T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on and i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by 9th C i r . R . 36- 3.

T he H onor abl e B a rba r aM . G . L y nn, U ni t e d S t a t e s D i s tr i c tJ udge f or ** the N orthe rn D i s tr i c tof T e xa s , s i tt i ng by de s i gna t i on. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T T A N Y A S C H W E N K ; e t a l., P l ai n t i ffs - A p p el l an t s, v. C O U N T Y O F A L A M E D A ; e t a l., D efen d an t s - A p p el l ees. N o. 07- 16525 D . C. N o . CV - 0 7 - 0 0 8 4 9 - SBA ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e N o r th e rn D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia S aundr aB . A rm s tr ong, D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d D e c e m be r9, 2009 S a n F r a n c is c o , C a lif

o rn ia B e f o r e : S C HR OE DE R a n d C AL L AH AN , C i r c u i tJ u d g e s , a n d L YN N, D i stri ct ** Judg e. T anyaS chw enk and her s on , C hri st op her S chw enk, appeal the di stri ct c o u rt’s o r d e rg r a n tin g th e ap p e lle e s ’ m o tio n to d is m is s th e ir§ 1 9 8 3 c o m p la in t. W e 

# FI LED FEB 02 2 010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALSB ec ause the part i es ar e f am i l i arw i th the fa ct s, w e r epea tthem here on l y a s 1 nece ss ary t o the di sposi t i on of thi s c as e. 2 ha ve j ur i s di c t i on unde r28 U . S . C . § 1291. W e a f f i rm i n pa r t , r e ve r s e i n pa r t , a nd rem an d fo r fu rth er p ro ceed i n g s. 1 T h e d istrict co u rt er re d b y d ism issin g th e c as e in li g h t o f T an ya S ch w en k ’s w e l l - pl e a de d a l l e ga t i on tha ts he w a s C hr i s t ophe r ’ s l e ga l c us t odi a n. W he n rul i ng o n th e m o ti o n to d ism iss, th e d istrict co u rt w as re q u ired to tak e a s tru e S ch w en k ’s a l l e ga t i on of

l e ga l c us t ody , unl e s s c ontr a di c t e d by am a tt e rpr ope r l ybe f or e the c o u rt. See S

p rew el l v. G o lden S ta te W

a rri o rs , 2 6 6 F .3 d 9 7 9 , 9 8 8 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 1 ) . T he di s tr i c tc ourtpr ope r l y t ook j udi c i a l not i c e of a n i nt e r i m or de rof

the A l a m e da C ounty F a m i l y C ourt , da t e d M a y 11, 2004, w hi c h tr a ns f e rr e d phy s i c a l c us t ody of C hr i s t ophe rf

r om T a ny aS c hw e nk t o hi s f a the ra nd w hi c h ga ve T a ny aS c hw e nk

“ vi si t at i on w i th [C hri st op her] every S un day a t7: 30 a. m . un t i l S un day a t9: 00 p. m . ” See L ee v. C i t

y of L os A ng eles , 250 F . 3d 668, 689 ( 9th C i r . 2001) ; F e d. R . E vi d. 201. H ow e ve r , be c aus e the or de rw a s s i l e nton the m a tt e rof l e ga l c us t ody , the d is tr ic t c o u rt e rr e d b y c o n c lu d in g th a t T a n y aS c h w e n kd id n o t h a v e ale g a l b a s is to c h a lle n g e th e s e iz u r e o f C h r is to p h e r . B urke v . C ount y of A lam e da , 586 F . 3d 725, 73 3 (9th C i r. 20 09 ) ( no t i ng thata par entw i tho utph ys i ca l cust od y m ayhave l egal c us t ody , a nd r e c ogni z i ng s uc h pa r e nt ’ s l i be r ty i nt e r e s ti n the c a r e , c us t ody , a ndW e a gree w i th the di stri ctcourtthatappel l ee s’ ar gu m ent s urgi ng di sm i ss al 2 un der the R ooke r - Fe ldm an d o c tr in e a r e w ith o u t m e r it. See E xx on Mob i l

C orp. v. SaudiB as i c I

ndus . C or

p. , 5 4 4 U .S . 2 8 0 , 2 8 4 ( 2 0 0 5 ) .

3 m a n a g e m e n t o f

th e irc h ild r e n ) ; se e al

so B ri t tai n v. H

an se n , 4 5 1 F .3 d 9 8 2 , 9 9 2 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 6 ) ( r e c o g n iz in g th a t p a r e n ts w ith o u t le g a l c u s to d y b u t w ith v is ita tio n r ig h ts m a i nt a i n al i be rty i nt e r e s ti n the c a r e , c us t ody , a nd m a na ge m e ntof the i rc hi l dr e n, a lb e it ar e d u c e d o n e ) ; C a l. F a m . C o d e § 3 0 0 3 . W e a f f irm th e d is m is s a l a s to L a c a tiv o o n th e b a s is o f q u a lif ie d im m u n ity . A tthe t i m e of

the a l l e ge d c onduc t , w e ha d noty e tde c i de d B urke , w h ic h e x p r e s s ly h el d th at“ p aren t s w i th l eg al cu st o d y, reg ard l ess o f w h eth er th ey al so p o ssess phy s i c a l c us t ody of

the i rc hi l dr e n” ha ve al i be r ty i nt e r e s ti n the c a r e , c us t ody , a nd m a na ge m e ntof

the i rc hi l dr e n. 586 F . 3d a t731, 733- 34. A c c or di ngl y , the r i ght w a s n o t y e t c le a r ly e s tab lis h e d , id. at73 4, and L ac at i vo i s e nt i t l ed t o q ual i fi ed im m u n ity . P e ars on v . C al lahan , 1 2 9 S .C t. 8 0 8 , 8 1 5 ( 2 0 0 9 ) . B ec ause the di stri ctcourterre d i n i t s a ss es sm entof appel l ant s’ al l eged r ig h ts , th e c o u rt, o n r e m a n d , s h o u ld r e e v a lu a te th e irc la im s a g a in s t th e C o u n ty pur s ua ntt o Mo n el l

v. D ep ’t o f So c. Servs. , 436 U . S . 658, 694 ( 1978) . O n r e m a nd, 2 the di s tr i c tc ourts houl d a l s o a ddr e s s the c l a i m s purpor t e dl y a s s e r t e d by C h r is to p h e rS c h w e n k , a s to w h ic h its e a r lie ro r d e rw a s s ile n t.4

AF F I RME D in p a rt; RE V E RS E D i n pa r t , a nd RE MAND E D for f urther p r o c e e d in g s . E a c h p a rty s h a ll b e a rits o w n c o s ts .