Title: STATE EX REL. JUV. D. OF MULTNOMAH v. Richardson

State: oregon

Issuer: Oregon Supreme Court

Document:

517 P.2d 270 (1973)
IN THE MATTER OF RICHARDSON, Rodney, Walter, Nancy, Minor Children.
STATE of Oregon ex rel. Juvenile Department of Multnomah County, Respondents,
v.
Lorraine and Wesley RICHARDSON, Petitioners.

Supreme Court of Oregon, In Banc.
Argued and Submitted September 6, 1973.
Decided December 20, 1973.
Nancy Snow Kaza, Portland, argued the cause for petitioners. With her on the briefs were Charles R. Williamson, and Legal Aid Service, Multnomah Bar Association, Inc., Portland.
Al J. Laue, Asst. Atty. Gen., Salem, argued the cause for respondent State of Oregon. With him on the brief were Lee Johnson, Atty. Gen., and John W. Osburn, Sol. Gen., Salem.
No appearance by Harvey W. Keller, Portland, attorney for minor children Richardson.
PER CURIAM.
This case was initiated in the Juvenile Court of Multnomah County by the parents of three minor children who had been made wards of the court and placed in the custody of the Children's Services Division. The juvenile court ordered certain periodic visitation privileges, but the Children's Services Division either failed or refused to provide the visitation. The parents moved the court to require the Children's Services Division to allow the visitation established by the court. The juvenile court denied the motion on the ground that it had no authority to order the Children's Services Division to provide visitation. The Court of Appeals affirmed the juvenile court, Or. App., 96 Adv.Sh. 1623, 508 P.2d 476 (1973). We granted review.
At the time the case was before the Court of Appeals, the following pertinent provisions of ORS 419.507 were in effect:
The court construed the above statute to the effect that once the juvenile court places a child in the custody of the Children's Services Division, the court "relinquishes control over such day-to-day administrative matters as visitation."
The majority opinion of the Court of Appeals states:
The Court of Appeals concluded that while the juvenile court could recommend visitation to the Children's Services Division, the court had no authority to require the Children's Services Division to follow the court's recommendation.
The Court of Appeals' decision was rendered on April 9, 1973. At that time the legislature was in session, and the decision of the Court of Appeals was called to the attention of the legislature. We accepted review of the decision of the Court of Appeals on July 31, 1973, and heard oral arguments on September 6, 1973. In the meantime the legislature had considered and passed an amendment to ORS 419.507, and the amendment became effective on October 5, 1973. The amendment added the following subsection (f) to ORS 419.507:
The legislative history of the statute during the 1973 Session indicates that subsection (f) was added in response to *272 the Court of Appeals' decision which was described to the legislature to mean that "once we [the juvenile court] commit to the Children's Services Division, we have no control of the child."
Presently, as a result of the amendment, the juvenile court's jurisdiction continues in all matters affecting the protection of the rights of the child or his parents or guardians. Such rights clearly would include the right of the court to exercise its discretion as to visitation by the parents. The court, in the event of a disagreement with the Children's Services Division over matters of visitation, now has the authority to make the final decision and may allow or deny visitation, or affirm the visitation established by the Children's Services Division.
We therefore hold that the review was improvidently granted.
Review improvidently granted.