San Diego County Department of Social Services v. Marianne F.

4 Cal. App. 4th 155, 5 Cal. Rptr. 2d 450, 92 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 1931, 92 Daily Journal DAR 2952, 1992 Cal. App. LEXIS 261
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 4, 1992
DocketNo. D014064
StatusPublished

This text of 4 Cal. App. 4th 155 (San Diego County Department of Social Services v. Marianne F.) 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
San Diego County Department of Social Services v. Marianne F., 4 Cal. App. 4th 155, 5 Cal. Rptr. 2d 450, 92 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 1931, 92 Daily Journal DAR 2952, 1992 Cal. App. LEXIS 261 (Cal. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinion

Opinion

TODD, Acting P. J.

Marianne F. (Marianne) appeals an order of the juvenile court declaring her sons, Joseph W. (Joseph) and Basilio T., Jr., (Basilio Jr.), dependent children of the court under Welfare and Institutions Code1 section 300, subdivision (b), as well as a dispositional order removing the minors from her home. Basilio T. (Basilio), the father of Basilio Jr., also appeals from these orders as they relate to his son. Both parents raise insufficiency of the evidence arguments to support the court’s jurisdictional findings, including the argument it was error to use Basilio Jr.’s statements in [160]*160the social study report after the trial court found Basilio Jr. not competent to testify. Additionally, it is contended there was insufficient evidence to support removal of the minors from parental custody, and the trial court failed to make the proper legal findings to support the removal of custody. Both parents also contend it was improper for the court to order drug testing and substance abuse therapy as part of the reunification plan.

Facts

Marianne and Basilio have been involved in a relationship since approximately 1985. In the fall of 1990, when the events that led to this proceeding occurred, they were living together in a two-bedroom apartment along with their four-year-old son, Basilio Jr., and six-year-old Joseph, Marianne’s son from a different relationship.

On September 6, 1990, police were called to investigate a report of an assault with a knife involving Marianne and Basilio. Marianne decided not to press charges. According to the police report, police observed Marianne and Basilio’s apartment, which did not have much furniture or food; there also were piles of dirty clothes in the apartment. The officers decided not to place the children in protective custody, but rather to ask the maternal grandmother to take care of the children temporarily.

On October 16, 1990, police were called to respond to another domestic violence incident at the apartment of Marianne and Basilio. According to Marianne, Basilio had struck her and forced her out of their home. According to the police report, police found Marianne outside the apartment naked; however, a neighbor testified that Marianne was wearing clothes and Basilio testified she was wearing a robe. Marianne requested Basilio be arrested, and he was removed from the apartment. Inside the apartment, police found no furniture, very little food, a single mattress for the children without sheets, general disarray and dirty conditions. Neighbors interviewed by the police said Marianne often screamed during the early morning hours and hit the children. Marianne had a change of heart and declined to press charges against Basilio, who was released. This time, however, the police placed the children in protective custody and took them to Hillcrest Receiving Home.

The following day, Richard Hajek, a social worker, interviewed the minors who both said they had seen violent fighting between Marianne and Basilio. Joseph stated: “They fight sometimes. He always calls her a monkey or a bitch. I don’t like him because he hits my mom.” Joseph also related he experienced bad dreams almost on a nightly basis. Basilio Jr. stated: “My mom and dad fight. I saw blood.”

[161]*161On October 18, 1990, the department of social services (DSS) filed petitions under section 300, subdivision (b), alleging Joseph and Basilio Jr. were exposed to violent confrontations in the family home between Marianne and Basilio, and, as a result, there was a substantial risk the minors would suffer physical harm.

At a detention hearing on October 19, 1990, each parent denied the allegations of the petitions. The trial court found the minors could not safely remain at home and ordered DSS to evaluate the home of the maternal grandmother for possible placement.2 Also on October 19, 1990, the trial court ordered (1) supervised visitation for the parents, (2) drug testing for mother and father and funding be authorized for such tests, and (3) funding be authorized for psychological evaluations of the parents.

A contested jurisdictional hearing was conducted on January 29, 1991, February 4, 1991, and February 15, 1991. During the first session of the jurisdictional hearing, Glen Green, a next-door neighbor, testified he heard Marianne and Basilio arguing for about 30 minutes between 2 and 3 p.m. on October 16, 1990. At the time, the minors were playing outside in front of the apartment. On his way out of the apartment, Green saw Marianne fully clothed, knocking on another neighbor’s door. When Green returned 20 minutes later, the police were there. Green testified this was the first time he had heard the couple argue. He also testified he had never been awakened by the couple in the middle of the night and had not seen the children outside after dark.

During the second session of the jurisdictional hearing, the minors were examined in chambers pursuant to section 350. The trial court found Basilio Jr. not competent to testify at trial “due to his inability to distinguish between the truth and a lie.” Joseph, who was found competent, testified he did not remember his mother fighting with Basilio. Joseph also testified Basilio did not call his mother bad names and he was not afraid of his mother and Basilio. The trial court denied a motion by both Marianne and Basilio to exclude from evidence those portions of the social study pertaining to statements made by Basilio Jr. to the social worker based on the finding Basilio was incompetent to testify. The trial court stated: “. . . I am going to admit [Basilio Jr.’s] statements into evidence as set forth in the social study under the provisions of [In re Malinda S. (1990) 51 Cal.3d 368)], as to the weight to be accorded to those statements. That will be adjudged by the court on a separate basis.

“I am not accepting the statements, in other words, for the fact that they themselves are true, and I will take into account the additional evidence that [162]*162may be presented at this trial, as well as the demeanor of the minor witness in chambers, when I decide how much weight should be accorded to those statements.” Next, social worker Hajek began his testimony, stating he briefly interviewed Basilio Jr. within 24 hours of his being taken into protective custody. Hajek said Basilio Jr. appeared to be comfortable during the interview and appeared to be forthcoming and truthful in his statements. Subsequently, the trial court admitted into evidence Hajek’s social study report dated November 28, 1990.3

After the social worker concluded his testimony at the third and final session of the jurisdictional hearing, counsel for Marianne moved for dismissal of the petition on the basis of insufficiency of the evidence. The motion was denied. Basilio proceeded to testify that on October 16,1990, he and Marianne had an argument with raised voices and she walked out of the apartment and asked a neighbor to call the police. After she left the apartment, Basilio locked the door to prevent further confrontations between the two of them until the police arrived. Basilio also testified that he and Marianne had argued on some other occasions as well, and the children may have heard the arguments. He also said that during one argument with Marianne she cut herself with a knife, but denied ever hitting Marianne. Later, Basilio said that Marianne’s bleeding on that occasion was caused by a snagged fingernail and not a knife cut.

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4 Cal. App. 4th 155, 5 Cal. Rptr. 2d 450, 92 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 1931, 92 Daily Journal DAR 2952, 1992 Cal. App. LEXIS 261, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/san-diego-county-department-of-social-services-v-marianne-f-calctapp-1992.