Ward
Ward v. San Diego County Department of Social Services
Opinion
Opinion
Irving, J.
MEMORANDUM DECISION AND ORDER
Plaintiff James Ward (“Ward” or “Plaintiff”) is the father of a minor child, Gerrit Ward, and defendant Emily Hayes (“Hayes”) is Gerrit’s mother. Hayes and Ward were divorced and in 1984 the court awarded custody of Gerrit to Ward. In early March 1986, while visiting his mother, Gerrit apparently told her that his stepmother was abusing him. As a result, Hayes refused to return Gerrit to his father. Hayes notified the Department of Social Services (“DSS”) of the allegations and requested a change of custody.
DSS immediately began to investigate the situation. On March 10, 1986, a dependency proceeding was initiated to make Gerrit a ward of the court due to his emotional problems. The court named Gerrit a dependent of the court under California Welfare and Institutions Code § 300(a) (West 1986) on June 25, 1986. On July 1, 1987, the juvenile court judge appointed defendant Charlotte Gerry (“Gerry”) to serve as the Special Advocate Guardian Ad Litem (“guardian ad litem”) for Gerrit.
Gerry is a volunteer for defendant Voices for Children (“Voices”), a non-profit organization operating under the supervision of the Juvenile Court pursuant to California…