Third District Court of Appeal

State of Florida 

Opinion filed October 19, 2022.

Not final until disposition of timely filed motion for rehearing.

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No. 3D22-801

Lower Tribunal No. 20-5150

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Statewide Guardian ad Litem, et al., 

Petitioners,

vs.

Amaury Alberto, et al.,

Respondents.

A Writ of Certiorari to the Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County, Denise 

Martinez-Scanziani, Judge.

GrayRobinson, P.A., and Thomasina F. Moore (Tampa), for petitioner

Statewide Guardian ad Litem; Stephanie C. Zimmerman, Deputy Director & 

Statewide Director of Appeals (Bradenton), for petitioner Department of 

Children and Families. 

Susan Meisel Levin, P.A., and Susan Meisel Levin; Alan I. Mishael, 

P.A., and Alan I. Mishael, for respondents Amaury Alberto and Yanira 

Cardenas.

Before EMAS, HENDON and BOKOR, JJ. 

EMAS, J.
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INTRODUCTION

The Florida Statewide Guardian ad Litem (“GAL”) and the Department 

of Children and Families (“DCF”)1 petition this court for a writ of certiorari 

quashing several nonfinal orders compelling the production of certain 

confidential records in a prior dependency case. We grant the amended 

petition and quash the orders to the extent those orders, in the absence of 

an in camera inspection and determination of necessity, overruled objections 

based on statutory confidentiality under chapter 39 and compelled the 

production of confidential reports, records or documents. 

FACTS AND BACKGROUND

Amaury Alberto and Yanira Cardenas (“the Former Parents”) were the 

adoptive parents of four minor children. In late 2018, the minor children were 

removed from the custody of the Former Parents and a dependency petition 

was filed. Soon thereafter, DCF filed a petition for termination of parental 

rights, and the Former Parents executed affidavits surrendering their 

parental rights to the minor children. On February 6, 2019, following a 

hearing, the trial court entered a final judgment terminating the Former 

Parents’ parental rights to the four minor children. 

1 After the Statewide Guardian ad Litem filed this petition, the Department of 

Children and Families filed a notice of joinder in GAL’s amended petition and 

to realign itself as a petitioner in this proceeding. See Fla. R. App. P. 

9.360(a)
3

More than a year later, the Former Parents filed, in the civil division of 

the circuit court, a petition under Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.540(b), 

seeking to set aside the final judgment terminating their parental rights. GAL

and DCF moved to dismiss the Former Parents’ petition, asserting inter alia 

that the Former Parents had no standing to bring the action and that the trial 

court was without jurisdiction to adjudicate the petition. The motion to 

dismiss was denied.

The Former Parents then served a request for production, seeking 

twelve categories of documents which the Former Parents contend were

related to the issues raised in their 1.540(b) petition. Contemporaneous with

the request for production, the Former Parents sought entry of a “Combined 

HIPAA Protective Order and a Chapter 39 Confidentiality Order Governing 

Discovery,” which the Former Parents contended was “an effort to 

proactively anticipate and expedite resolution of blanket objections” to the 

request for production.

The attorneys ad litem for the minor children objected to the production 

of the requested documents, asserting Former Parents had no standing2 and 

2 In disposing of the claim raised in this petition, we decline at this point to 

reach the standing issue. But see Stefanos v. Rivera-Berrios, 673 So. 2d 

12, 13 (Fla. 1996) (noting that “an order of termination of parental rights 

permanently deprives the parents or legal guardian of any right to the child. 

§ 39.469(2)(b), Fla. Stat. (1991). Any rights the natural parent may have had 

to the child are permanently forfeited and cannot be reopened by means 
4

that the items requested were privileged confidential documents under

chapter 39, Florida Statutes, as well as State and Federal HIPAA provisions. 

Subject to those objections, the minor children addressed each of the twelve 

individual requests for production, indicating they had no objection to the 

Former Parents having access to records that are “available as a matter of 

public record to all parties in the termination of parental rights cause of action 

prior to the entry of the Final Judgment.” The minor children objected to the 

Former Parents receiving or having any access to documents or records that 

“encompass[] any information post termination of parental rights consent and 

surrender,” asserting they are protected as confidential and/or work product. 

GAL and DCF also objected to the production of the sought-after documents, 

raising similar standing and confidentiality arguments. 

The trial court issued three separate orders relative to the Former 

Parents’ request for production: (1) overruling any general or blanket 

objection to the production of records based on chapter 39 confidentiality or 

HIPAA, and directing that any confidential records being produced shall be 

maintained as confidential by the parties; (2) ordering the production of 

other than a proper appeal” and further noting that “[d]espite the permanency 

of a termination order, a parent whose parental rights have been terminated 

is not precluded from establishing new rights to his or her child through 

independent adoption proceedings.”)
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certain confidential records and reserving ruling on others; and (3) ordering 

the production of certain confidential records while sustaining objections to 

the production of other confidential records. The trial court did not 

conduct an in camera inspection, nor make any finding of necessity, before 

overruling objections and compelling the production of certain purportedly 

confidential records. Instead, it concluded that the production of the records 

pursuant to these orders would “promote judicial economy and 

simultaneously ensure protection of all parties.” 

The instant amended petition for writ of certiorari followed. 

ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

All records held by DCF “concerning reports of child abandonment, 

abuse, or neglect, . . . and all records generated as a result of such reports, 

shall be kept confidential and exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1) and 

shall not be disclosed except as specifically authorized by” chapter 39, 

Florida Statutes. § 39.02(1), Fla. Stat. (2021). Dependency court records 

are included by the legislature in the narrow category of court records where 

public access is proscribed or substantially restricted because records in this 

category involve "specific privacy or government interests that clearly 

outweigh the public's right to know." In re Amends. to Fla. R. of Jud. Admin. 

2.420, 954 So. 2d 16, 20-21 (Fla. 2007); see also Natural Parents of J.B. v. 

Fla. Dep't of Children & Family Servs., 780 So. 2d 6, 9 (Fla. 2001) (upholding 
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constitutionality of statute mandating closure of termination of parental rights 

hearings, explaining “it is in the best interest of the child to protect the child 

from publicity in certain proceedings and that this protection outweighs the 

public's right to access. We do not agree. . . that in TPR proceedings a 

presumption of openness is constitutionally required. A presumption that 

juvenile proceedings be closed to the public is consistent with the history and 

tradition of the juvenile justice system and furthers the sound and practical 

purposes of that system.")

The confidentiality of the records at issue in such cases must be 

maintained at all times unless exempt from disclosure as set forth by law.3 

3 For example, section 39.0132(3) and (4), Florida Statutes (2021) provide: 

(3) The clerk shall keep all court records required by this chapter 

separate from other records of the circuit court. All court records 

required by this chapter shall not be open to inspection by the 

public. All records shall be inspected only upon order of the court 

by persons deemed by the court to have a proper interest therein, 

except that, subject to the provisions of s. 63.162, a child and the 

parents of the child and their attorneys, the guardian ad litem, 

criminal conflict and civil regional counsels, law enforcement 

agencies, and the department and its designees shall always 

have the right to inspect and copy any official record pertaining 

to the child. The Justice Administrative Commission may inspect 

court dockets required by this chapter as necessary to audit 

compensation of court-appointed attorneys. If the docket is 

insufficient for purposes of the audit, the commission may 

petition the court for additional documentation as necessary and 

appropriate. The court may permit authorized representatives of 

recognized organizations compiling statistics for proper 

purposes to inspect and make abstracts from official records, 
7

There are some limited statutory exceptions to the nondisclosure of, and 

non-access to, these confidential records. For example, chapter 39 allows 

under whatever conditions upon their use and disposition the 

court may deem proper, and may punish by contempt 

proceedings any violation of those conditions.

(4)(a) 1. All information obtained pursuant to this part in the 

discharge of official duty by any judge, employee of the court, 

authorized agent of the department, correctional probation 

officer, or law enforcement agent is confidential and exempt from 

s. 119.07(1) and may not be disclosed to anyone other than the 

authorized personnel of the court, the department and its 

designees, correctional probation officers, law enforcement 

agents, the guardian ad litem, criminal conflict and civil regional 

counsels, and others entitled under this chapter to receive that 

information, except upon order of the court.

2. a. The following information held by a guardian ad 

litem is confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) 

and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution:

(I) Medical, mental health, substance abuse, 

child care, education, law enforcement, court, 

social services, and financial records.

(II) Any other information maintained by a 

guardian ad litem which is identified as 

confidential information under this chapter.

b. Such confidential and exempt information may not 

be disclosed to anyone other than the authorized 

personnel of the court, the department and its

designees, correctional probation officers, law 

enforcement agents, guardians ad litem, and others 

entitled under this chapter to receive that information, 

except upon order of the court.
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for disclosure of documents to the parent of the child.4 In addition, a court 

may order disclosure of confidential records where the court finds “that 

access to such records may be necessary for the determination of an issue 

before the court.” § 39.202(2)(f). However, importantly, “such access shall 

be limited to inspection in camera, unless the court determines that public 

disclosure of the information contained therein is necessary for the resolution 

of an issue then pending before it.” Id.

Although it is within the trial court’s discretion to determine the 

necessity for such access, see Dep’t of Health & Rehab. Servs. v. A.N., 604 

So. 2d 11 (Fla. 3d DCA 1992), a trial court in the present circumstances 

generally must conduct an in camera inspection in order to determine 

whether the party has made a proper showing to warrant granting access to 

such confidential records. See In re Records of Dep’t of Children & Family 

Servs., 873 So. 2d 506, 514 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004) (noting that, in evaluating 

whether there is good cause for the disclosure of confidential documents 

under a similar law,

5 “there can ordinarily be no ‘logic and justification for the 

4 Note that because the parental rights of the Former Parents had been 

terminated at the time of this discovery request, they do not meet this 

exception for disclosure of the confidential records.

5 In 2004, when this opinion was issued by our sister court, section 

119.07(7)(a), Florida Statutes authorized the trial court to make public those 

DCF records pertaining to investigations of alleged abuse if the court 

determined that good cause existed for public access to the records. This 

subsection has since been removed by the legislature. 
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result’ embodied in the trial court’s good cause determination if the trial court 

has not conducted an in camera review of the records at issue.”) 

Further, the burden is on the party seeking the production of such 

documents to establish the requisite necessity to gain access to such

confidential records. See Sarasota Herald-Tribune v. Dep’t of Children & 

Family Servs., 873 So. 2d 506, 512 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004) (holding that 

petitioner, as the party seeking access, shouldered the burden to establish 

good cause required to access DCF’s confidential records under section 

39.202); J.B. v. State, 250 So. 3d 829 (Fla. 3d DCA) (explaining that a 

patient’s confidential communications or records made for the purpose of 

diagnosis or treatment of a mental or emotional condition are privileged 

under section 90.503, Florida Statutes (2017), subject to three statutory 

exceptions, and the burden is on the person seeking disclosure of the 

patient’s records to demonstrate that one of those exceptions applies).

In the instant case, the trial court did not conduct an in camera 

inspection, nor make the requisite finding of necessity, prior to overruling 

objections and compelling production of certain purportedly confidential 

records. We hold this constitutes a departure from the essential 

requirements of the law, causing irreparable injury which cannot be 
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adequately remedied on appeal following final judgment.

6 See e.g., D.C. v. 

J.M., 133 So. 3d 1080 (Fla. 3d DCA 2014) (granting certiorari relief and 

holding trial court’s order departed from the essential requirements of law by 

allowing foster parents unfettered right to access court files in a dependency 

proceeding). 

CONCLUSION

Accordingly, we grant the petition, issue the writ, and quash the orders 

to the extent those orders overruled objections based on statutory 

confidentiality under chapter 39 and—in the absence of an in camera 

inspection and appropriate showing and determination of necessity—

compelled the production of confidential reports, records and documents.

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We remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

6 It is beyond peradventure that this type of “cat out of the bag” disclosure 

satisfies the irreparable harm prong required for certiorari relief. See, e.g.,

Allstate Ins. Co. v. Langston, 655 So. 2d 91 (Fla. 1995); Shader v. ABS 

Healthcare Svcs., LLC, 337 So. 3d 1259 (Fla. 3d DCA 2022); Rousso v. 

Hannon, 146 So. 3d 66 (Fla. 3d DCA 2014). 

7 We express no opinion whether the Former Parents can make the 

appropriate showing.