STATE OF LOUISIANA COURT OF APPEAL, FIRST CIRCUIT STATE OF LOUISIANA, THROUGH NO. 2021 CW 0310 DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT

VERSUS

CASANDRA NICOLE MORRIS AND MAY 24, 2021 DANIEL PATRICK TRIMBLE

In Re: State of Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services Child Support Enforcement ( DCFS), applying for writs, 22nd Judicial District Court, supervisory Parish of St. Tammany, No. 170815.

BEFORE: THERIOT, WOLFE, AND HESTER, JJ.

district which overruled WRIT GRANTED. The court' s ruling, filed the State of Louisiana, the Exception of Prematurity by Department of Children and Family Services (" DCFS"), is reversed.

Where there was no objection to the hearing officer' s

recommendations and where the district court' s March 11, 2020 judgment was not rendered or signed in open court, DCFS was

entitled to notice of the March 11, 2020 judgment. See La. R. S.

7); La. Code Civ. P. art. 1913( A) & La. Code 46: 236. 5( C)( see also Civ. P. art. 1914( B). Where DCFS represents it was not given

notice of the March 11, 2020 judgment and no evidence was

introduced to the the district court erred in denying contrary, The Exception of Prematurity is DCFS' s Exception of Prematurity. granted, and the Rule for Contempt is dismissed, without prejudice.

the district court' s ruling, which denied DCFS' s Additionally, Motion for Protective Order, is reversed. Applications for of assistance and information contained in case records of clients the Department of Children and Family Services shall be confidential. La. R. S. 46: 56( A). Case records are " assistance would include DCFS' s case records of child support records" and enforcement. See La. R. S. 46: 56( B)( 2). La. R. S. 46: 56( D) provides

confidential information may be released to an outside source connected with the administration of the programs of not directly the department only upon written request of the outside source and after written waiver by the applicant, client, or his legal only representative." The provisions of La. R. S. 46: 56 have not been the district court abused its discretion in met. Accordingly, which is granted. DCFS is denying the Motion for Protective Order, not required to produce documents from its electronic case file contained in the Louisiana Automated Support Enforcement System Case Number 2411938- 01 to Daniel Trimble.

MRT EW CHH

COURT OF APPEAL, FIRST CIRCUIT

DEPUTY CLERK OF COURT FOR THE COURT