In re Katherine P. CA2/5

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 31, 2013
DocketB246309
StatusUnpublished

This text of In re Katherine P. CA2/5 (In re Katherine P. CA2/5) 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 Katherine P. CA2/5, (Cal. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

Filed 7/31/13 In re Katherine P. CA2/5 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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

SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION FIVE

In re KATHERINE P. et al., Persons B246309 Coming Under the Juvenile Court Law. (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. CK95755)

LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES,

Plaintiff and Respondent,

v.

JOSE P.,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from an order of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Mark A. Borenstein, Judge. Affirmed. David A. Hamilton, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. John F. Krattli, County Counsel, James M. Owens, Assistant County Counsel and Stephen D. Watson, Associate County Counsel for Plaintiff and Respondent. I. INTRODUCTION

The father, Jose P., appeals from the juvenile court’s December 5, 2012 visitation order. The order denied the father’s visitation request until he underwent a psychiatric evaluation. Further, in order to secure visitation, the father was required to comply with the evaluator’s recommendations. The father argues it was error to impose such limitations on his visitation with his two children. We disagree and affirm the visitation order.

II. BACKGROUND

A. Section 300 Petition And Detention

On October 1, 2012, the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (the department) filed a Welfare and Institutions Code1 section 300 petition on behalf of 13-year-old Katherine P. and 11-year-old year old Anthony P. The petition alleged three counts under section 300 subdivisions (b) and (c). The petition alleged the father placed the children in danger by recklessly driving with them in the car on July 1, 2012. The petition also alleged the father emotionally abused the children by constantly speaking negatively about and verbally assaulting the mother, N. H., and the two youngsters. The children allegedly suffered trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder because of the father’s ongoing emotional abuse. The October 1, 2012 detention report stated there was a long history of domestic violence between the parents. The mother reported the domestic violence ended in 2006 when she and the children moved to a shelter. The mother and children lived in a domestic violence shelter for about three years. The mother and an adult daughter, Evelyn A., secured a restraining order against the father because of his past abuse.

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

2 The mother reported Anthony developed post-traumatic stress disorder after witnessing domestic violence between the parents. Anthony often bit his nails, softly hit his head on a wall or defecated on himself when anxious. The child has suffered from encopresis since the age of seven and continued to defecate on himself when he is anxious. He had been seen by many medical professionals and his encopresis was not caused by a medical condition. The mother believed Anthony’s problems were due to the domestic violence and the father’s current abuse. A September 2, 2009 letter from a Venice Family Clinic therapist, Beth Rosenblatt, indicated Anthony suffered from post- traumatic stress disorder and encopresis due to past trauma. According to Ms. Rosenblatt, “[Anthony] regresses very easily to toddler-like behavior when emotionally triggered and has not yet developed the ability to verbalize rather than regress.” Katherine was diagnosed with dysthymic disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. The mother stated the father was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2009 but he was not taking any medication. Katherine said the father has been behaving oddly since November 2011. The father told her that airplanes were taking pictures of him. He also told Katherine that people were following him. Anthony stated the father was paranoid and talked about helicopters landing on the roof of the home. According to Anthony, the helicopters landed while the father was asleep. For years, the father told the children that airplanes were searching for him. In addition, the mother reported the father had a history of drug use. She suspected the father was still using drugs because he would text or call her during random hours of the night. Katherine indicated the father had a drug history. She stated sometimes the father’s face turned pink and his eyes became red and small. But Katherine has not seen narcotics in his possession or seen him use drugs. The department interviewed the family about the July 1, 2012 driving incident. The mother indicated on that day, the father felt rejected by Katherine. This was even though Katherine had invited him to her middle school culmination ceremony. After the ceremony, the children visited with the father. The parents exchanged the children every Sunday at the West Los Angeles police station. The father had five hour visits with the

3 children every Sunday. On that day, the father was upset with the children so he became verbally aggressive and drove erratically. He refused to slow down or let the children out the car so the mother could pick them up. The mother observed the father appeared frustrated by the children when he dropped them off at the police station. Katherine said she did not want to see the father anymore. Anthony appeared anxious and frozen in shock. Katherine stated the father was speeding on the freeway on July 1, 2012 because he was mad. According to Katherine, the father slams doors, drives fast, screams and speaks negatively about the mother to the children when he is upset. Katherine stated she did not get along with the father and had a weird relationship with him. On July 1, 2012, Katherine asked to end the visit early and the father started yelling at her and Anthony. In addition to speeding, the father cut some cars off the road and ran a few red lights. Katherine told the father to slow down but he did not listen. The father refused to leave the children at the paternal grandmother’s house and insisted on driving them to the police station. Once the father dropped off the children, he yelled at the mother. Katherine stated she did not want to visit the father. Katherine said she continued to go to visits because Anthony wanted to visit the father and she did not want her brother to go alone. After the incident, she ignored the father’s phone calls, refusing to talk to him. Katherine indicated she was anxious when visiting with the father and felt relaxed now that she had not visited him in several weeks. The mother said the father has not visited the children since the incident because his driver’s license was suspended due to unpaid parking tickets. Anthony stated the father was driving between 80 to 85 miles per hour on July 1, 2012, when the children were returned to the police station. The father also was yelling at the children, talking negatively about the mother and intimidating the youngsters by hitting the steering wheel while driving. Anthony stated the father often drove fast. The incident was not the first time the father drove fast when he was mad. Sometimes,

4 Anthony liked visiting the father. After the July 1, 2012 incident, Anthony no longer wanted to visit the father. The father denied driving fast or erratic on July 1, 2012. He stated he was driving 55 miles per hour. The father also denied any substance abuse, domestic violence or mental health problems. According to the father, all the allegations were false and he has been wrongly accused.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

In Re Jennifer G.
221 Cal. App. 3d 752 (California Court of Appeal, 1990)
In Re SH
3 Cal. Rptr. 3d 465 (California Court of Appeal, 2003)
In Re Nicholas B.
106 Cal. Rptr. 2d 465 (California Court of Appeal, 2001)
Alameda County Social Services Agency v. S.C.
190 Cal. App. 4th 1470 (California Court of Appeal, 2010)
Sonoma County Human Services Department v. J.H.
197 Cal. App. 4th 1542 (California Court of Appeal, 2011)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
In re Katherine P. CA2/5, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-katherine-p-ca25-calctapp-2013.