In re M.J. CA2/8

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 15, 2015
DocketB260210
StatusUnpublished

This text of In re M.J. CA2/8 (In re M.J. CA2/8) 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 M.J. CA2/8, (Cal. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

Filed 7/15/15 In re M.J. CA2/8 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 EIGHT

In re M.J. et al., Persons Coming Under the B260210 Juvenile Court Law.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT (Los Angeles County OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES, Super. Ct. No. CK79009)

Plaintiff and Respondent,

v.

K.J.,

Defendant and Appellant.

Appeal from the orders of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. Julie Fox Blackshaw, Judge. Affirmed and remanded with directions. Nicole Williams, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Mark J. Saladino, County Counsel, Dawyn R. Harrison, Assistant County Counsel, and Jessica S. Mitchell, Deputy County Counsel, for Plaintiff and Respondent. __________________ Mother K.J. appeals from the jurisdictional findings under section 300, subdivision (b) of the Welfare and Institutions Code,1 as well as the dispositional findings and orders under section 361, subdivision (c), for her three children. Father is not a party to this appeal. Mother contends the juvenile court’s finding that her unresolved mental and emotional problems endangered the children’s physical health and safety, and the court’s dispositional order removing the minors from her custody, are not supported by substantial evidence. Mother also contends that the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (Department) failed to comply with the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA; 25 U.S.C. § 1901 et seq.) because it did not investigate the children’s possible Indian ancestry, and failed to provide notice to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). We affirm, finding that substantial evidence supports the jurisdictional and dispositional orders, but remand for compliance with ICWA. BACKGROUND On September 19, 2014, mother and her children, then nine-year-old M.J., seven- year-old Ke.J., and six-year-old Ka.J., came to the attention of the Department when it received a referral alleging general neglect and emotional abuse. Mother had failed to pick up the children from school, and they had been left unsupervised for hours. The children were released from school at 2:50 p.m., watched a movie in a teacher’s classroom until 4:45 p.m., but were not picked up. School personnel attempted unsuccessfully to call mother. Around 6:00 p.m., the school principal drove the children home, but mother did not answer the door. Therefore, the principal drove the children back to the school. The school contacted mother’s neighbor, a former school district employee, who knocked on mother’s door until she awoke. The neighbor believed mother was intoxicated. Eventually, mother arrived at the school to pick up her children, but the after school program coordinator did not want to release the children to mother because she appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. However, mother took the children and

1 All further statutory references are to the Welfare and Institutions Code, unless otherwise indicated.

2 left school grounds. School staff reported the incident to police, and provided the police with mother’s home address. Police arrived at mother’s home before mother and the children. When mother arrived at home, she appeared “intoxicated and unstable,” and was difficult, agitated, and upset. Mother was arrested for public intoxication; however, those charges were later dismissed. The children were detained. A Department social worker interviewed mother at the police station. Mother denied using drugs or alcohol, or having a mental health history. Mother stated that she spoke to Ms. Young at the children’s school, who informed her that the children could watch a movie in her classroom after school. The children then called mother to pick them up. Mother stated that father, Matthew J., was “irrelevant,” and not part of the children’s lives. When the Department asked mother about the children’s possible Indian heritage, she stated that the children are “part Indian,” but she did not know what tribe. The social worker did not speak to the children because they were sleeping in another part of the police station, but noted that they appeared “healthy, well cared for, and were appropriately dressed.” There were no obvious marks or bruises on their bodies. The police and social worker transported the children to maternal aunt’s house for placement. The following day, a Department social worker interviewed maternal aunt, who denied having any concerns of abuse or neglect of the children while in mother’s care. Maternal aunt also denied that mother suffered from any alcohol or drug issues. The children acknowledged they were fed three meals per day and denied any abuse or drug use in the home. They denied that mother ever hit them or inappropriately touched them. They felt safe with mother. M.J. stated that she and her sisters visited father every other weekend, and that she likes visiting father. The children all stated that they are not part of an after school program. According to M.J. and Ke.J., the children all go to the library at Virginia Park and do homework after school. Ka.J. stated that she and her sisters go to the park after school. They all said they would call their mother on her cell phone, and she would pick them up. The children denied that an adult supervised

3 them during this time. However, M.J. stated that mother is “always” there to pick them up. The family has a history with the Department. In August 2009, mother was arrested for a domestic violence incident involving father. The family was referred to the Department for general neglect and emotional abuse. The referral was substantiated and resulted in a dependency case from August 25, 2009, through September 23, 2011. The family reunified and the case was closed with a family law order giving mother sole physical and legal custody of the children. In the earlier case, the court found Matthew J. to be the presumed father of the children. Also in that case, the court found that ICWA did not apply, and did not order notice to any tribe or the BIA. Previously, in June 2006, an emotional abuse referral was substantiated against father due to domestic violence against mother. Mother obtained a restraining order against father. In April 2008 and September 2009, the family was referred to the Department for emotional abuse and general neglect, respectively. Those referrals were closed as inconclusive. Mother herself was a ward of the court from January through April 1987. She was ultimately reunified with her family. On September 24, 2014, the Department filed a section 300 petition, under subdivision (b), on behalf of M.J., Ke.J., and Ka.J. alleging the children were at risk of harm due to mother’s history of substance abuse, her current abuse of alcohol, her public intoxication while the children were in her custody, and her willful neglect and failure to properly supervise the children after school resulting in the children being left unsupervised for extended periods of time. The detention hearing was held on September 24, 2014. Mother filed a Parental Notification of Indian Status, indicating, “I have no Indian ancestry as far as I know.” When the court asked mother whether father had any Native American ancestry, mother replied “it’s possible, Your Honor.” The court stated that it found no reason to believe that the case involved ICWA as to mother.

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Bluebook (online)
In re M.J. CA2/8, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-mj-ca28-calctapp-2015.