On Point blog, page 1 of 1
Defense Wins: COA reverses summary judgment at grounds phase of TPR proceeding.
Sawyer County Health & Human Services v. D.K., 2025AP2832, 3/12/26, District III (ineligible for publication); case activity
The COA reversed the order terminating “Daniel’s” parental rights after summary judgment was granted at the grounds phase because genuine issues of material fact exist whether the County made reasonable efforts to provide services.
TPR – Issue Preclusion, Applicability of Doctrine
Brown County DHS v. Terrance M., 2005 WI App 57
Issue/Holding: Because TPR cases are generally a subset of custody cases; and because claim preclusion is available as a means of discouraging groundless requests for modification of custody, both claim and issue preclusion “may also be applied when the facts so require” in TPRs, ¶¶8-9. (The court remands for determination of whether issue preclusion is appropriate in this instance,