In re S.S. CA4/2

California Court of Appeal·Decided May 2, 2025·No. E083909·Unpublished

Opinion

Filed 5/2/25 In re S.S. CA4/2 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT DIVISION TWO

In re S.S. et al., Persons Coming Under the Juvenile Court Law.

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES, E083909

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Super. Ct. Nos. J293614, J293615, J293616, J293617)

v.

OPINION

R.S.,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from the Superior Court of San Bernardino County. Steven A. Mapes, Judge. Affirmed.

Neale B. Gold, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant.

Tom Bunton, County Counsel, and Joseph R. Barrell, Deputy County Counsel, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

I.

INTRODUCTION

Defendant and appellant, R.S. (Father) appeals a juvenile court order adopting a

permanent plan of legal guardianship over I., N., R., and S. (the children), and dismissing

1

the juvenile dependency petitions at the Welfare and Institutions Code section 366.26

2

hearing. Father objects to the juvenile court considering during the section 366.26

hearing an inflammatory statement (“dangerous-activities language”) in the section 366.26 hearing report and not striking it from the report. He requests this court to reverse the section 366.26 order and strike the dangerous-activities language from the section 366.26 hearing report.

Father argues his due process rights were violated during the section 366.26 hearing because the juvenile court considered the dangerous-activities language and permitted inappropriate attestations regarding the language by county counsel. Father further contends that the juvenile court’s failure to strike the dangerous-activities language from the section 366.26 report was prejudicial error.

We affirm the section 366.26 order entered on May 2, 2024, and reject Father’s request to strike the dangerous-activities language in the section 366.26 hearing report.

1 Unless otherwise noted, all statutory references are to the Welfare and Institutions Code.

2 Although CFS filed separate juvenile dependency petitions simultaneously on behalf of each of the children (I., N., R., and S.), we refer to the multiple petitions as a single petition, because the petitions were heard and ruled on at the same time, with essentially the same rulings for all relevant intents and purposes.

II.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND Father is the biological father of N., R., and S. (born in 2014, 2015, & 2019, respectively), and the step-father of I. (born in 2009). I. shares the same mother as that of N., R., and S. The juvenile court found that Father was the presumed father of the children, I., N., R., and S.

A. Detention On June 4, 2022, San Bernardino County Children and Family Services (CFS)

received a referral that Z. (10 years old), the children’s half-sister by a different biological

3

mother, suffered a significant burn to her lower left foot and leg. Z. reported her injuries

were self-inflicted from burning herself in her bathwater. Z. also had multiple superficial scratches, some of which were healed, fresh, or scarred. Z. declined to explain these injuries. At the time of the burn incident, Z. was living in the home of Father and Z.’s step-mother, referred to herein as Mother. Mother and Father reported Z.’s burn was self- inflicted and that Z. had a history of self-harm, mental health issues, and urinating on herself every day. Father reported that Z. told him that Mother was abusing her but he did not believe it.

On June 7, 2022, Z. was removed from Father’s custody and taken into the custody of CFS in a separate juvenile dependency case. After CFS investigated the burn

3 Z. is not a party to the instant case because she has a different biological mother than the other children.

incident and reviewed the medical reports, the children were removed from Mother and Father on June 22, 2022. CFS filed petitions on behalf of the children under section 300, subdivisions (b) (failure to protect) and (j) (abuse of sibling), alleging the children’s sibling, Z., suffered significant burns and was removed from Father’s custody as a result of severe neglect. This allegedly placed the children at risk of harm and neglect.

At the detention hearing, the juvenile court ordered the children removed from Mother and Father. Mother told the court that Father was the biological father of N., R., and S., and I. had a different father, whom I. had seen only once in the last seven years. Later, the court found Father was the presumed Father of all of the children.

B. Jurisdiction and Disposition Hearing In December 2022, CFS filed an amended complaint, which became the operative complaint. The new allegations under section 300, subdivisions (a) and (b) stated that, while in the care of Father and Mother, the children or their siblings were physically abused. It was also alleged under subdivision (b), that on June 3, 2022, Z. suffered significant burns to her left foot, placing the children at risk of future harm. The amended petition further alleged under section 300, subdivision (j) that one of Father’s children was removed from his custody for severe neglect, placing the other siblings at substantial risk of similar abuse and neglect.

CFS reported Father was engaging in services, making progress, and had a good relationship with the children. Father’s therapist reported he was doing well in counseling. At the contested jurisdiction hearing in January 2023, the juvenile court

found true the allegations and declared the children dependents of the court. During the disposition hearing, the court found that Father was no longer living with the abuser, Mother, and he was making significant progress. The children wanted to reunify. The court granted Father reunification services and visitation. The court ordered reunification services for Mother bypassed.

In May 2023, Father filed a section 388 petition requesting a transition plan to return the children to his home and unsupervised visits. CFS filed a response stating concern that Father had not processed the trauma experienced by Z. and I. Father was reluctant to believe Mother injured Z. CFS therefore questioned his protective capacity. The children reported that their visits with Father went well and they wanted to go home to their parents. During the initial hearing on Father’s section 388 petition in June 2023, minors’ counsel stated that she became aware that Father, relatives, and caregivers were allowing the children to have unauthorized contact with Mother. Father responded that the contacts were because of a misunderstanding. The court continued the section 388 petition hearing to the date of the section 366.21, subdivision (e) hearing.

CFS reported in its review report filed in July 2023, that Mother remained incarcerated for child abuse, and the children were generally doing well. Father reenrolled in therapy and parenting classes. The children were enjoying visits with him, although CFS was concerned about Father’s inability to accept that Mother abused Z. In July 2023, over the objections of minors’ counsel and CFS, the juvenile court ordered unsupervised visits for Father once a week for four hours. The section 366.26 hearing

and Father’s section 388 petition hearing were continued. At the review hearing in October 2023, the juvenile court terminated reunification services and ordered continuation of Father’s unsupervised visits once a week for four hours. The court denied Father’s section 388 petition.

C. Section 366.26 Report and Hearing

CFS social worker Mr. Roman reported in his section 366.26 hearing report filed

4

in March 2024 that he was assigned the case in December 2023. Roman contacted the

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

In re S.S. CA4/2, (Cal. Ct. App. 2025).

In re S.S. CA4/2 (In re S.S. CA4/2) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

People v. Watson
299 P.2d 243 (California Supreme Court, 1956)
People v. Morris
807 P.2d 949 (California Supreme Court, 1991)
Contra Costa County Social Service Department v. Sandra W.
26 Cal. App. 4th 685 (California Court of Appeal, 1994)
In Re Josiah S.
125 Cal. Rptr. 2d 413 (California Court of Appeal, 2002)
People v. Jennings
97 Cal. Rptr. 2d 727 (California Court of Appeal, 2000)
In Re Vanessa M.
41 Cal. Rptr. 3d 909 (California Court of Appeal, 2006)
In Re Crystal J.
12 Cal. App. 4th 407 (California Court of Appeal, 1993)
In Re Heraclio A.
42 Cal. App. 4th 569 (California Court of Appeal, 1996)
People v. Hernandez
83 Cal. Rptr. 2d 747 (California Court of Appeal, 1999)
In Re Matthew P.
84 Cal. Rptr. 2d 269 (California Court of Appeal, 1999)
In Re Stacy T.
52 Cal. App. 4th 1415 (California Court of Appeal, 1997)
People v. Harris
60 Cal. App. 4th 727 (California Court of Appeal, 1998)
Los Angeles County Department of Children & Family Services v. Jimmy D.
41 Cal. App. 4th 440 (California Court of Appeal, 1995)
People v. Marks
72 P.3d 1222 (California Supreme Court, 2003)
Butler v. LeBouef
248 Cal. App. 4th 198 (California Court of Appeal, 2016)
Christ v. Schwartz
2 Cal. App. 5th 440 (California Court of Appeal, 2016)
J.H. v. Superior Court of San Luis Obispo Cnty.
229 Cal. Rptr. 3d 146 (California Court of Appeals, 5th District, 2018)