Department of Human Services v. M. R.

The Department of Human Services (DHS) appeals from an order of the juvenile court that denied its motion to unseal mother’s DHS records in a previous juvenile dependency case in which mother was a dependent child. Because we conclude that the court did not in fact seal those records, we find no error in its denial of the state’s motion, and affirm.

When mother was a minor, she was a dependent child within the jurisdiction of the Multnomah County Juvenile Court. In July 2006, mother made admissions in a juvenile court dependency proceeding in the same court involving mother’s eldest child. In…