S.S.S. v. C.V.S.

I respectfully dissent. The circuit court’s judgment finding C.V.S. (Father) willfully abandoned and neglected S.S.S. (Child) is against the weight of the evidence and results in a significant departure from pri- or case law establishing grounds for involuntary termination of parental rights pursuant to section 453.040(7).1

- As the principal opinion acknowledges, the “clear, cogent, and convincing standard of proof applies in chapter 453 termination cases and adoptions.” In re Adoption of C.M.B.R, 332 S.W.3d 793, 819 (Mo. banc 2011). This standard “is met when the evidence instantly tilt[s]…