K.F. v. Superior Court

224 Cal. App. 4th 1369, 169 Cal. Rptr. 3d 571
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 25, 2014
DocketNo. D064534
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 224 Cal. App. 4th 1369 (K.F. v. Superior Court) 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
K.F. v. Superior Court, 224 Cal. App. 4th 1369, 169 Cal. Rptr. 3d 571 (Cal. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinions

Opinion

HALLER, J.

At age three months, S.F. was removed from the custody of her parents, K.F. (Father) and M.M. (Mother) and declared a dependent of the court after her parents brought her to the emergency room and she was found to have suffered two subdural hematomas, numerous rib fractures, an elbow fracture, and bruising. After a jurisdictional hearing, the juvenile court found that (1) the parents committed, knew about, or reasonably should have known about severe abuse to a child under age five (Welf. & Inst. Code,1 § 300, subd. (e) (hereafter section 300(e)), and (2) the parents failed or were unable to protect the child from serious physical harm (§ 300, subd. (b) (hereafter, [1373]*1373section 300(b)). The court stated its section 300(e) abuse finding was based on a preponderance of the evidence, and its section 300(b) failure-to-protect finding was based on clear and convincing evidence. The court thereafter decided to bypass reunification services under (1) section 361.5, subdivision (b)(5) (section 361.5(b)(5)) based on its section 300(e) abuse finding and (2) section 361.5, subdivision (b)(6) (section 361.5(b)(6)) based on its section 300(b) failure-to-protect finding.

In the mandate proceedings before us, Father contends the record does not support the section 300(e) abuse finding as to him. Both parents challenge the denial of reunification services.

We conclude there is sufficient evidence to support the court’s section 300(e) abuse finding as to Father. However, we hold the court erred in denying reunification services to the parents. Denial of reunification services requires findings based on clear and convincing evidence. Because the court’s section 300(e) abuse finding was based on a preponderance of the evidence, this finding cannot support denial of services under section 361.5(b)(5). Further, although the court’s section 300(b) failure-to-protect finding was made by clear and convincing evidence, the record shows that the infliction-of-harm finding required to bypass reunification services under section 361.5(b)(6) was predicated on the same facts as the section 300(e) abuse finding, which was established only by a preponderance of the evidence. Accordingly, the denial of reunification services under section 361.5(b)(6) is likewise unsupported.

We also reject the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency’s argument that the mere existence of a section 300(e) abuse finding satisfies the clear and convincing evidence showing needed to trigger application of the section 361.5(b)(5) reunification services bypass provision. Instead, we hold the facts underlying the section 300(e) abuse finding must be established by clear and convincing evidence.

Father’s petition is denied as to the challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence on the section 300(e) abuse finding. Father’s and Mother’s petitions are granted as to the challenge to the denial of reunification services.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

I. Overview

S.F. was bom in December 2012, when Mother and Father were 19 and 20 years old, respectively. Mother lived with her parents and two siblings, and [1374]*1374Father lived with his grandmother. As we detail below, on numerous occasions Mother and Father cared for S.F. together. S.F. was also cared for by Mother alone, by Mother’s parents, and, occasionally, by Father’s grandmother.

On several occasions in December 2012 and January and February 2013, S.F. was examined by a pediatrician. At a visit on January 21, 2013, the pediatrician observed that she was “well appearing.” At a visit on February 21, Mother was noted to be “feeling sad” and was referred to mental health services. At this visit, the parents reported that S.F. had been throwing up four times a day for two weeks, and the doctor diagnosed a reflux condition and prescribed medication. The parents reported that S.F. stopped vomiting about one or two weeks after starting the medication. About one month later, on March 17, Mother took S.F. to the emergency room because she was eating less, had not urinated for almost 24 hours, and had “red material” (apparently blood) in her diaper. S.F. was tested for a urinary tract infection and was again prescribed medication for a reflux condition.

Five days later, on the morning of March 22, the parents took S.F. to the emergency room. Medical personnel noted that she was having “periods of apnea” and she had an “[i]rritable cry” when moved. The parents reported that they stayed at Father’s house the night of March 20. S.F. slept more than usual and did not wake up at her usual time on the morning of March 21. She initially would not eat but eventually drank two ounces from her bottle. They noticed her chest was “moving strangely.” Father believed S.F. had a “ ‘mini seizure’ she looked at Father but was not focusing; and Father “patted her to resuscitate her.” Father acknowledged that his resuscitation efforts bruised S.F. The parents said that S.F. had another episode later in the afternoon, but seemed fine by the evening. However, on the morning of March 22, S.F. was “fussy.” When she vomited blood, the parents drove her to the emergency room.

During their examinations, the doctors determined that S.F. had bruises on her thigh, buttocks, and flank; numerous rib fractures; an elbow fracture; and two subdural hematomas.2 A shunt was inserted to drain “ ‘the cerebrospinal fluid from [her] head to her abdomen.’ ” She had 14 rib fractures, six on one side and eight on the other.

The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (Agency) detained S.F. in protective custody and filed a petition alleging section 300(e) severe physical abuse on a child under age five by a parent, or by a person known to the parent if the parent knew or reasonably should have known [1375]*1375about the abuse. The Agency placed SE. in the care of her paternal grandfather and his wife, and provided notice it intended to ask the juvenile court to bypass reunification services and set a section 366.26 permanency planning hearing.

The jurisdictional and dispositional hearings were held in July and August 2013. After hearing the evidence, the court (1) found true by a preponderance of the evidence the section 300(e) abuse count, and (2) amended the petition to add a section 300(b) failure-to-protect count and found this count true by clear and convincing evidence. At the disposition hearing, the court declared SF. a dependent, denied reunification services under section 361.5, and scheduled a permanency planning hearing.

II. Evidence Presented at the Jurisdictional Hearing

Several medical experts (Drs. Thomas Grogan, Cynthia Kuelbs, and Mark Nunes) testified at the jurisdictional hearing regarding the causes, timing, and detectability of SE.’s injuries. Additional witnesses included Father and his grandmother, Mother and her parents, the Agency’s social worker, and a psychologist called by Father.

A. Expert Testimony

According to the expert testimony, S.F. suffered more than one episode of nonaccidental trauma resulting in the subdural hematomas, rib fractures, elbow fracture, and bmising. Two separate events caused her subdural hematomas; the initial event would have been “very severe and noticeable,” and the second event caused a “second bleed . . . that. . . layer[ed] on top” of the first bleed.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
224 Cal. App. 4th 1369, 169 Cal. Rptr. 3d 571, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kf-v-superior-court-calctapp-2014.