Opinion ID: 6108092
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The DHS file

Text: Taffner's request for the DHS file was denied by the circuit court. Although the court conducted an in camera hearing before the trial to determine whether the information contained therein should be disclosed to Taffner, the court concluded that it would not be disclosed. At that point in the proceedings, the court believed that BT had not recanted her allegation that her biological father had sexually abused her. The court ruled that Taffner's questioning would be limited to whether BT had made an allegation of sexual abuse against her biological father, if the allegation was true, and how long ago it happened. The court specifically ruled that no documentation would be allowed.
In Pennsylvania v. Ritchie , 480 U.S. 39 , 107 S.Ct. 989 , 94 L.Ed.2d 40 (1987), the defendant was charged with sexual offenses against his minor daughter. The matter was referred to the state's Children and Youth Services (CYS) agency for investigation, and the defendant sought in discovery the records related to the charges at issue in the case, as well as records from a separate report that the defendant's children were being abused. The State refused to turn over the records, despite the existence of a state statute that allowed such records to be disclosed to a court. Although the lower court refused to order production of the records, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court concluded that the trial court's refusal to order production of the records violated the United States Constitution's Confrontation Clause and the Compulsory Process Clause. Pennsylvania appealed. The United States Supreme  Court determined that the circuit court should have at least reviewed the file to determine the materiality of its content. The Supreme Court did not agree with Ritchie's argument that he was entitled to access to the entire file. The Court concluded that Ritchie's rights could be protected by remanding to allow the trial court to review the file to determine whether it contained information that probably would have changed the outcome of the trial. Specifically, the court held: We therefore affirm the decision of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to the extent it orders a remand for further proceedings. Ritchie is entitled to have the CYS file reviewed by the trial court to determine whether it contains information that probably would have changed the outcome of his trial. If it does, he must be given a new trial. If the records maintained by CYS contain no such information, or if the nondisclosure was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt, the lower court will be free to reinstate the prior conviction. Id. at 58 , 107 S.Ct. 989 . Previously, we have said that unfounded reports of sexual abuse contained in DHS records could not be disclosed to a criminal defendant. Fox v. State , 314 Ark. 523 , 863 S.W.2d 568 (1993) ; Douthitt v. State , 326 Ark. 794 , 935 S.W.2d 241 (1996). However, those cases interpreted prior statutory law, which did not allow the disclosure to defendants of unfounded reports of sexual abuse contained in DHS records. Current Arkansas law allows the disclosure in a criminal case of unsubstantiated reports of child maltreatment contained in DHS records. Ark. Code Ann. § 12-18-910 (Supp. 2017). Just as in Ritchie , where the Pennsylvania statute allowed for disclosure, our statute does as well. Therefore, we believe that Ritchie is directly on point in reviewing this matter. Based upon Ritchie , we hold that the circuit court erred by failing to review the DHS file to determine whether it contains information that was material to Taffner's defense.
Because we find that the circuit court erred with respect to the DHS file, we must determine the appropriate remedy. In doing so, we again look to Ritchie. Although Taffner suggests that the remedy is to grant him a new trial, we disagree. In Ritchie , the Supreme Court observed that the Pennsylvania statute did not prohibit all disclosure of CYS records. Because the Pennsylvania statute allowed disclosure of CYS records pursuant to a court order, the Supreme Court concluded that the statute did not prevent all disclosure in a criminal prosecution. Id. Our statute, like the Pennsylvania statute in Ritchie , allows disclosure of unsubstantiated reports to the parties in a criminal case under the terms of a protective order issued by the court. Ark. Code Ann. § 12-18-910 (f)(4). We believe that the approach set forth in Ritchie is applicable. This matter must be remanded so the circuit court can conduct an in camera review of the file and determine if Taffner is entitled to any of the information it contains. 3