CHAPTER 4. GROUNDS OF INVOLUNTARY TERMINATION

Art. 1015. Grounds; termination of parental rights

The grounds for termination of parental rights are:

(1) Conviction of murder of the child's other parent.

(2) Unjustified intentional killing of the child's other parent.

(3) Conviction of a sex offense as defined in R.S. 15:541 by the natural parent which resulted in the conception of the child.

(4) Misconduct of the parent toward this child or any other child of the parent or any other child which constitutes extreme abuse, cruel and inhuman treatment, or grossly negligent behavior below a reasonable standard of human decency, including but not limited to the conviction, commission, aiding or abetting, attempting, conspiring, or soliciting to commit any of the following:

(a) Murder.

(b) Unjustified intentional killing.

(c) Aggravated crime against nature as defined by R.S. 14:89.1(A)(2).

(d) Rape.

(e) Sodomy.

(f) Torture.

(g) Starvation.

(h) A felony that has resulted in serious bodily injury.

(i) Abuse or neglect which is chronic, life-threatening, or results in gravely disabling physical or psychological injury or disfigurement.

(j) Abuse or neglect after the child is returned to the parent's care and custody while under department supervision, when the child had previously been removed for his safety from the parent pursuant to a disposition judgment in a child in need of care proceeding.

(k) The parent's parental rights to one or more of the child's siblings have been terminated due to neglect or abuse, prior attempts to rehabilitate the parent have been unsuccessful, and the court has determined pursuant to Article 672.1, that current attempts to reunite the family are not required.

(l) Sexual exploitation or abuse, which shall include, but is not limited to acts which are prohibited by R.S. 14:43.1, 43.2, 46.3, 80, 81, 81.1, 81.2, 82.1(A)(2), 89, and 89.1.

(m) Human trafficking when sentenced pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 14:46.2(B)(2) or (3).

(5) Abandonment of the child by placing him in the physical custody of a nonparent, or the department, or by otherwise leaving him under circumstances demonstrating an intention to permanently avoid parental responsibility by any of the following:

(a) For a period of at least four months as of the time of the hearing, despite a diligent search, the whereabouts of the child's parent continue to be unknown.

(b) As of the time the petition is filed, the parent has failed to provide significant contributions to the child's care and support for any period of six consecutive months.

(c) As of the time the petition is filed, the parent has failed to maintain significant contact with the child by visiting him or communicating with him for any period of six consecutive months.

(6) Unless sooner permitted by the court, at least one year has elapsed since a child was removed from the parent's custody pursuant to a court order; there has been no substantial parental compliance with a case plan for services which has been previously filed by the department and approved by the court as necessary for the safe return of the child; and despite earlier intervention, there is no reasonable expectation of significant improvement in the parent's condition or conduct in the near future, considering the child's age and his need for a safe, stable, and permanent home.

(7) The child is in the custody of the department pursuant to a court order or placement by the parent; the parent has been convicted and sentenced to a period of incarceration of such duration that the parent will not be able to care for the child for an extended period of time, considering the child's age and his need for a safe, stable, and permanent home; and despite notice by the department, the parent has refused or failed to provide a reasonable plan for the appropriate care of the child other than foster care.

(8) The relinquishment of an infant pursuant to Chapter 13 of Title XI of this Code.

(9) The commission of a sex offense as defined in R.S. 15:541 by the natural parent which resulted in the conception of the child.

(10) The child is in the custody of the department pursuant to a court order for at least one year, unless sooner permitted by the court, and the identity of the child's father remains unknown and all the following have occurred:

(a) In the course of investigating the case and providing services to the family the department has been unable to learn the identity of the father.

(b) No party to the proceedings or the mother, if not a party, is able to provide a first and last name of a putative father or alias sufficient to provide a reasonable possibility of identification and location.

(c) The department has obtained all of the following:

(i) A certified copy of the child's birth certificate with no one indicated thereon as the father of the child, or the father listed has been determined not to be the biological father of the child.

(ii) A recent certificate from the putative father registry indicating that no person is listed or registered as the child's father.

(iii) A recent certificate from the clerk of court in the parish in which the child was born indicating that no acknowledgment with respect to this child has been recorded.

Acts 1991, No. 235, §10, eff. Jan. 1, 1992; Acts 1997, No. 256, §1; Acts 1999, No. 449, §1, eff. July 1, 1999; Acts 2000, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 109, §1, eff. April 17, 2000; Acts 2001, No. 499, §1; Acts 2003, No. 609, §1; Acts 2003, No. 781, §1; Acts 2012, No. 446, §6; Acts 2012, No. 730, §1; Acts 2014, No. 602, §1, eff. June 12, 2014; Acts 2016, No. 608, §1; Acts 2017, No. 239, §1; Acts 2018, No. 206, §6.