THIS OPINION HAS NO PRECEDENTIAL VALUE. IT SHOULD NOT BE CITED OR RELIED ON AS PRECEDENT IN ANY PROCEEDING EXCEPT AS PROVIDED BY RULE 268(d)(2), SCACR.

THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA In The Court of Appeals South Carolina Department of Social Services, Respondent, v. Travis Phillips and Elease Hickson, Defendants, Of whom Travis Phillips is the Appellant.

In the interest of a minor under the age of eighteen.

Appellate Case No. 2022-001540

Appeal From Florence County FitzLee H. McEachin, Family Court Judge

Unpublished Opinion No. 2023-UP-131 Submitted March 20, 2023 – Filed March 29, 2023

AFFIRMED

Nancy Carol Fennell, of Irmo, for Appellant.

Taylor Jule Yarnal, of South Carolina Department of Social Services, of Florence, for Respondent.

Stuart Wesley Snow, Jr., of Snow & Bailey Law Firm, P.A., of Florence, for the Guardian ad Litem.

PER CURIAM: Travis Phillips appeals the family court's final order removing his minor child from his custody and finding there was a substantial risk of physical abuse. See S.C. Code Ann. § 63-7-20(6)(a)(i) (Supp. 2022). Upon a thorough review of the record and the family court's findings of fact and conclusions of law pursuant to Ex parte Cauthen, 291 S.C. 465, 354 S.E.2d 381 (1987),1 we find no meritorious issues warrant briefing. Accordingly, we affirm the family court's ruling and relieve Phillips's counsel.

AFFIRMED. 2 WILLIAMS, C.J., and GEATHERS and VERDIN, JJ., concur.

See also S.C. Dep't of Soc. Servs. v. Downer, S.C. Sup. Ct. Order dated Feb. 2, 2005 (expanding the Cauthen procedure to situations when "an indigent person appeals from an order imposing other measures short of termination of parental rights").

We decide this case without argument pursuant to Rule 215, SCACR.