In the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division Three, a case (B330106) was filed on March 28, 2024. The lawsuit involves the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (Plaintiff and Respondent) against M.G. (Defendant and Appellant). The case is an appeal from orders of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County regarding juvenile court orders.
The plaintiff's lawyer team consists of Dawyn R. Harrison, Kim Nemoy, and Navid Nakhjavani. Jonathan Soglin represents the defendant. The case stems from the detention of minor S.G. by DCFS in June 2021 due to concerns about M.G.'s ability to provide adequate care for her child. M.G., who was herself a dependent of the juvenile court at the time, was 17 years old when her two-month-old child was taken into custody.
In November 2021, allegations were confirmed that M.G.'s marijuana abuse and unaddressed mental health issues placed S.G. at substantial risk of serious physical harm. In January 2022, despite acknowledging M.G.'s challenges as a young parent without appropriate family support, the court ordered S.G.'s removal from M.G.'s custody due to continued concerns about potential harm.
The plaintiff seeks affirmation of the juvenile court's decision to deny M.G.'s petition for modification under Welfare and Institutions Code section 388 and terminate her parental rights under Welfare and Institutions Code section 366.26. They argue that these proceedings did not violate M.G.’s due process rights even though she was a teenage parent at the time.