In re R.L.

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 14, 2025
DocketB341295
StatusPublished

This text of In re R.L. (In re R.L.) 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 R.L., (Cal. Ct. App. 2025).

Opinion

Filed 10/14/25 CERTIFIED FOR PUBLICATION

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION EIGHT

In re R.L., a Person Coming B341295 Under the Juvenile Court Law.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY (Los Angeles County DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN Super. Ct. No. 24CCJP02487A) AND FAMILY SERVICES,

Plaintiff and Appellant,

v.

KIMBERLY G. et al.,

Defendants and Respondents.

APPEAL from an order of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. Gabriela H. Shapiro, Commissioner. Affirmed. Dawyn R. Harrison, County Counsel, Kim Nemoy, Assistant County Counsel, and Avedis Koutoujian, Deputy County Counsel, for Plaintiff and Appellant. Pamela Deavours, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Respondent Kimberly G. Aida Aslanian, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Respondent Omar L. _________________________________ INTRODUCTION Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) appeals from the dismissal of its petition for minor R.L. under Welfare and Institutions Code 1 section 300, subdivisions (a) and (b). DCFS alleged that R.L. came within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court because the then-10-month-old child was injured in a motor vehicle accident where the father was driving, the child was seated in the mother’s lap rather than secured in a car seat, and both parents were under the influence of alcohol. The juvenile court dismissed the petition, finding that DCFS failed to meet its burden of proving R.L. was at a current risk of harm based on this isolated incident of parental neglect. We conclude the juvenile court did not err in dismissing the petition because the evidence did not compel a finding in favor of jurisdiction as a matter of law. We accordingly affirm. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND 1. Dependency petition Kimberly G. (Mother) and Omar L. (Father) are the parents of R.L., a boy born in July 2023. In May 2024, DCFS received a referral alleging that the family was involved in a motor vehicle accident in which Father was driving above the speed limit while under the influence of alcohol, and Mother was in the backseat holding R.L. in her lap with a seatbelt strapped around them, but no child safety seat. Both Mother and R.L. were injured in the accident and taken to the hospital. Father was arrested for driving under the influence and felony child endangerment. At the time of the accident, Mother was 19 years old and Father was

1 Unless otherwise stated, all further undesignated statutory references are to the Welfare and Institutions Code.

2 21 years old. Before this incident, neither parent had a criminal record or any child welfare history. According to the police report, the accident occurred on May 26, 2024, shortly before 11:00 p.m. The officers who responded to the scene observed Mother screaming on the ground, R.L. crying in an ambulance with blood on his face, and Father standing next to the driver’s side of the vehicle. The car did not have a child safety seat, and Mother admitted that R.L. was sitting on her lap when the accident occurred. Father told the officer he was driving in the leftmost lane of the freeway at approximately 70 miles per hour when he lost control of the vehicle. The car hit the concrete center divider, weaved to the right across all lanes of traffic, and then collided with the right shoulder wall. The speed limit was 65 miles per hour. The officer observed that Father had slurred speech, red watery eyes, and an odor of alcohol emanating from his breath and body. He also appeared to have urinated on himself. The officer administered a series of field sobriety tests, which Father failed. The officer then placed Father under arrest. Following the accident, Mother and R.L. were transported to the hospital. According to the medical records for R.L., when the child arrived at the hospital, he was awake, alert, and crying but consolable. A CT scan of his head showed that he suffered a nondisplaced fracture of the left frontal bone with a soft tissue contusion and no intracranial hemorrhage. He also had an “intact” neurological exam. R.L. was admitted to the hospital for further testing and discharged on May 29, 2024. The family was provided with a car seat for R.L. at his discharge. On June 20, 2024, DCFS interviewed Mother at her home. As reported by Mother, she and R.L. resided in Los Angeles in

3 the maternal grandparents’ home while Father lived in Apple Valley. After R.L. was born, Mother and the baby lived with Father for about six months, and then moved in with the maternal grandparents. The parents were separated, but were planning to get back together in the future. There was no family law order in place. On the day of the accident, Mother and R.L. went to visit Father in central California. He picked them up in his car, and they went to drink at a park around sunset. Mother stated she had “two Trulys,” but denied she was drunk. She did not know how much Father drank. At some point, they decided to leave the park. Mother sat in the back of the car with R.L., and placed the seatbelt over them both. She fell asleep as Father was driving, and when she awoke, she was lying on the ground. She did not know how the accident occurred. Mother sustained a back injury in the accident, and R.L. suffered a “skull fracture,” which was healing. Mother told DCFS that, at the time of the accident, R.L.’s car seat was in the maternal grandfather’s vehicle, and that this was the first time that she transported the child without a car seat. She also stated, “We have car seats in both cars now.” On July 19, 2024, DCFS had a followup call with Mother, who reported that R.L was doing well. Mother had been advised by R.L.’s doctor that the fracture would heal on its own, but she should take the child to the hospital if she observed any concussion symptoms. DCFS also spoke with the maternal grandmother, who stated that Mother was “always 100% taking care of her child,” and that R.L. “has an abundance of love in this home.” The maternal grandmother denied that Mother shared much about the accident, stating, “She is my daughter and some[ ]things we just do not say.” When asked about Father, she

4 indicated that the maternal family had minimal communication with him, but he appeared to be a good father and attentive to Mother during her pregnancy with R.L. The maternal grandmother believed that Mother and Father had an “on and off relationship.” On July 30, 2024, DCFS made a followup visit to Mother’s home. The social worker observed that the home was clean, organized, and well-furnished. R.L. appeared to be developmentally on target, and comfortable in the presence of Mother and the extended maternal family. The social worker noted that the child had “multiple supports in the home who are attentive and appropriate.” On August 2, 2024, DCFS conducted a telephone interview with Father. According to Father, he resided with the paternal grandparents, and he would ask for their consent to provide their contact information to DCFS. Father declined to discuss the details of the accident due to his pending criminal case. However, he told DCFS that he “was messing up,” and that he “need[ed] to stop messing up.” He also stated that he had not used any alcohol or drugs since the accident, and that he would be willing to submit to a drug test and comply with anything else that DCFS wanted him to do. Father confirmed that he had no contact with R.L. since the accident, but he knew the child was doing well because Mother was a “good mom.” He indicated that he wanted to see R.L., but believed he should wait until he knew what would happen with his criminal case because he did not want to make the situation worse. On August 5, 2024, DCFS obtained an order removing R.L. from Father.

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Bluebook (online)
In re R.L., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-rl-calctapp-2025.