Father testifies to medical issues and housing struggles; court finds evidence insufficient to prevent termination

Justin King testified under oath about a constellation of medical claims—he described three heterozygous gene variants, a posterior arachnoid cyst and seizure activity—and said he has been pursuing alternative and natural remedies, including dietary changes and other nonprescription approaches. He told the court he recently obtained funds to secure housing but said township approvals, storage issues and other administrative barriers have delayed returning a mobile home to family property.

Mr. King told the court he is "feeling better" than a year ago and argued that, with housing, he could provide for his children. He also said he refuses certain prescribed medications and instead follows treatments he believes are appropriate. Department counsel and the court repeatedly asked for documentary evidence and concrete examples tying those medical conditions to an inability to parent; the transcript records Mr. King citing emails and anecdotes but offering limited corroborating medical records on the record.

The judge noted expert testimony in the record indicating the cited cyst would not likely have affected parenting capacity but concluded, based on the full record, that there was no reasonable time within the children’s ages for Mr. King to remedy the conditions that led to removal. The court ordered termination.