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(the petition is )CivilCourt of AppealsAppeal

Matter of Juniper T. (Stephanie T.)

Court
Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
Decided
Oct 2, 2026
Docket
619 CAF 25-00650
Judges
Not listed
Cited as2026 NY Slip Op 05643
Detailed analysis & 3-line summary

AI breakdown

Analyzed Oct 3, 2026

Where this case stands

  1. Family Court: the petition against respondent Stephanie T.

  2. This decision · Appeal

    (the petition is )

TL;DR

  1. 1The Herkimer County Department of Social Services challenged a Family Court ruling that their petition.
  2. 2The court decided to uphold the Family Court's dismissal of the petition against the defendant.
  3. 3The key reason was that the Family Court found no grounds for the petition.

Key issues

  1. 1

    Did the Family Court properly dismiss the petition against the defendant?

    Holding · Yes, the dismissal was appropriate as there were no grounds for the petition.

Why it matters

This decision affects child welfare cases and how social services handle allegations regarding children's safety.

The AI breakdown is a reading aid, not legal advice. Always check the opinion for the exact wording.

If you were the judge?

A social services department wants to challenge a Family Court decision. What should happen next?

  1. 1The Herkimer County Department of Social Services filed a petition to keep a child safe from their mother, arguing the child was at risk.
  2. 2The Family Court dismissed this petition on April 11, 2025, saying there wasn't enough evidence to support the claim.
  3. 3The social services department is appealing the dismissal, claiming the court overlooked important safety concerns for the child.

Should the appeal by social services to reinstate the petition succeed?

Opinion of the court
Matter of Juniper T. (Stephanie T.) 2026 NY Slip Op 05643 October 2, 2026 Appellate Division, Fourth Department Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431. This decision is uncorrected and subject to revision before publication in the Official Reports. IN THE MATTER OF JUNIPER T. --------------------------------------------------- HERKIMER COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, PETITIONER-APPELLANT; v STEPHANIE T., RESPONDENT-RESPONDENT, AND BRANDEN G., RESPONDENT. Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division, Fourth Judicial Department Decided on October 2, 2026 619 CAF 25-00650 Present: Curran, J.P., Montour, Ogden, Delconte, And Skinner, JJ. MICHELLE K. FASSETT, HERKIMER, FOR PETITIONER-APPELLANT. CHRISTINE G. KRUPA, NEW YORK MILLS, FOR RESPONDENT-RESPONDENT. Appeal from an order of the Family Court, Herkimer County (Thaddeus J. Luke, J.), dated April 11, 2025, in a proceeding pursuant to Family Court Act article 10. The order, insofar as appealed from, dismissed the petition against respondent Stephanie T. [*1] It is hereby ORDERED that the order so appealed from is unanimously affirmed without costs for reasons stated in the decision at Family Court. Entered: October 2, 2026 Ann Dillon Flynn Clerk of the Court
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