Maryland Family Law Maryland family law opinions and commentary

CINA — Child abuse — Nonrelative custody Under State law, a local department of social services that has reason to believe that a child is a victim of abuse or neglect may initiate an action in juvenile court to have ...

CINA — Termination of jurisdiction — Right of appeal After a permanency planning hearing in January 2023, the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, sitting as a juvenile court, found that C.W. was no longer a child in need of ...

CINA — Parental rights — Hearsay documents Appellant Ne.H. (“Mother”) appeals from an order of the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, sitting as a juvenile court, granting the petition of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services to ...

Children — CINA — Tender Years Statute This appeal arises from an order by the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, sitting as a juvenile court, which adjudicated I.W. a child in need of assistance (“CINA”), and placed him in the ...

CINA — Neglect — Transfer of custody The Baltimore County Department of Social Services (“the Department”), an appellee, filed a petition to have J.S., an appellee, the minor child of K.R. (“Mother”), appellant, and L.S. (“Father”), an appellee, declared a ...

CINA — Permanency plan — Nonrelative adoption This appeal arises from a child-in-need-of-assistance (“CINA”) case in the Circuit Court for Cecil County, sitting as a juvenile court. After a permanency planning hearing in September 2022, the court added a concurrent ...

CINA — Abuse of discretion — Parental rights This challenge is to the Circuit Court for Baltimore City’s finding that the child, M.M., is a child in need of assistance (“CINA”)1 and order that M.M.’s parents share custody. Read the ...

CINA — Best interests of child — Abuse investigation Although constitutional and common law rights of natural parents undergird the presumption that children’s best interests are best served in their custody, it is long recognized that our courts of equity ...

CINA — Change in permanency plan — From reunification to adoption by non-relative On July 24, 2020, the Circuit Court for Dorchester County, sitting as a juvenile court, ordered the continued shelter care of a six-month old child (“D.G.”) with ...

CINA — Guardianship petition — Timeliness of objection Ms. M. (“Mother”) and Mr. S. (“Father”), appellants, appeal an order of the Circuit Court for Frederick County, sitting as a juvenile court, denying their motions requesting to file untimely objections to ...