In re L.A. CA2/1

BACKGROUND

In 2014, Mother and her husband1 adopted L.A. (born 2004), J.A. (born 2005), and A.A. (born 2009) following dependency proceedings and failed reunification efforts with the children’s biological parents. Mother is the children’s biological great aunt. In August 2020, the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) received two referrals regarding then-16-year-old L.A. The first referral alleged that Mother searched for a cell phone Mother believed L.A. was hiding by putting her hands in L.A.’s underwear and putting her fingers in L.A.’s vagina. It further alleged that when Mother eventually found the phone, she grabbed L.A.’s hair, threw her to the floor, and permitted Mother’s adult son to kick L.A. in the back. Following the incident, L.A. ran away to her uncle’s home in San Diego. The second referral alleged that L.A. feared for her safety after returning to Mother’s home and was contemplating running away again. It further alleged that Mother had been coaching L.A. and her siblings not to tell anyone, especially social workers and police, about what was going on in the home.

Mother’s husband is not a party to this appeal.

2 In August 2020,…