In the Matter of Gabrielle HH., a Child Alleged to Be Abandoned. Columbia County Department of Social Services…

Summary

The New York Court of Appeals affirmed the Appellate Division's order terminating Adam HH's parental rights on the ground of abandonment. The Court held that the abandonment statute does not require an agency to show diligent efforts to encourage parental contact and that the burden to maintain contact rests on the parent. The father's claim that a protection order barred him from contacting the agency was unsupported by the record.