Opinion ID: 2455559
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Right to Procedural Due Process

Text: ¶ 95 The Jensens also claim that their procedural due process rights were violated by defendants Wagner and Cunningham. Article I, section 7 of the Utah Constitution contains a procedural component. Under it, notice and opportunity to be heard. . . must be observed in order to have a valid proceeding affecting life, liberty, or property. Wells v. Children's Aid Soc'y of Utah, 681 P.2d 199, 204 (Utah 1984). Additionally, [t]o be considered a meaningful hearing, the concerns of the affected parties should be heard by an impartial decision maker. Chen v. Stewart, 2004 UT 82, ¶ 68, 100 P.3d 1177 (internal quotation marks omitted). ¶ 96 The Jensens assert that Dr. Wagner's and Ms. Cunningham's reckless or intentional misrepresentations rendered the juvenile court proceedings so unfair as to violate the Jensens' procedural due process rights. To support their misrepresentation claim, the Jensens cite Walker v. State, in which we noted, It is an accepted premise in American jurisprudence that any conviction obtained by the knowing use of false testimony is fundamentally unfair and totally incompatible with rudimentary demands of justice. 624 P.2d 687, 690 (Utah 1981) (internal quotation marks omitted). But even assuming Walker is applicable in this civil case, there is no evidence in the record that either Dr. Wagner or Ms. Cunningham deliberately made false statements or material omissions to the juvenile court. ¶ 97 The Jensens also claim Ms. Cunningham's failure to investigate the medical neglect allegations deprived them of an opportunity to be heard in a meaningful way. This claim also fails. At the juvenile court, the Jensens were free to challenge Ms. Cunningham's allegations, including the circumstances surrounding them. The Jensens were provided with adequate notice and a meaningful opportunity to be heard. Consequently, neither Ms. Cunningham nor Dr. Wagner committed a flagrant violation of the Jensens' procedural due process rights. [11]