Opinion ID: 2507269
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: DHS's actions post-April 16, 2001

Text: On April 19, 2001, a second MDT meeting in Minor's case was held at the KMC. FOF No. 186. With respect to the MDT meeting and the events that followed, the trial court found in relevant part: 186. . . . Dr. Schneider was one of the members of the MDT [whose] . . . role was to provide her medical opinion as to whether the injuries [Minor] suffered were child abuse. Dr. Schneider concluded that both [Minor]'s femur fracture and her injuries on April 16 were the result of child abuse. In regard to the femur fracture, she indicated that the lack of history from Denise to explain the injury, Denise's statement that [Minor] did not cry, the fact that the force needed to produce a femur fracture was significant, and the lack of history in reporting symptoms led to the conclusion that the injuries were the result of child abuse. 187. The MDT assessed [Minor] as the victim of battered child syndrome.[ [21] ] 188. On April 20, 2001, [Ms.] Brewerton and [Ms.] Gnehm-Wright signed off on a Safe Family Home Report[ [22] ] in [Minor]'s case. . . . [Therein,] DHS recommended psychological evaluations[ [23] ] and comprehensive home-based services. DHS also stated, the child's physical state at the moment illustrates that she was not protected by anyone. 189. On June 4, 2001, Dr. Tasaki told DHS that [Minor]'s injuries had been caused by trauma and that someone had used [Minor] as a punching bag. 190. DHS eventually confirmed that [Minor] was the victim of child abuse. . . . FOF Nos. 186-90 (citations to the transcripts and trial exhibits omitted). During Minor's stay at the KMC, DHS petitioned for temporary foster custody of Minor, which was granted by the family court. Minor was discharged from the hospital and eventually returned to Maui on August 8, 2001 and was placed in a DHS emergency foster home. A guardian ad litem (GAL) was appointed to represent Minor's interest, pending the court's custody decision. On August 12, 2001, the GAL filed a report with the family court, recommending that foster custody be awarded to Jarrett until the resolution of the legal and physical custody issue. The GAL's report further indicated that [i]t is far past the time for . . . DHS to identify the perpetrator in this case, and[,] if that is not possible[,] then [DHS] should be making reasonable efforts to determine [under] whose care and custody the injuries to [Minor] occurred. Subsequently, DHS initiated a family court proceeding to determine foster custody of Minor. Following a three-day hearing [hereinafter, the foster custody hearing], the family court, on January 8, 2002, orally found that [t]he evidence as a whole shows that it is more probable than not that [Minor] was harmed while in the physical care of her mother, Denise and that [Minor] was not harmed while in the physical care of her father[,] Jarrett[.] The family court further found that: [Minor] was injured at least three times while in the mother's care. And all those three injuries, the femur injury involved tremendous force as well as the stomach injury involving tremendous force. The [c]ourt cannot overlook that. The [c]ourt is simply not adding up experts. However, it's very hard to ignore the various doctors who have testified that [Minor]'s injury occurred while in the mother's care. . . . . . . . [T]o me[,] the evidence is clear as to whose care and custody the injury occurred. Consequently, the family court revoked DHS's foster custody and awarded family supervision custody of Minor to Jarrett. Ultimately, Jarrett was awarded sole legal and physical custody of Minor. See FOF No. 193.