In Re XV

33 Cal. Rptr. 3d 893, 132 Cal. App. 4th 794
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 13, 2005
DocketD045843, D046350
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 33 Cal. Rptr. 3d 893 (In Re XV) 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 XV, 33 Cal. Rptr. 3d 893, 132 Cal. App. 4th 794 (Cal. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

33 Cal.Rptr.3d 893 (2005)
132 Cal.App.4th 794

In re X.V. et al., Persons Coming Under the Juvenile Court Law.
San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency, Plaintiff and Respondent,
v.
Anthony V. et al., Defendants and Appellants.
In re X.V., a Minor, on Habeas Corpus.

Nos. D045843, D046350.

Court of Appeal, Fourth District, Division One.

September 13, 2005.

*894 Linda M. Fabian, San Diego, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant and for Petitioner Anthony V.

William Hook, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant and for Petitioner Nancy D.

John J. Sansone, County Counsel, Susan Strom, Chief Deputy County Counsel, and Gary C. Seiser, Deputy County Counsel, for Plaintiff and Respondent and for Respondent.

Kathleen Mallinger, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Minors.

*895 McCONNELL, P.J.

In Dwayne P. v. Superior Court (2002) 103 Cal.App.4th 247, 251, 126 Cal.Rptr.2d 639 (Dwayne P.), this court held in a first review pertaining to notice under the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) (25 U.S.C. § 1901 et seq.) that the parents' failure to object at the juvenile court did not constitute waiver or otherwise preclude appellate review. We relied on the court's continuing sua sponte duty throughout dependency proceedings to ensure the requisite notice is given and the protections the ICWA affords Indian tribes and Indian children. In a previous appeal in this case, in accordance with Dwayne P., we conditionally reversed a judgment terminating the parental rights of Anthony V. and Nancy D. to their daughter, X.V., and remanded the matter to the juvenile court for the limited purpose of complying with ICWA notice requirements. (In re X.V., 2004 WL 2189583 (Sept. 30, 2004, D044169) [nonpub. opn.].)

The principal question here is whether the parents—despite their failure to raise any objection at the special hearing on remand devoted to the adequacy of ICWA notices to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and numerous Indian tribes—may raise the issue again on appeal. We hold as an apparent matter of first impression that forfeiture principles preclude a second appellate review in such a case, as further delay harms the paramount interests of dependent children in permanence and stability. The purposes of the ICWA are indeed commendable, but we do not believe Congress envisioned or intended successive or serial appeals on ICWA notice issues when, given a proper objection, they could easily be resolved during proceedings on remand for the specific purpose of determining whether proper notice was given.

On the parents' appeals, we affirm the judgment of termination of their parental rights to X.V. To the extent Anthony purports in his appeal to challenge the judgment terminating parental rights to his son, A.V., we dismiss the appeal for untimeliness. We also deny the parents' petition for habeas corpus.[1]

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

In April 2002 the Agency took X.V., then five months old, into protective custody and filed a petition on her behalf under Welfare and Institutions Code,[2] section 300, subdivisions (a) and (b). The petition alleged X.V. was at risk because she witnessed domestic violence between the parents and they have a history of drug abuse. Anthony advised the Agency he had Sioux and Blackfeet heritage but was not a registered member of a tribe. The Agency did not notify the BIA or any Indian tribe of the proceedings, but at the detention hearing the court nonetheless found the ICWA inapplicable.

In May 2002 the court made a true finding on the petition, removed X.V. from parental custody and ordered family reunification services. In August 2002 Nancy gave birth to a boy, A.V. She was incarcerated at the time for spousal abuse and assault with a deadly weapon. The following month, the court declared A.V. a dependent child and placed him in foster care.

In X.V.'s case, the court terminated reunification services at the 18-month date in *896 October 2003 and scheduled a permanency planning hearing under section 366.26. Anthony had tested positive for drugs, but denied substance abuse, and Nancy was unwilling to live separately from him.

In April 2004 the court terminated the parents' rights to X.V. and selected adoption as the preferred permanent plan. Nancy appealed the judgment, and she, X.V. and the Agency stipulated to reversal because the Agency did not comply with ICWA notice requirements. We conditionally reversed the judgment and instructed the court to direct the Agency to provide proper ICWA notice to the BIA and any appropriate tribes. We also ordered the court to reinstate the judgment if, after receiving notice, no tribe intervened. (In re X.V., 2004 WL 2189583 (Sept. 30, 2004, D044169) [nonpub. opn.].)

At a hearing in October 2004 the court ordered the Agency to provide proper ICWA notice. An Agency social worker interviewed the paternal grandmother, and she reported possible Cherokee, Sioux and Blackfeet heritage. The Agency sent separate notices for each child to the BIA, fifteen Sioux tribes, three Cherokee tribes, the Prairie Island Community and the Blackfeet tribe.

On November 4, 2004, the court held A.V.'s permanency planning hearing. The court found ICWA notice was given as required by law, A.V. is not an Indian child and ICWA is inapplicable. The court terminated parental rights to A.V. The parents did not attend the hearing or raise any objection through their counsel to the ICWA findings. Further, they did not appeal the judgment.

On December 15, 2004, the court held a special hearing on the ICWA issue in X.V.'s case. The parents did not attend, but they were each represented by counsel. The paternal grandmother, maternal grandparents and other relatives attended. Four tribes had responded that X.V. was not eligible for enrollment, and the BIA stated it could not determine on the information provided that X.V. is an Indian child within the meaning of the ICWA. The court found notice was given in accordance with the ICWA, X.V. is not an Indian child and the ICWA is inapplicable. The court asked whether there was any objection to the findings, and X.V.'s counsel and Nancy's counsel stated they had no objection. Anthony's counsel said nothing at the hearing. The court reinstated the previous judgment terminating parental rights to X.V.

DISCUSSION

I

Jurisdictional Issue

Preliminarily, we note that in his appeal Anthony purports to challenge the termination of his parental rights to both X.V. and A.V.[3] Anthony, however, did not timely appeal the November 4, 2004, judgment terminating his rights to A.V. He appealed the December 15, 2004, judgment, naming both X.V. and A.V., but it pertains only to the termination of parental rights to X.V.

A judgment terminating parental rights is appealable under section 395, and our jurisdiction to review such a judgment is contingent on a timely notice of appeal. *897 (In re Jonathon S. (2005) 129 Cal.App.4th 334, 340, 28 Cal.Rptr.3d 495.) Accordingly, we lack jurisdiction to review the court's judgment terminating parental rights to A.V. and we dismiss Anthony's appeal as to him.

II

ICWA Notice

A

Anthony and Nancy contend in their appeals that the termination of their parental rights to X.V.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
33 Cal. Rptr. 3d 893, 132 Cal. App. 4th 794, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-xv-calctapp-2005.