Opinion ID: 1914420
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: admissibility of the confidential report on the perrys

Text: When a petition to adopt a child is filed pursuant to La.R.S. 9:421 et seq., DHHR is directed to study the proposed adoption and submit a confidential report of its findings to the judge. La.R.S. 9:427. The judge, upon examining the confidential report and upon the parties being interrogated, may grant or refuse to grant an interlocutory decree of adoption. La.R.S. 9:429. Clearly, under these provisions, the confidential reports prepared by DHHR are admissible evidence in the adoption proceedings. In the instant case, both the Perrys and the Gaspards filed petitions to adopt the child in question. Confidential reports on both the Perrys and the Gaspards were submitted to the judge. Although the petition of the Perrys to adopt the child was dismissed, they have intervened in the present proceedings asking to be appointed custodians of the child. The report on them is highly relevant to this issue. We consider that the trial judge, in the best interest of the child, should be able to consider the confidential report on the Perrys as evidence in the instant proceedings. Hence, the trial judge did not err in ruling that the confidential report on the Perrys would be considered as evidence. While the confidential report on the Perrys is to be considered by the trial judge, for the reasons hereinabove stated with respect to the accessibility of the confidential report on the Gaspards, we do not consider the Gaspards entitled to access to it. Hence, the ruling of the court of appeal denying the Gaspards access to the confidential report on the Perrys was correct.