In re Moore

The Court in In re Moore, 134 Mich App 586; 351 NW2d 615 (1984) reversed the trial court's order terminating the respondent-mother's parental rights for asking the Department of Social Services to take temporary custody of her children when she was threatened with eviction. Id. at 594. The Court wrote in response to the facts of the case: While we have no doubt that respondent is not an ideal parent, we are equally convinced that . . . termination of respondent's parental rights was unwarranted. The simple fact is that this record contains no real evidence of neglect by respondent but, rather, shows only that a poorly educated woman without substantial job skills who has largely made her own way in the world since the age of 13 has had problems obtaining housing for her children. The ultimate moral of this case is that a mother without the current means of supporting her children should do anything but attempt to get aid from the Department of Social Services if she wants to keep her children. Id.