In Re Janee W.

45 Cal. Rptr. 3d 445, 140 Cal. App. 4th 1444
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 31, 2006
DocketB182530
StatusPublished
Cited by87 cases

This text of 45 Cal. Rptr. 3d 445 (In Re Janee W.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Janee W., 45 Cal. Rptr. 3d 445, 140 Cal. App. 4th 1444 (Cal. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

45 Cal.Rptr.3d 445 (2006)
140 Cal.App.4th 1444

In re JANEE W. et al., Persons Coming Under the Juvenile Court Law.
Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, Respondent,
v.
Joetta D., Appellant.

No. B182530.

Court of Appeal, Second District, Division Eight.

May 31, 2006.

Elizabeth F. Hong, Los Angeles, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Appellant.

*446 Raymond G. Fortner, Jr., County Counsel, Larry Cory, Assistant County Counsel, and Lisa Proft, Deputy County Counsel, for Respondent.

RUBIN, J.

Joetta D. appeals from the dependency court order terminating the court's jurisdiction over her daughters, J.W. and Janee W., while awarding legal and physical custody of the girls to their father, Herman W. We affirm.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY[1]

In January 2004, the Riverside County Department of Child Protective Services (DCPS) filed a petition alleging that Joetta D. (mother) had physically harmed or otherwise posed a risk of harm to her daughters, 12-year-old J.W. and 11-year-old Janee W. (Welf. & Inst.Code, § 300.)[2] The petition alleged that mother routinely hit J. and, on January 14, 2004, hit and slapped J.'s face about 10 times; was arrested that day on charges of battery, criminal threats, and child endangerment; abused drugs and alcohol; suffered from mental health problems; and placed Janee at risk due to her conduct. (§ 300, subds.(b), (j).) The petition alleged that the minors' father, Herman W. (father), was not a member of the household and failed to provide for or protect his daughters. (§ 300, subd. (b).)[3]

The petition was sustained in April 2004, and the children were placed in foster care. Reunification services were ordered for both mother and father. Riverside DCPS reports prepared for that jurisdictional hearing included statements from the children and others confirming that mother had a history of alcohol-fueled violent outbursts, physically attacked father, and bloodied J.'s nose. Mother refused to provide information, and said she would talk to only her lawyer and Jesus Christ. The children said they wanted to live with mother, but only if she got help for her problems. Father had used drugs in the past and had been in prison, but had gone through drug and alcohol counseling programs and was working as an auto mechanic. He wanted custody of the minors.

A six-month review hearing was held in September 2004. Evidence at the hearing showed that the father had completed a parenting class and participated in counseling with the children. The minors had spent weekends with father, were "excited" about the prospect of living with him, and had asked to do so. Mother still needed services and an appropriate place to live, and was unwilling to discuss or acknowledge her abusive conduct. The Riverside DCPS recommended placing the children with father and providing mother with another six months of reunification services. The Riverside dependency court found that the father's progress had been satisfactory, adopted those recommendations as its order, and set the matter for further review under sections 364 and 366.21.[4] It then transferred the matter to *447 the Los Angeles County dependency court because father lived in Los Angeles. The case was officially accepted for transfer by the Los Angeles County dependency court in November 2004, and the case was continued in order to set a hearing for the father under section 364 and for the mother under section 366.21. From then on, the case was overseen by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).

In March 2005, DCFS submitted a report to the Los Angeles County dependency court. According to that report, mother had completed parenting education and participated in some type of therapy. A psychological evaluation of mother was reportedly completed, but had not been submitted because the evaluator was ill. In violation of her visitation orders, mother would sometimes walk the children home from school. She was living at a transitional home known as Joshua's House and was enrolled in the Arms of Grace Counseling Center. The children were still living with father and with father's mother (grandmother). Father's home was clean and safe. The children had regularly assigned chores and appeared happy to be living with father. Because the minors were living in a good environment, which included the positive influence exerted by grandmother, because the father was providing his daughters with adequate care and supervision, and because they appeared happy with that arrangement, DCFS recommended that the children remain in father's custody and that the court terminate its jurisdiction. Notice that the court intended to adopt that order was provided to the mother, and the matter was set for a hearing in April 2005.

At the April 11, 2005, dispositional hearing, the court took judicial notice of the entire file. It also heard testimony from mother, father, the children, and DCFS social worker Tracey Harrington. J. testified she did not want to choose between her parents because she loved them both. She felt safe on overnight visits with mother. Janee said she had no preference between her parents. Although she felt safe with mother, she admitted that she sometimes felt scared when she lived with mother. Mother denied that she had unauthorized contact with the children. She admitted to, but minimized, a recent incident where she shut a car door on father's leg. She also complained that she had received little in the way of reunification services. According to mother, she had been in constant contact with the social workers and asked them to visit her living quarters and arrange conjoint counseling. The social worker promised to get back to her, but never did. The social worker visited mother just once, right after the case was transferred to Los Angeles County.

According to social worker Harrington, the children had a good relationship with mother and wanted to visit her. He admitted that he never contacted the person who conducted mother's psychological evaluation.

The court agreed that, absent father's presence in the case, it would not be able to find that reasonable reunification services had been offered to mother. Because the children were with father, however, the court indicated that fact was not relevant. The court found that mother continued to deny or minimize the drug and alcohol use, mental health issues, and other matters that led the court to take *448 jurisdiction. Because the children had limited contact with mother since the case was transferred to Los Angeles County, they had no way of knowing whether mother still had the same problems. The court concluded that the children could not be safely returned to mother, and that they were safe with their father. The court also noted that 15 months had elapsed since the children were first detained. The court then found that the conditions that justified taking jurisdiction under section 300 no longer existed, terminated jurisdiction, awarded full legal and physical custody of the children to father, and allowed mother weekly visits. As a result, the case left the dependency court and was subject to jurisdiction of the family law court.

On appeal, mother contends the court erred because (1) the evidence showed there was a need for continuing jurisdiction by the dependency court, and (2) she did not receive adequate reunification services.

DISCUSSION

1. Section 361.2 Provides the Applicable Procedural Rules

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
45 Cal. Rptr. 3d 445, 140 Cal. App. 4th 1444, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-janee-w-calctapp-2006.