Case Law Development: Removing Child from Person With Whom Child Has Strong Attachment but No Legal Rights is Not Abuse

After their relationship ended, the former lesbian partner of Mother sought to continue contact with the seven-year-old daughter born during their relationship. When Mother denied visitation, Partner brought a dependency action, alleging that depriving the child of contact with someone with whom she has a primary or secondary attachment constitutes abuse. After a hearing, the trial court dismissed the petition, concluding that "depriving [the child] of contact with [her mother's partner], someone to whom the child has no legal connection, constitutes the level of abuse needed to support a finding of a dependency." In a brief opinion, the Florida Court of Appeals affirmed. D.E. v, R.D.B., 2006 Fla. App. LEXIS 8605 (June 2, 2006) Opinion on the web (last visited June 8, 2006 bgf)