WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Nov. 13 (UPI) -- A 26-year-old mother suspected of abusing her baby daughter will once again be allowed to be a parent, a Florida appeals court has ruled.
The Fourth District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach, Fla., ruled this week that the mother, who was identified only as J.J. in court documents, will once again have custody of her twin children despite prior abuse allegations, The Miami Herald said Thursday.
The three-judge panel found Wednesday that the mother had made sufficient progress as a parent since her 3-month-old daughter was found to have 29 unexplained fractures in 2002.
The woman's twins were taken from her custody shortly after they were born in 2007, just as she had lost her parental rights to her daughter and another sibling following the 2002 incident.
While J.J. accepted responsibility for her newborn's injuries in that incident, she told the West Palm Beach panel she learned from her mistakes was vowed to protect her new children.
Judge Melanie G. May was among those swayed by the woman's plea, the Herald reported.
"People can change, and it appears that the mother in this case has taken important steps to do so," the appeals judge said.
