Opinion
2015-04-29
In the Matter of JOSHUA J.P. (Anonymous). Administration for Children's Services, respondent; Alquiber R. (Anonymous), Sr., appellant. (Proceeding No. 1) In the Matter of Luis N.P. (Anonymous). Administration for Children's Services, respondent; Alquiber R. (Anonymous), Sr., appellant. (Proceeding No. 2) In the Matter of Alquiber L.R. (Anonymous). Administration for Children's Services, respondent; Alquiber R. (Anonymous), Sr., appellant. (Proceeding No. 3).
Richard Cardinale, Brooklyn, N.Y., for appellant. Zachary W. Carter, Corporation Counsel, New York, N.Y. (Pamela Seider Dolgow and Michael S. Legge of counsel), for respondent.
Richard Cardinale, Brooklyn, N.Y., for appellant. Zachary W. Carter, Corporation Counsel, New York, N.Y. (Pamela Seider Dolgow and Michael S. Legge of counsel), for respondent.
Brian O'Halloran, Staten Island, N.Y., attorney for the children.
L. PRISCILLA HALL, J.P., SANDRA L. SGROI, ROBERT J. MILLER, and SYLVIA O. HINDS–RADIX, JJ.
Appeal from an order of fact-finding of the Family Court, Richmond County (Karen Wolff, J.), dated June 10, 2014. The order of fact-finding, after a hearing, found that Alquiber R., Sr., sexually abused the subject child Joshua P. and derivatively neglected the subject children Luis P. and Alquiber R.
ORDERED that the order is affirmed, without costs or disbursements.
Contrary to Alquiber R., Sr.'s contention, at the fact-finding hearing, the petitioner established by a preponderance of the evidence that he sexually abused the child Joshua P. ( see Matter of Victoria P. [Victor P.], 121 A.D.3d 1006, 994 N.Y.S.2d 409; Matter of Anthony M.C. [Patrick M.J.], 119 A.D.3d 781, 782, 989 N.Y.S.2d 332; Matter of Sinclair P. [Arthur P.], 119 A.D.3d 587, 988 N.Y.S.2d 269). The record supports the Family Court's determination that the testimony of the petitioner's child sexual abuse expert, who concluded that Joshua P. exhibited behavior indicative of sexual abuse, as well as the testimony of an Administration for Children's Services caseworker, sufficiently corroborated Joshua P.'s out-of-court statements of sexual abuse ( see Matter of Anthony M.C. [Patrick M.J.], 119 A.D.3d at 782, 989 N.Y.S.2d 332; Matter of Alexis S. [Edward S.], 115 A.D.3d 866, 867, 982 N.Y.S.2d 366; Matter of Emani W. [Owana E.], 107 A.D.3d 815, 816, 966 N.Y.S.2d 527; Matter of Amber B., 39 A.D.3d 743, 744, 832 N.Y.S.2d 449; Matter of Shavar B., 7 A.D.3d 619, 620, 776 N.Y.S.2d 503). Any inconsistencies in Joshua P.'s statements were insufficient to render the central details of his account unworthy of belief ( see Matter of Amparo B.T. [Carlos B.E.], 118 A.D.3d 809, 811, 987 N.Y.S.2d 199; Matter of Jasmine A., 18 A.D.3d 546, 548, 795 N.Y.S.2d 87).
The Family Court also properly found that Alquiber R., Sr.'s abuse of Joshua P. evinced a flawed understanding of his duties as a parent and impaired his parental judgment sufficiently to support a finding that he derivatively neglected the children Luis P. and Alquiber R. ( see Matter of Victoria P. [Victor P.], 121 A.D.3d at 1007, 994 N.Y.S.2d 409; Matter of Anthony M.C. [Patrick M.J.], 119 A.D.3d at 782, 989 N.Y.S.2d 332).
Alquiber R., Sr.'s remaining contentions are without merit.