In re M.M. CA4/2

I. BACKGROUND

Father’s three children are A.S. (born 2012), J.M. (born 2015), and M.M. (born

2018). The children’s four siblings are part of the dependency case, as are the seven

children’s mother, but only father is a party to this appeal. Some of the children, as well

as both parents, are deaf.

The children were referred to the department after one went to school with choke

marks on their neck and other bruises. That child said they got into an altercation with

mother’s boyfriend, who slapped them, threw them to the ground, choked them, and

kicked them several times. Mother witnessed the incident but did not intervene, telling

the child the incident was their fault. One of the other siblings said mother’s boyfriend

has also hit two of the other children and that the physical abuse has been occurring for

three years.

In April 2024, the department filed section 300 petitions alleging as to father that

his children were at substantial risk of serious physical harm from his willful or negligent

failure to supervise or protect the children from a custodian’s conduct. (See § 300, subd.

1 Undesignated statutory references are to the Welfare and Institutions Code.

2…