In re A.M. CA3

California Court of Appeal·Decided December 6, 2023·No. C097550M·Unpublished

Opinion

Filed 12/6/23 In re A.M. CA3 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA THIRD APPELLATE DISTRICT (San Joaquin) ----

In re A.M., a Person Coming Under the Juvenile C097550 Court Law.

SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES (Super. Ct. No. STK-JD-DP- AGENCY, 2020-0000176)

Plaintiff and Respondent, ORDER MODIFYING OPINION v. [NO CHANGE IN T.M., JUDGMENT]

Defendant and Appellant.

THE COURT:

It is ordered that the nonpublished opinion filed herein on December 4, 2023, be modified as follows:

1. On page 2, in the sentence that makes up the first full paragraph on that page, the words “conditionally reverse” are deleted and replaced with “conditionally affirm,” so the sentence reads:

1 Because the juvenile court failed to make findings regarding the adequacy of the Agency’s ICWA inquiry or the statute’s applicability, we will conditionally affirm, and remand the matter for further ICWA compliance, including entry of the required findings.

There is no change in the judgment.

BY THE COURT:

/s/ EARL, P. J.

/s/ ROBIE, J.

/s/ BOULWARE EURIE, J.

2 Filed 12/4/23 In re A.M. CA3 (unmodified opinion) NOT TO BE PUBLISHED California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA THIRD APPELLATE DISTRICT (San Joaquin) ----

In re A.M., a Person Coming Under the Juvenile C097550 Court Law.

SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES (Super. Ct. No. STK-JD-DP- AGENCY, 2020-0000176)

Plaintiff and Respondent,

v.

T.M.,

Appellant T.M. (father), father of minor A.M., appeals from the juvenile court’s orders terminating parental rights and freeing the minor for adoption. (Welf. & Inst. Code, §§ 366.26, 395.)1 Father contends that the San Joaquin County Human Services Agency (the Agency) and the juvenile court did not comply with the initial inquiry

1 Undesignated statutory references are to the Welfare and Institutions Code.

1 requirements of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA) (25 U.S.C. § 1901 et seq.) and related California law because the Agency failed to conduct an adequate inquiry of extended paternal relatives and the juvenile court failed to make ICWA findings as to father. Because the juvenile court failed to make findings regarding the adequacy of the Agency’s ICWA inquiry or the statute’s applicability, we will conditionally reverse and remand the matter for further ICWA compliance, including entry of the required findings. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND We need not recite the underlying dependency facts in detail given the limited issues on appeal. Briefly summarized, in May 2020, N.B. (mother) gave birth to A.M., and both mother and A.M. tested positive for opioids and cannabis. While A.M. remained in the hospital with withdrawal symptoms, mother was arrested for driving under the influence with several of her other children in the car. The juvenile court issued a protective custody order for A.M., and he was later released from the hospital to father’s parents. In June 2020, the Agency filed a dependency petition for newborn A.M. and four of A.M.’s maternal half-siblings — Al.V.W. (11 years old), Av.V.W. (five years old), AleV.W. (three years old), and A.B. (23 months)2 — alleging failure to protect (§ 300, subd. (b)), no provision for support (§ 300, subd. (g)), and abuse of sibling (§ 300, subd. (j)). The petition alleged, among other things, that mother and father had untreated substance abuse issues, unstable housing, criminal histories, and corporal punishment and domestic violence issues that prevented them from adequately supervising and protecting

2 Neither mother nor A.M.’s half-siblings are parties to this appeal; they are referenced only for context. Father is not the biological father of A.M.’s maternal half- siblings, and the whereabouts of their respective biological fathers was unknown throughout the proceedings.

2 A.M. and his half-siblings, thereby placing them at substantial risk of serious physical harm or illness. According to an attached Indian child inquiry form (ICWA-010(A)), mother indicated she may have Indian heritage with an unknown tribe and father denied having Indian ancestry. Based on this inquiry, the social worker concluded there was reason to believe A.M. was or may be an Indian child. Mother subsequently signed a parental notification of Indian status form (ICWA- 020) reaffirming that she may have Indian ancestry but was unsure of the tribe. She signed a second ICWA-020 form stating that one or more of her parents, grandparents, or other lineal ancestors is or was a member of a federally recognized Choctaw tribe. Father signed an ICWA-020 form indicating that none of the listed indicia3 applied to suggest A.M. was an Indian child. Based on this information, the Agency notified the ICWA social worker of mother’s alleged tribal ancestry and the upcoming detention hearing so the information could be relayed to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The detention/jurisdiction report stated that after the petition was filed the Agency would file an ICWA-030 form notifying all federally recognized tribes and the BIA. At the detention hearing in June 2020, the juvenile court found father to be A.M.’s biological father, and detained A.M. and his maternal half-siblings; the court placed A.M. with the paternal grandparents who were already caring for him. During the hearing, the

3 The indicia included: (1) that father is or may be a member of, or eligible for membership in, a federally recognized Indian tribe; (2) that A.M. is or may be a member of, or eligible for membership in, a federally recognized Indian tribe; (3) one or more of father’s parents, grandparents, or other lineal ancestors is or was a member of a federally recognized tribe; (4) that either father or A.M. was a resident of or was domiciled on a reservation, rancheria, Alaska Native village, or other tribal trust land; (5) that A.M. is or has been a ward of tribal court, or (6) that either parent or A.M. possesses an Indian identification card indicating membership or citizenship in an Indian tribe.

3 juvenile court asked mother and father about Native American heritage. Father again denied having any and mother responded that she had Choctaw heritage but was not registered. While the paternal grandfather also attended the hearing, the court did not ask him about potential paternal Native American ancestry. In July 2020, father submitted on jurisdiction based on amended petition allegations. The court found the petition as amended true as to father, and continued jurisdiction as to mother. The court did not inquire about the ICWA during the hearing. Mother later admitted amended petition allegations at a hearing in which the juvenile court again did not address the ICWA. On August 25, 2020, the Agency filed an ICWA-030 form for A.M. giving notice of an ICWA hearing on November 11, 2020.4 The form stated that A.M. might be eligible for membership in the Choctaw or Yaqui tribes through mother and listed “[n]o information available” for tribal affiliations through father.

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