Supreme Court of California

In proceedings involving termination of parental rights, a court of appeals' dismissal of an appeal from a termination order is affirmed where: 1) in circumstances where appointed counsel for an appealing parent files a brief raising no issues, a court of appeal has the discretion to permit the parent to personally file a brief but must do so only upon a showing of good cause that an arguable issue does, in fact, exist; and 2) here, the court of appeal properly declined to permit the parent to personally file a brief because the parent failed to make a showing of good cause that an arguable issue does, in fact, exist.

Appellate Information

• Decided 12/21/2009
• Published 12/21/2009

Judges

• MORENO, J.

Court

• Supreme Court of California

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• Patti L. Dikes, San Diego, under appointment by the Supreme Court, for Defendant and Appellant., John J. Sansone, County Counsel, John E. Philips, Chief Deputy County Counsel, Lisa M. Maldonado and Gary C. Seiser, Deputy County Counsel, for Plaintiff and Respondent.