By: Derek Hawkins//August 5, 2020//
WI Court of Appeals – District II
Case Name: Waukesha County Health and Human Services v. S.S.
Case No.: 2020AP592
Officials: REILLY, P.J.
Focus: Termination of Parental Rights
S.S. appeals from an order terminating her parental rights to A.W., arguing that the circuit court erred when it granted Waukesha County Health and Human Services’ (the department) motion for default judgment and denied S.S. the right to a jury trial at the grounds phase of the termination of parental rights (TPR) proceeding. S.S. argues that WIS. STAT. §§ 805.03 and 885.11 do not give the court the authority to default a party without finding a failure to comply with a court order. As we conclude that a circuit court may default a party for egregious conduct and the record before us support’s the circuit court’s finding of egregiousness, the circuit court did not erroneously exercise its discretion. We affirm.