State ex rel. Juvenile Department v. D. J.

In this termination of parental rights case, father did not appear in response to a petition to terminate his rights, and the trial court entered a default judgment terminating them. Nearly a year later, father filed a motion to set aside the judgment. The trial court denied the motion to set aside on the ground that it had not been filed within a reasonable time. Father now appeals, arguing that the one-year delay was reasonable under the circumstances. We conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying the motion to set aside and therefore affirm.

The relevant facts are…