M.W. v. Department of Health & Rehabilitative Services

I doubt the applicability of Hopkins v. State, 632 So.2d 1372 (Fla.1994), to these proceedings. Hopkins, a criminal case, allows a general objection raising Sixth Amendment “confrontation rights” to preserve for review specific procedural objections to the victim’s statements and testimony. The basic rule requiring specific objection remains unaffected by Hopkins and should control in civil cases and certainly in dependency proceedings wherein the court has wide discretion in the acceptance of evidence bearing on the welfare of the children involved. Technical rules of evidence which prevent…