Filed 1/12/21 In re O.R. CA2/4

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS

California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for 

publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication 

or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION FOUR

In re O.R. et al., 

Persons Coming Under the 

Juvenile Court Law.

 B304152

 (Los Angeles County

 Super. Ct. No. 18CCJP00845A-B)

LOS ANGELES COUNTY 

DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN 

AND FAMILY SERVICES,

Plaintiff and Respondent,

v.

J.R.-P. et al.,

Defendants and Appellants.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, 

Craig S. Barnes, Judge. Dismissed.

Andre F.F. Toscano, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for 

Defendant and Appellant J.R.-P.

Neale B. Gold, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for 

Defendant and Appellant M.R.

No appearance for Plaintiff and Respondent.
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Defendants M.R. and J.R.-P. (respectively, mother and father; 

collectively, parents) appeal from an order of the juvenile court 

terminating their parental rights, under Welfare and Institutions Code 

section 366.26, with regard to their sons, O.R. and M.R. After 

examination of the record, appellants’ appointed counsel filed opening 

briefs under In re Phoenix H. (2009) 47 Cal.4th 835 (Phoenix H.), 

stating they found no arguable issues and asking this court to exercise 

its discretion to allow their clients to file his or her own brief. (See id. 

at pp. 844–845 [if appointed counsel files a brief raising no issues on 

behalf of an indigent parent in a dependency action, the appellate court 

has discretion to permit the parent to personally file a brief].) Counsel 

advised their respective clients they had 30 days within which they 

could personally submit any contentions he or she felt this court should 

consider, and further that the court had discretion to grant or deny 

permission to file the brief(s) if we found the existence of an arguable 

issue, but the appeal would be dismissed in the absence of arguable 

issues. 

Father submitted a letter in which he strove to explain his 

troubled personal, mental health and marital history, and why those

circumstances drove his failure or inability to comply with court orders 

or act appropriately during the course of this dependency action. 

Mother also submitted a letter. She attempted to explain that, 

notwithstanding her failure to comply with the reunification plan and 

the likelihood of her sons’ adoption, “new evidence” established she had 

shifted her focus from herself to her children. She explained that her 
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participation in a rehabilitation program had facilitated her 

“transformation” since parental rights were terminated on January 20, 

2020, and that she is now “the best version of [herself] that [she could] 

be” and “the person best suited to fill the needs of her children.” Each 

parent asked this court to grant him or her another opportunity to 

reunify with the children. 

An appealed from judgment is presumed correct. (Denham v. 

Superior Court (1970) 2 Cal.3d 557, 564.) Appellant bears the burden to 

raise claims of reversible error or another defect. If he or she fails to do 

so, the appeal may be dismissed. (In re Sade C. (1996) 13 Cal.4th 952, 

994.) Here, each parent, in essence, asks this court to reweigh and 

resolve conflicts in the evidence, and reject the juvenile court’s

conclusions. We are not at liberty to do so. We have reviewed each 

parent’s letter brief and conclude that neither brief presents good cause 

that any legally cognizable error in the juvenile court’s orders exists. 

Accordingly, the appeal is dismissed. (Phoenix H., supra, 47 Cal.4th at 

pp. 843, 846; In re Sade C., at p. 994.) 

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DISPOSITION

The appeal is dismissed.

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS

WILLHITE, J.

We concur:

MANELLA, P. J.

CURREY, J.