California Court of Appeal

An order terminating parental rights is reversed, where the Alameda County Social Services Agency failed to investigate the father's Native American heritage and provide adequate notice to tribes as required by the federal Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), with the court rejecting contentions that: 1) the father renounced his paternal rights and worked a fraud on the family and juvenile courts; 2) the appeal was barred by res judicata; and 3) reversal was not required because its ICWA violations were not prejudicial.

Appellate Information

• Decided 04/16/2012
• Published 04/16/2012

Judges

• Siggins

Court

• California Court of Appeal

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Janet H. Saalfield, Grace Fongmei Tam