In re D.G. CA4/2
Opinion
Opinion
I. INTRODUCTION
Defendants and appellants, A.G. (Mother) and R.G. (Father), are the parents of a
girl, D.G., born in September 2013. The parents appeal orders terminating their parental
rights and placing D.G. for adoption. (Welf. & Inst. Code, § 366.26.)1 We affirm the
challenged orders.
Mother, joined by Father, claims the juvenile court erroneously refused to apply
the parental benefit exception to the adoption preference based on Mother’s contacts with
D.G. (§ 366.26, subd. (c)(1)(B)(i).) We conclude the court properly refused to apply the
parental benefit exception and properly terminated parental rights.
II. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
A. The Events Underlying D.G.’s Dependency
D.G. was taken into protective custody on January 13, 2014, when she was three
months old, following a domestic violence incident between the parents in her presence.
The parents were married and living with D.G. Father was 25 years old; Mother was
years old. Mother attended college and relied on Father to care for D.G. while she was at
school. Father had been unemployed since November 2013 and had a five-year-old son
who lived with his mother. Mother had no other children.