California Court of Appeal Feb 9, 2024 No. E081578Unpublished
Filed 2/9/24 In re H.L. CA4/2
NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 TWO
In re H.L., a Person Coming Under the Juvenile Court Law.
RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES, E081578
Plaintiff and Respondent, (Super.Ct.No. RIJ1400255)
v. OPINION
E.L.,
Defendant and Appellant.
APPEAL from the Superior Court of Riverside County. Caryl A. Lee, Judge
(Retired Judge of the Orange Super. Ct. assigned by the Chief Justice pursuant to art.
VI, § 6 of the Cal. Const.) Affirmed.
Elizabeth C. Alexander, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for
Defendant and Appellant.
1
Minh C. Tran, County Counsel, Teresa K.B. Beecham and Prabhath Shettigar,
Deputy County Counsel, for Plaintiff and Respondent.
The juvenile court terminated the parental rights of presumed father, defendant
and appellant E.L. (Father), to his daughter, H.L. (Welf. & Inst. Code, § 366.26, subd.
(b)(1).)1 Father contends the juvenile court erred because, during the initial inquiry
phase (§ 224.2, subs. (a)-(c)), plaintiff and respondent Riverside County Department of
Public Social Services (the Department) did not adequately inquire of H.L.’s extended
family regarding possible Native American ancestry. We affirm.
FACTS
H.L. was born in a hospital in late May 2021. The day after H.L. was born her
mother, P.L. (Mother) checked herself out of the hospital, against medical advice, and
H.L. was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. On May 31, 2021, the juvenile
court issued a protective custody warrant for H.L. On June 2, 2021, the Department
informed Father that it would be removing H.L. from Father and detaining her; H.L.
remained in the hospital. After H.L. was discharged from the hospital, the Department
placed her in foster care.
Father told the Department that he does not have Native American ancestry. In
2022, H.L.’s adult half-brother also denied having Native American ancestry. The
Department spoke with Father’s brother but failed to ask him about Native American
ancestry. The Department spoke with Father’s paternal cousin, J.H., but failed to
1 All subsequent statutory references are to the Welfare and Institutions Code.
2
question her about Native American ancestry. Father had a telephone number for his
mother (H.L.’s grandmother), but the Department did not contact her to inquire about
Native American ancestry.
DISCUSSION
Father contends that during the initial inquiry phase into H.L.’s possible Native
American ancestry the Department erred by not questioning H.L.’s extended family.
The Department concedes it did not question H.L.’s extended family regarding possible
Native American ancestry.
When a child is removed from their parent pursuant to a protective custody
warrant (§ 340), the Department is not obligated to question extended family members
about possible Native American ancestry during the initial inquiry phase. (In re Robert
F. (2023) 90 Cal.App.5th 492, 500, review granted July 26, 2023, S279743 [lead case is
In re Ja.O., review granted July 26, 2023, S280572].)
The juvenile court issued a protective custody warrant for H.L.’s removal.
Therefore, during the initial inquiry phase, the Department was not required to question
H.L.’s extended family members about their possible Native American ancestry.
Correspondingly, the juvenile court did not err by terminating Father’s parental rights
despite the Department not inquiring of H.L.’s extended family regarding possible
Native American ancestry.
3
DISPOSITION
The order is affirmed.
NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS
MILLER J.
I concur:
MENETREZ J.
4
[In re H.L.; DPSS v. E.L., E081578]
RAMIREZ, P. J., Dissenting.
I respectfully dissent. The majority declares that a child services agency is not
obligated to question extended family members about a child’s possible Native
American ancestry in a case like the present one in which a child is removed pursuant to
a protective custody warrant issued pursuant to section 340 of the Welfare and
Institutions Code.1 Left unmentioned is that our court is divided on that issue.
In the case cited in the majority’s opinion, In re Robert F., a panel of this court
held that the extended inquiry requirement set forth in subdivision (b) of section 224.2
does not apply if a child is removed pursuant to a section 340 protective custody
warrant. (In re Robert F. (2023) 90 Cal.App.5th 492, 500, review granted July 26,
2023, S279743 (Robert F.); see also In re Andres R. (2023) 94 Cal.App.5th 828, 849,
but see id. at pp. 860-865 (conc. opn. of Slough, J.).)
However, the majority of another panel of this court disagreed with Robert F. in
In re Delila D. (2023) 93 Cal.App.5th 953, 962, 965-976, review granted September 27,
2023, S281447(Delila D.). Delila D. concluded the holding in Robert F. is bottomed on
a plain error of statutory construction which, if followed, undermines the very purpose
of Assembly Bill No. 3176. (Ibid.) Enactment of the provisions of that Bill imposed
new requirements intended to implement and enhance the federal Indian Child Welfare
1 All further statutory references are to the Welfare and Institutions Code unless otherwise noted. All references to rules are to California Rules of Court.
1
Act (ICWA ), 25 U.S.C. 1901, et seq., including subdivision (b) of section 224.2.
(Added by Stats. 2018, ch. 833, § 5 (AB 3176), eff. Jan. 1, 2019.)
In my view, the analysis set forth in Delila D. and its progeny are persuasive.
(Delila D., supra, 93 Cal.App.5th at pp. 965-976, review granted; accord, In re C.L.
(2023) 96 Cal.App.5th 377, 385-391 (Third District); In re V.C. (2023) 95 Cal.App.5th
251, 256-260 (First District, Division 2); In re Jerry R. (2023) 95 Cal.App.5th 388, 411-
426 (Fifth District).) Accordingly, I would conditionally reverse the order terminating
parental rights with instructions to comply with California’s provisions designed to
implement and enhance, including the inquiry provisions set forth in subdivision (b) of
section 224.2 and rule 5.481(a)(1).
RAMIREZ P. J.
2
AI Brief
AI-generated · verify before citing
Holding. The court held that when a child is removed pursuant to a protective custody warrant under Welfare and Institutions Code section 340, the Department is not required to question extended family members about potential Native American ancestry during the initial inquiry phase.
Issues
Whether the Department is obligated to inquire of extended family members regarding Native American ancestry during the initial inquiry phase when a child is removed pursuant to a protective custody warrant.
Disposition. Affirmed
Quotations verified verbatim against the opinion
“When a child is removed from their parent pursuant to a protective custody warrant (§ 340), the Department is not obligated to question extended family members about possible Native American ancestry during the initial inquiry phase.”
“Therefore, during the initial inquiry phase, the Department was not required to question H.L.’s extended family members about their possible Native American ancestry.”