Raymond C. v. Superior Court of Orange Cty.

Raymond C. seeks extraordinary relief from the orders of the juvenile court referring the dependency case of his daughter, Brenda C., directly to a permanency planning hearing after denying him reunification services at the dispositional hearing. (Welf. & Inst. Code, §§ 300, subd. (e), 361.5, subd. (c).) He claims the social services agency (SSA) was required to prove reunification services were not likely to prevent reabuse before the services could be withheld from him and it failed to do so. After reviewing the petition on its merits, we deny relief.

Brenda C. was four months old in May 1996 when her parents, Raymond C. and April F., took her to the hospital for a condition related to streptococcus virus. A routine X-ray revealed multiple rib fractures, and upon further investigation numerous other fractures were discovered in various stages of healing. The parents were unable to explain Brenda’s injuries satisfactorily; they believed the injuries were caused by rough treatment from Brenda’s 15-month-old sibling, Joe. Doctors thought it was virtually impossible for a toddler to cause such severe injuries and opined they were indicative of battered child syndrome.

A…