PRESENT: All the Justices
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, DEPARTMENT
OF SOCIAL SERVICES, DIVISION OF CHILD
SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT, EX REL. SPOTSYLVANIA
COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES
v. Record No. 021186 PER CURIAM
June 6, 2003
KATHERYN R. FLETCHER
FROM THE COURT OF APPEALS OF VIRGINIA
In this appeal, the Court reviews a judgment of the Court
of Appeals of Virginia affirming a circuit court judgment in
which the circuit court determined that a parent whose "residual
parental rights" had been terminated no longer owed a duty of
support to her minor children. Commonwealth v. Fletcher, 38 Va.
App. 107, 562 S.E.2d 327 (2002).
The Court of Appeals concluded that the termination of
parental rights includes "the termination of parental
responsibilities as well as any correlative rights." Id. at
112, 562 S.E.2d at 329. Accordingly, the Court of Appeals held
that a parent whose parental rights have been terminated no
longer has a legal duty to support his or her child because the
parent has become a "legal stranger" to that child. Id.
For the reasons set forth in the opinion of the Court of
Appeals, we will affirm that Court's judgment.
Affirmed.