In re M.M. CA4/3

Filed 6/27/25 In re M.M. CA4/3

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS

California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION THREE

In re M.M., a Person Coming Under the Juvenile Court Law.

ORANGE COUNTY SOCIAL SERVICES AGENCY, G064998 Plaintiff and Respondent, (Super. Ct. No. 24DP1214) v. OPINION B.G.,

Defendant and Appellant.

Appeal from an order of the Superior Court of Orange County, Julie Anne Swain, Judge. Affirmed. Manis Thakkar, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Leon J. Page, County Counsel, Debbie Torrez and Aurelio Torre, Deputy County Counsel, for Plaintiff and Respondent. No appearance for the Minor. * * *

This dependency case concerns M.M. (the child). B.G., her mother (Mother), and I.M., her father (Father), divorced years ago. Father was granted sole legal and physical custody of the child, while Mother remarried and had two other children (the half-siblings) with her new husband (J.G.). Orange County Social Service Agency (SSA) initiated this dependency case after a domestic violence incident between Mother and J.G., which the child witnessed while visiting Mother. The dependency case only lasted a few months. At the disposition hearing, Mother requested joint legal custody of the child. The juvenile court denied this request and issued exit orders that kept sole custody of the child with Father. Mother appeals, arguing there is insufficient evidence in the record to support the court’s finding that awarding Father sole legal custody was in the child’s best interests. We disagree and affirm the order. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY A. The Dependency Petition On September 27, 2024, SSA filed an application for a protective custody warrant (the application) for the child and the half-siblings. The application was based on ongoing domestic violence between Mother and J.G. dating back to 2015. The most recent incident had occurred about a week prior to the application, when the child was visiting Mother’s home. The application stated the child “resides in the care of [Father]” but “maintains regular visits with [Mother] and . . . had witnessed other instances of domestic violence between [Mother] and [J.G].” The application requested that the child, who was 10 years old at the time, be removed from Mother and remain in Father’s care and custody. The juvenile dependency court granted the application.