights in respect of his son. The son is now four years old and has been in his foster parents’ custody since a few days after his birth. The trial court terminated the parental rights of the mother and the father and awarded guardianship to the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS or Division). Among other findings, the court concluded that the son was at risk because of the mother’s destabilizing influence on the home, a negative influence that must be considered when evaluating the…