Wilkerson

Wilkerson v. Marin County Dept. of Health and Human Services CA1/5

Good Law
Court of Appeal of CaliforniaJuly 10, 2024A168744California5,700 words

Opinion

Opinion

Chou, J.

BACKGROUND

A. Mother’s History of Alcohol-Related Issues Mother and father married in 2006 and had a child (daughter) in 2010. In 2012, mother, who has a history of alcohol-related issues, placed daughter, who was two years old at the time, in a high chair and attempted to commit suicide by taking 40 pills of “Effexor, Wel[l]butrin, and Klonopin” while she was drunk. When he came home, father called emergency medical services (EMS). EMS discovered mother lying in bed with “empty bottles of meds.” The San Francisco Human Services Agency (HSA) then filed a juvenile dependency petition pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code section 300, subdivision (b). Father was awarded custody of daughter, and mother entered a rehabilitation program. The juvenile court dismissed the petition in 2013 and ordered joint custody of daughter to father and mother. In recommending dismissal of the petition, HSA observed that mother “has made tremendous strides in addressing her sobriety and recovery.” Soon after mother’s suicide attempt, father filed for divorce and moved to Marin County with daughter. The marriage was dissolved in 2014. Mother eventually moved to Marin County. In December 2020,…

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