In the Interest of: L.C., a Minor Appeal of: G.R.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedAugust 13, 2015
Docket2689 EDA 2014
StatusUnpublished

This text of In the Interest of: L.C., a Minor Appeal of: G.R. (In the Interest of: L.C., a Minor Appeal of: G.R.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In the Interest of: L.C., a Minor Appeal of: G.R., (Pa. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

J-S27046-15

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37

IN THE INTEREST OF: L.C., A MINOR IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA

APPEAL OF: G.R., MOTHER No. 2689 EDA 2014

Appeal from the Order entered August 19, 2014, in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, Family Court, at No(s): CP-51-DP-0001679-2013

IN THE INTEREST OF: A.C., A MINOR IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA

APPEAL OF: G.R., MOTHER No. 2693 EDA 2014

Appeal from the Order entered August 19, 2014, in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, Juvenile Division, at No(s): CP-51-DP-0001680-2013, FID: 51-FN-003321-2013

BEFORE: FORD ELLIOTT, P.J.E., STABILE, and FITZGERALD*, JJ.

MEMORANDUM BY FITZGERALD, J.: FILED AUGUST 13, 2015

G.R. (“Mother”) appeals from the orders entered in the Court of

Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, adjudicating dependent her minor

daughters, L.C., born in June of 2011, and A.C., born in April of 2013.1

Mother challenges the court’s findings that both children are dependent and

that A.C.’s injuries were the result of physical abuse. We affirm.

* Former Justice specially assigned to the Superior Court. 1 The children’s father, A.C. (“Father”), took an appeal from the order adjudicating the child A.C. dependent. We affirmed at Interest of A.C., 2723 EDA 2014 (unpublished memorandum) (Pa. Super. filed Aug. 10, 2015). J-S27046-15

The trial court set forth the factual and procedural history as follows.2

On August 3, 2013, [the Philadelphia Department of Human Services (“DHS”)] received a Child Protective Services . . . report, which alleged that Mother took A.C., a 4 month old, to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children (“Hospital”) because A.C. was bleeding from her mouth. [At this time, L.C. was two years old.] While at Hospital, A.C. received an evaluation, which revealed [she] sustained rib fractures on her left and right side, which were in the healing stage, hemorrhage of her left eye, a laceration across the entire floor of her mouth, and an abrasion on her cheek. [N.T., 8/19/14, at 11.] Subsequently, doctors admitted A.C. to Hospital.

[The following day, o]n August 4, 2013, DHS spoke to parents at Hospital and parents were unable to provide an explanation for A.C.’s injuries. On August 5, 2013, Mother told DHS that Father frequently squeezed A.C. in an attempt to relieve her body of gas. Mother also explained to DHS that the rib fracture might have happened when A.C. fell off the bed about a month ago or from L.C.[’s] sitting on A.C.’s back while playing. Mother stated, to DHS and Dr. [Maria] McColgan (“Doctor”), [the Medical Director of the Child Protection Program at Hospital,3] that Father scratched A.C.’s mouth with his fingernail while attempting to insert a pacifier in her mouth. Initially, Mother explained that Father called Mother while she was away from the home and told her that A.C. needed to go to the hospital because Father was unable to stop her mouth from bleeding. However, Doctor testified that when [she] spoke to Mother, Mother told [her] she was at home when the Father reached behind him to put A.C.’s pacifier in her mouth and that is how the laceration happened. Father corroborated Mother’s explanation regarding how the incidents occurred. Doctor testified [she] explained to Mother that the type of injury A.C. sustained, posterior rib fractures, were likely from someone squeezing [her] and

2 The trial court’s opinion referred to A.C. as “Child #1” and L.C. as “Child #2.” See Trial Ct. Op., 11/4/14, at 1-7. For ease of discussion, we refer to the children by their initials. 3 N.T. at 9.

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not a result of a direct blow or from a fall. After Doctor gave this explanation, Mother immediately responded, “I knew it was him.” [Id. at 15.] Mother then stated . . . Father would sometimes try to help A.C.’s stool when she was having trouble by squeezing on her abdomen. [Id. at 15, 32-33, 45.] Doctor diagnosed the inflicted injury as [the] result of physical abuse because the injuries A.C. sustained would not have been from just pressing on the abdomen, someone would have to be squeezing the ribcage in order to create the fractures A.C. sustained. Doctor also testified that some of the injuries occurred at separate times. On August 7, 2013, DHS learned that Hospital determined that A.C.’s injuries were non- accidental.

On August 8, 2013, DHS obtained an Order of Protective Custody (“OPC”) and the Hospital discharged A.C. and L.C. into the care of their aunt and uncle. On this day, a Safety Plan was implemented in the home of the children’s aunt and uncle. The Safety Plan stated that the children’s parents were not to have visitation with the children for 21 days and that the aunt and uncle would ensure that the children’s basic needs, including medical appointments, were met. On August 9, 2013, a shelter care hearing was held, the OPC was lifted, and the temporary commitment to DHS was ordered to stand.

Trial Ct. Op. at 2-3.

On August 13, 2013, DHS filed separate petitions for A.C. and L.C., for

an adjudication of dependency and finding of aggravated circumstances.

One year later, on August 19, 2014, the court held a hearing, at which the

following witnesses testified: Dr. McColgan, whom Father stipulated was an

expert in child abuse, DHS caseworker Lissa Varghese, Father, and Mother.4

On August 13, 2013, DHS filed separate petitions, for Child and L.C.,

4 Mother and Father were represented by different counsel in these proceedings.

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for an adjudication of dependency. One year later, on August 19, 2014, the

court held a hearing, at which the following witnesses testified: Dr.

McColgan, whom Father stipulated was an expert in child abuse, the DHS

caseworker, Father, and Mother.

At the hearing, the court found both Child and L.C. dependent, 5 and

found Father perpetrated child abuse against Child. N.T. at 66. The trial

court found “both parents were the children’s primary caregivers” but “found

child abuse as to Father only.” DHS caseworker Varghese informed the

court the parents have, on alternating Saturdays, supervised visits and

unsupervised visits. N.T. at 67. She confirmed to the court there were “no

issues” with the unsupervised visits. Id. at 68. She further advised the

court that a family service plan was already “scheduled,” both parents

completed several training programs,6 and DHS was awaiting “the results of

the parenting capacity evaluation that both parents have completed.” Id. at

70-71. The parents were also referred to a housing program which

“assist[s] parents in locating housing,” because “the house is not

5 The Juvenile Act defines a “dependent child” as, inter alia, a child who “is without proper parental care or control, subsistence, education as required by law, or other care or control necessary for his physical, mental, or emotional health, or morals.” 42 Pa.C.S. § 6302(1). Father does not challenge the adjudication of dependency. 6 Specifically, Father “completed anger management, parenting and healthy relationships.” N.T. at 74. Mother “completed parenting, employment services, empowerment group[,] anger management,” and “healthy relationships.” Id. at 73.

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appropriate.”7 Id. at 73. Mother requested additional visitation with the

children. The trial court denied the request but stated it may reconsider:

[Court: W]hy don’t we just keep it this way until we hear what the parenting capacity recommends, and then we can further discuss any other modifications and refer parents for any other services if need be.

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