Kern Country Department of Human Services v. Kuhn

203 Cal. App. 3d 1214, 250 Cal. Rptr. 468, 1988 Cal. App. LEXIS 769
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedAugust 18, 1988
DocketNo. F009445
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 203 Cal. App. 3d 1214 (Kern Country Department of Human Services v. Kuhn) 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
Kern Country Department of Human Services v. Kuhn, 203 Cal. App. 3d 1214, 250 Cal. Rptr. 468, 1988 Cal. App. LEXIS 769 (Cal. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinion

Opinion

BEST, J.

Statement of the Case

A petition was filed on February 26, 1986, in Kern County Superior Court alleging that Heather P., then one year of age, came within the provisions of Welfare and Institutions Code section 300, subdivision (a).1

The petition contained the following special allegations: “1. On or about February 24, 1986, said minor’s mother was arrested on an out-of-county warrant for theft.

“2. Said minor’s mother has a history of mental problems and has been hospitalized several times during the past few years due to these problems.

“3. Said minor’s mother has had her two other children removed and subsequently freed for adoption in Los Angeles County due to said minor’s mother’s inability to care for and supervise the children.”

At the February 27, 1986, detention hearing, Mary Kuhn, appellant herein and Heather’s mother, denied the allegations of the petition. The court found Heather to be a person described by section 300, subdivision (a), and continued the matter for a contested jurisdiction hearing. The court further ordered that Heather was to remain in shelter care or “emergency rate home” pending the jurisdictional hearing.

At the jurisdictional hearing held on March 20, 1986, the court appointed Dr. Bird to perform a psychological examination of Ms. Kuhn, and the [1218]*1218hearing was continued. At the continued hearing, the court found Heather to be a person described by section 300, subdivision (a).

At the dispositional hearing held May 16, 1986, counsel for appellant and respondent stipulated that Attorney Joseph Pluta could serve as a temporary judge. The court found clear and convincing evidence that there was a substantial danger to the physical health of the minor, that there were no reasonable means to protect minor’s physical or emotional health without removal of the minor from the parent’s custody, that reasonable efforts had been made to prevent or eliminate the need for the removal of the minor from the home and to make it possible for the child to return home, and that a return of the minor to the physical custody of the parent would create a substantial risk of detriment to the physical or emotional well-being of the minor. Heather was adjudged a dependent child of the court and placed in the care and custody of the welfare department. The mother was ordered to participate in child welfare services, including educational programs and counseling as deemed necessary by the social worker.

At the review hearihg held on December 15, 1986, the court found that the minor’s status had'been reviewed pursuant to section 366 and continued the minor as a dependent child of the court. The court found that a return of the minor to the physical custody of the parent would create a substantial risk of detriment to the physical or emotional well-being of the minor. The court further found that there was a substantial probability that the minor would be returned to the care of the minor’s parent within six months, and the court ordered family reunification services for another six months. The court ordered that all prior orders remain in effect.

At the review hearing held on May 14, 1987, the minor was continued a dependent child of the court. The court found that the return of the minor would create a substantial risk of harm to the minor and ordered that all prior orders would remain in effect.

At the contested review hearing held on September 18, 1987, Beverly Stearns testified on behalf of the mother. The court found that there had been “moderate compliance” with the reunification plan. The court further found that a return of the child to the mother would create a substantial risk of detriment to the child and continued the minor as a dependent child of the court. The court further found that there was not a substantial probability that the minor would be returned to the mother’s care within six months and terminated reunification services. The minor was continued a dependent child of the court and it was ordered that permanent planning proceedings pursuant to section 366.25 be conducted.

[1219]*1219On October 27, 1987, Ms. Kuhn filed a timely notice of appeal from “the orders issued by the court at the permanency planning hearing held on September 18, 1987.”

Statement of Facts

The social worker’s report filed in preparation for the May 16, 1986, disposition-review hearing states that on February 24, 1986, Heather was placed in protective custody because her mother was arrested on a Los Angeles County warrant for theft. Ms. Kuhn, Heather’s mother, was in jail until early March 1986.

Regarding Ms. Kuhn’s personal history, the social worker’s report stated that Ms. Kuhn was a dependent child of the court from the time she was approximately one year of age until she was eighteen. As an adolescent, Ms. Kuhn began exhibiting emotional and behavioral problems. According to her foster mother, Ms. Kuhn was hospitalized for mental problems approximately 16 times between the ages of 16 and 20. Ms. Kuhn married at 20 years of age. Her mental problems sharply escalated, and she was hospitalized often for mental illness. She was eventually diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic. During this time her first child was bom, and the child’s father took the child to Ms. Kuhn’s previous foster mother, Mrs. Chaffin, as Ms. Kuhn was exhibiting bizarre behavior and the father feared for the safety of the child. The foster mother raised the boy until he was placed with adoptive parents.

Meanwhile, the Kuhn marriage floundered due to Ms. Kuhn’s regular incarcerations and lack of employment and her mental illness. She was in and out of therapy and terribly transient in her living arrangements. Mrs. Chaffin, the foster mother, reported that often during this period Ms. Kuhn simply disappeared and “ ‘turned into a bag lady.’ ” Mrs. Chaffin often had to pick her up from mental wards in Orange County, Los Angeles and Long Beach.

In 1982, Ms. Kuhn became pregnant by a man she knew only as “Mike.” The boy was left by Ms. Kuhn with Mrs. Chaffin from birth. Both boys were made dependents of the court shortly after the second child’s birth.

Ms. Kuhn gave birth to Heather in 1984. Heather’s father is unknown. In 1985, Mrs. Chaffin became seriously concerned with the state of Ms. Kuhn’s mental health. Ms. Kuhn was refusing to take her medication and was not involved in counseling. Ms. Kuhn told Mrs. Chaffin that Ms. Kuhn was hearing voices, seeing things, and that people were attempting to harm her. Before the Los Angeles authorities had an opportunity to investigate [1220]*1220Ms. Kuhn’s ability to parent the child, Ms. Kuhn moved to Nevada and then to Lake Isabella where she resided at the time of her arrest.

On February 26, 1986, the social worker contacted an adoptions worker in Los Angeles who related that Ms. Kuhn was well known to the agency. Ms. Kuhn, the worker reported, had a history of mental problems, had stays in mental hospitals and had a very transient lifestyle. Her two older children were freed for adoption in 1985 because of abandonment.

Dr. David Bird, a psychologist, conducted a psychiatric examination of Ms. Kuhn in April 1986 and concluded that Ms. Kuhn showed a “‘gross incompetency due to a likely chronic condition and schizophrenia. She presents as incompetent in meeting her own survival needs, let alone those of a dependent minor.

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Related

In Re Heather P.
203 Cal. App. 3d 1214 (California Court of Appeal, 1988)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
203 Cal. App. 3d 1214, 250 Cal. Rptr. 468, 1988 Cal. App. LEXIS 769, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kern-country-department-of-human-services-v-kuhn-calctapp-1988.