Court Rules IQ Shouldn’t Keep Father From Daughter

ST. PAUL (AP) - The Minnesota Court of Appeals says a father's mental impairment shouldn't keep him from having a relationship with his daughter.

The court has ruled the parental rights for the Detroit Lakes father were wrongfully terminated based on his IQ. The appeals judges say there's no evidence the man's intellectual impairment interferes with his ability to be part of his young daughter's life.

Monday's ruling upholds the man's access to his 2-year-old daughter, but doesn't mean she can live with him fulltime.

The district court in Becker County had terminated the man's parental rights after the child's mother agreed to terminate her rights. The lower court said the girl would be better off in a more stable household.