Department of Human Services v. J. R. D.

The issue in this juvenile dependency case is whether ORS 419A.150(3) allows a party the opportunity to present new evidence in a judicial rehearing of a referee’s determination or whether that evidence can be excluded at the discretion of the juvenile court.1 Here, when mother failed to appear at a pretrial conference under ORS 419B.815(2)(b) before a juvenile court referee, the referee allowed the Department of Human Services (DHS) to proceed with its prima facie case, and the referee entered an order taking jurisdiction of mother’s child, D.2 After the referee entered that order, mother…