M.P. v. Department of Children & Family Services
M.P. v. Department of Children & Family Services
Opinion of the Court
M.P., the Mother, appeals an order finding that two of her children are dependent as to the father, who had consented to the dependency. The order withheld adjudication of dependency and accepted a case plan for the children. In the dependency order, the trial court found that it was in the best interest of the children to remain in the custody of the Mother under protective supervision.
DCF filed the petition for adjudication of dependency alleging that during a visit with the children, the father pushed the Mother while at the home of the maternal great-grandparents. The Mother fell on the child, T.B., who was knocked down and struck his head on a wooden table. Both the Mother and child suffered minor injuries as a result of the incident. When family members asked the father to leave, he retrieved a gun from his vehicle, pointed the gun at the maternal uncle’s chest, and waved the gun at other family members standing in the front yard. The children were present during both incidents.
As previously noted, the trial court ordered that the children remain in the custody of the Mother.
Further, the dependency order also appears to contradict itself regarding the contact it allows between the children and the maternal grandparents.
Reversed in part, affirmed in part, and remanded with directions.
. The Mother does not reside with the father, and there have been no allegations of abuse or neglect pertaining to the Mother.
. The children, T.B. and T.P., were born on September 17, 2009, and September 2, 2010, respectively.
. The domestic violence incident involving the father occurred at the home of the maternal great-grandparents, not the maternal grandparents who are referred to in the order.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.