Los Angeles County Department of Children & Family v. C. G.

In this appeal, mother C. G. (mother) challenges the court order appointing a legal guardian for her daughter C. G. (C. G.), in part because the court improperly appointed a guardian ad litem to act for mother in the dependency proceedings. We conclude the guardian ad litem appointment violated mother’s due process rights and requires reversal of the underlying order.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL SUMMARY

C. G. was detained by the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) in September 2002. Her mother and father were using drugs and were not properly supervising the child. On numerous occasions, father *30 drove while under the influence of alcohol, with C. G. in the car. Mother knew about this conduct, but did not stop him. In addition, the family home was “in a filthy and unsanitary condition.”

At the detention hearing in September 2002 (Welf. & Inst. Code, § 300, subds. (b) & (c)), 1 at the suggestion of mother’s counsel, the court appointed Henry Parks as mother’s guardian ad litem. The court relied on a report from DCFS, which stated that, according to mother, she has cerebral palsy and was a client of South Central Los Angeles Regional Center for…