Barbara H. v. Riverside County Department of Public Social Services

*498 Opinion

In this consolidated appeal, Barbara H. (Grandmother) appeals from two juvenile court orders entered on June 8, 2004, and August 16, 2004, denying her petitions for disclosure of the juvenile court records of her grandson, Anthony H. Grandmother seeks disclosure of her grandson’s juvenile records under Welfare and Institutions Code section 827 1 for purposes of prosecuting her federal civil action against Riverside County, the Riverside Department of Public Social Services (DPSS), and two DPSS social workers (defendants). Grandmother contends the trial court abused its discretion in denying her two records disclosure petitions.

We find no abuse of discretion in the juvenile court’s June order since proceedings to determine the records disclosure matter were pending in the federal court. However, the juvenile court erred in denying Grandmother’s August records disclosure petition on the ground the federal court had decided the matter. To the contrary, the federal court appropriately refused to decide whether any of the records could be disclosed. The federal court concluded the juvenile court had exclusive authority under section 827 to determine the matter. Since…