Mom Fights Riverside Co.'s Seizure of Baby

 
     RIVERSIDE, Calif. (CN) - Riverside County took a newborn baby from her mother without a reason or a warrant - and it makes a habit of it, the mother and baby claim in a federal class action.
     Lead plaintiff A.A., the baby, sued Riverside County, Juvenile Dependency Investigator Karla Torres, Torres' supervisor Felicia M. Butler, and all similarly situated county social workers and investigators, in the Dec. 12 lawsuit.
     Plaintiffs' attorney Shawn McMillan told Courthouse News that his firm, which specializes in civil rights cases against child protection agencies, "uncovered an alarming trend" about a year ago during discovery for other cases.
     "County child welfare agencies regularly subvert the constitutional rights of parents and children by seizing children from their parents when there is no danger to the child, and in fact no need to seize the child at all," McMillan said.
     "The class action is designed to address a procedural problem. They [Riverside County social workers] as a matter of course don't get warrants before seizing kids. Deficient policies, deficient training and deficient supervision all lead to civil rights violations on a regular basis," McMillan said.
     "This lawsuit is designed to address the problem."
READ MORE:http://www.courthousenews.com/2014/12/16/mom-fights-riverside-co-s-seizure-of-baby.htm