Berges v. County Court of Douglas County

Opinion by

JUDGE NAVARRO

¶ 1 This appeal requires us to examine the interplay between two sections of article 3 of title 19 (the Children’s Code). Section 19-3-206, C.R.S. 2016, vests county attorneys with exclusive authority to represent the “petitioner” in all “proceedings” brought under article 3, which is entitled “Dependency and Neglect.” Section 19-3-304, C.R.S. 2016, requires certain people (e.g., doctors and school officials) to report suspected child' abuse, or neglect; these people are often called “mandatory reporters.” A mandatory reporter who willfully violates this duty to report…