Summary Judgment Granted in Favor of Los Angeles County in Civil Rights Case

The United States District Court for the Central District of California issued an order granting summary judgment in favor of Los Angeles County and two DCFS social workers in a federal civil rights action entitledDaisy Reyna v. County of Los Angeles.  The case arose out of an incident wherein the social workers took temporary custody of two young children after both of their parents were arrested and multiple firearms were found in their home.  The children’s mother brought the action alleging that the social workers violated the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment by seizing the children without a warrant.  The federal district court found that the warrantless removal of the children was constitutional under the circumstances and, even if the social workers had violated the constitution, they would be entitled to qualified immunity.  Therefore, the district court dismissed the case with prejudice and entered judgment in favor of the County and the social workers.  The County of Los Angeles was represented by Jill Williams and Danielle C. Foster.