Peo in Interest of KL-M

── Peo in Interest of KL-M ── Court: Colorado Court of Appeals Date: May 21, 2026 Category: General 25CA2386 Peo in Interest of KL-M 05-21-2026 COLORADO COURT OF APPEALS Court of Appeals No. 25CA2386 Weld County District Court No. 24JV47 Honorable Troy Hause, Judge The People of the State of Colorado, Appellee, In the Interest of K.L-M., Bu.L-M., and Bi.L-M., Children, and Concerning T.L., Appellant. JUDGMENT AFFIRMED Division II Opinion by JUDGE BROWN Harris and Tow, JJ., concur NOT PUBLISHED PURSUANT TO C.A.R. 35(e) Announced May 21, 2026 Bruce T. Barker, County Attorney, David S. Anderson, Assistant County Attorney, Greely, Colorado, for Appellee Jenna L. Mazzucca, Guardian Ad Litem Robin Tieman, Office of Respondent Parents’ Counsel, Boulder, Colorado, for Appellant ¶1 T.L. (mother) appeals the judgment terminating her parent-child legal relationships with her children. We affirm. I. Background ¶2 The Weld County Department of Human Services (the Department) filed a petition in dependency or neglect regarding then-seven-week-old triplets K.L-M., Bu.L-M., and Bi.L-M. (the children). The Department alleged concerns about mother’s ongoing substance abuse and inconsistent contact with the children during a lengthy hospital stay following their premature birth. ¶3 The juvenile court adjudicated the children dependent or neglected and adopted a treatment plan for mother. Among other things, mother’s treatment plan required her to (1) collaborate with the caseworker; (2) identify and utilize a support network; (3) attend scheduled family time; (4) consistently attend the children’s medical appointments and therapy sessions to learn about their specific medical needs; (5) complete a mental health intake and engage in any recommended treatment; and (6) achieve and maintain sobriety by completing a substance abuse assessment, following all 1  treatment recommendations, and complying with the Department’s requests for drug testing. ¶4 Nine months later, the Department moved to terminate mother’s parental rights. Following a hearing, the juvenile court granted the motion and terminated mother’s parent-child legal relationships with the children. II. Fitness Within a Reasonable Time ¶5 Mother asserts that the juvenile court erred by finding that she could not become fit within a reasonable time. We disagree. A. Applicable Law and Standard of Review ¶6 The juvenile court may terminate parental rights if it finds, by clear and convincing evidence, that (1) the child was adjudicated dependent or neglected; (2) the parent has not complied with an appropriate court-approved treatment plan or the plan has not been successful; (3) the parent is unfit; and (4) the parent’s conduct or condition is unlikely to change within a reasonable time. § 19-3-604(1)(c), C.R.S. 2025. ¶7 An unfit parent is one whose conduct or condition renders the parent unable or unwilling to give a child reasonable parental care. People in Interest of S.K., 2019 COA 36, ¶ 74. Reasonable parental 2  care requires, at a minimum, that the parent provide nurturing and safe parenting sufficiently adequate to meet the child’s physical, emotional, and mental health needs and conditions. Id. ¶8 In deciding whether a parent’s conduct or condition is likely to change in a reasonable time, the court may consider whether any change has occurred during the proceeding, the parent’s social history, and the chronic or long-term nature of the parent’s conduct or condition. Id. at ¶ 75. A reasonable time is not an indefinite time, and it must be determined by considering the children’s physical, mental, and emotional conditions and needs. People in Interest of A.N-B.,