Deprivation - Georgia Case Law Update
On February 23, 2009, the Georgia Court of Appeals affirmed the Dekalb county juvenile court’s deprivation ruling in In the Interest of Z.D. (A09A0487). The Dekalb juvenile court based its deprivation finding on the following evidence: (1) one child was punished for bedwetting by “either sitting on the toilet for prolonged periods of time or being made to sit in cold bath water;” (2) the father did not seek medical treatment for the children’s extremely unusual eating behaviors and, instead, beat the children with a belt if they ate school cafeteria food; (3) the father refused to agree to a home visit; (4) the father tried to withdraw the children from school after reports of suspected abuse; and (5) the father did not follow the DFCS safety plan. Based on the above, the Court of Appeals found that the deprivation finding by the juvenile court was supported by clear and convincing evidence.
