The state Department of Social Services filed a petition alleging that three children "were in need of care and protection." The trial court held the parents unfit, and the appellate court affirmed.

The father of the children had FAS. The appellate court reasoned that the father was "a limited, well-intentioned person who loves his children, but whose cognitive limitations have made it impossible for him to understand the special needs of the children." 2002 WL 718168 at *4. The opinion describes the father's problems in some detail.