Opinion ID: 1914420
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: accessibility of the confidential reports

Text: Adoption is a privilege which exists only where expressly granted by statute and is subject to statutory restrictions and exceptions. The adoption of minors under seventeen years of age is governed by La. R.S. 9:421 et seq. The statutory scheme requires that DHHR study the proposed adoption and submit a confidential report of its findings to the judge. La.R.S. 9:427. La.R.S. 9:437(A) unequivocally states that [n]o one except the judge presiding in the case, or his successor, shall have access to the confidential report rendered to the judge by the department and allows the court to punish for contempt anyone violating this provision. In addition, the judge is given the discretion to destroy the confidential reports following the final disposition of the case. La.R.S. 9:437(B). [6] Despite the legislative mandate of confidentiality, the Gaspards relying primarily on State in the Interest of Delcuze, 407 So.2d 707 (La.1981), contend that they should be allowed access to the pre-adoptive report on them. In Delcuze, the state brought an action to remove the custody of children from their parents on allegations that the children were in need of care and/or neglected. The parents wanted to discover information in the case files of DHHR under C.J.P. art. 60 which allows discovery in neglect cases of reports in the possession or control of the district attorney or probation officer. La.R.S. 46:56, however, mandated that the records in neglect cases were to be kept confidential. This court held that DHHR was a probation officer within the meaning of C.J.P. art. 60 and that due process required that the statutory requirement of confidentiality must yield to the constitutionally-protected interest of those asserting their parental status. [7] In the instant case, there is no provision allowing discovery of pre-adoptive reports in possession of the presiding judge. Moreover, the Gaspards do not enjoy a constitutionally-protected parental status but are merely asserting their statutory privilege of adoption. The state's interest in preventing access to the pre-adoptive reports is a result of the extremely sensitive and confidential information contained therein and the desire to protect the child as well as the identity of the informants. The Gaspards have not asserted any constitutionally-protected right which outweighs this interest. We do not consider that due process requires the Gaspards to have access to the confidential report on them. Their protection against adverse information in the report is the close scrutiny and evaluation thereof by the trial judge. A supplemental report or further verification of the information may be ordered by the judge. Accordingly, we feel that the court of appeal erred in allowing the Gaspards access to the confidential report rendered to the judge by DHHR on them.