Opinion ID: 1472549
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Admission of Guardian Ad Litem Report

Text: [¶ 7] The mother objected to the admission into evidence of the guardian ad litem's report, although its admission is authorized by 22 M.R.S.A. § 4005(1)(D). [4] She contends that the report was admitted in error because it contains hearsay, and the court's consideration of the hearsay statements violates her due process rights. [¶ 8] Hearsay is: A statement, other than one made by the declarant while testifying at the trial or hearing, offered in evidence to prove the truth of the matter asserted. M.R. Evid. 801(c). Hearsay is generally inadmissible except as provided by law or by these rules. The words `as provided by law' include applicable state and federal statutes. M.R. Evid. 802. [¶ 9] Section 4005(1)(D) was amended in 2002 to give the court discretion to admit a guardian ad litem's report into evidence. P.L.2001, ch. 696 § 12. Section 4005 requires a court-appointed guardian ad litem to act in pursuit of the best interests of the child, and investigate to ascertain the facts. 22 M.R.S.A. § 4005(1)(B). The statute mandates that the guardian have access to otherwise confidential records and conduct interviews with several sources, including anyone who ha[s] been involved in caring for or treating the child. 22 M.R.S.A. § 4005(1)(B)(5). The guardian must then compile a report of his or her investigation and make conclusions and recommendations. 22 M.R.S.A. § 4005(1)(D). [¶ 10] We have addressed similar hearsay and due process issues in opinions approving the admission of statutorily authorized guardian ad litem or DHHS reports in divorce proceedings. Richards v. Bruce, 1997 ME 61, ¶ 10, 691 A.2d 1223, 1226; Ziehm v. Ziehm, 433 A.2d 725, 727-29 (Me.1981). Thus, there is no question that the Legislature may authorize court consideration of the contents of guardian ad litem reports as an exception to the hearsay rule. The real issue is whether the court's consideration of the information in these reports violates due process rights. Ziehm, 433 A.2d at 729. [¶ 11] The mother cites the holding of Santosky v. Kramer, 455 U.S. 745, 753, 102 S.Ct. 1388, 71 L.Ed.2d 599 (1982), that parents must be afforded the utmost in procedural protection when the state deprives them of their parental rights, to support her contention that admitting the report of the guardian ad litem violated procedural due process. [¶ 12] Three factors must be balanced to determine whether a particular procedure comports with due process. [F]irst, the private interest that will be affected by the official action; second, the risk of an erroneous deprivation of such interest through the procedures used, and the probable value, if any, of additional or substitute procedural safeguards; and finally, the Government's interest, including the function involved and the fiscal and administrative burdens that the additional or substitute procedural requirement would entail. Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S. 319, 335, 96 S.Ct. 893, 47 L.Ed.2d 18 (1976); see Balian v. Board of Licensure in Medicine, 1999 ME 8, ¶ 10, 722 A.2d 364, 367. [¶ 13] In In re Charles Jason R. Jr., 572 A.2d 1080, 1081-82 (Me.1990), we applied these three factors to uphold 22 M.R.S.A. § 4007(2) (2004), that permits the court to consider a child's out-of-court statements to the extent of their probative value. There, we read Santosky to mean that the revocability of a jeopardy order reduces potential harm to important parental rights. Charles Jason R. Jr., 572 A.2d at 1081. We noted that the risk of error was low since the statute only allowed hearsay to the extent that it is probative. Id. Though section 4005(1)(D) does not contain a similar provision, it does give the court discretion to admit a given report or not. [¶ 14] The law provides other safeguards to reduce the risk of untrustworthy information affecting the court's decision. First, the guardian ad litem is a disinterested party and an agent of the court. 22 M.R.S.A. § 4005(1)(G). The guardian ad litem must meet court established qualification requirements in order to serve, 22 M.R.S.A. § 4005(1)(A), and therefore possesses competence and experience to make reasoned judgments about the reliability of information. Second, the guardian ad litem is statutorily required to provide copies of the report and the names of sources to all parties in advance of trial. 22 M.R.S.A. § 4005(1)(D). Further, nothing precluded the mother from calling a declarant to testify, or producing a witness of her own to rebut the challenged statements. [¶ 15] The mother argues that if the report is deemed admissible, statements from parties not called to testify should be redacted. To do so, however, would negate the purpose of a guardian ad litem, which is to conduct an investigation, recommend what action is in the best interests of the child, and outline the reasons for those conclusions. See generally 22 M.R.S.A. § 4005. As demonstrated by the Legislature's insistence that the guardian ad litem have access to varied documents and persons, the value in the guardian ad litem's report is in both its foundation and its conclusions. See id. [¶ 16] Applied to hearing processes where significant rights are at stake, due process requires: notice of the issues, an opportunity to be heard, the right to introduce evidence and present witnesses, the right to respond to claims and evidence, and an impartial fact-finder. In re Kristy Y., 2000 ME 98, ¶ 7, 752 A.2d 166, 169. The jeopardy hearing provided each of these essentials of due process. The trial court's reliance on statements in the guardian ad litem's report, prepared and offered subject to these protections to support its reliability, did not violate the mother's due process rights. Ziehm, 433 A.2d at 729.