NO INDICATION MOTHER SUFFERED FROM MENTAL ILLNESS, PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAM SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ORDERED PRIOR TO A FACT-FINDING HEARING IN THIS NEGLECT PROCEEDING (SECOND DEPT).
The Second Department, reversing Family Court, determined a psychological exam of mother should not have been ordered prior to a fact-finding hearing in this neglect proceeding. The court had no indication mother suffered from mental illness:
… [T]he Suffolk County Department of Social Services (hereinafter the petitioner) filed a neglect petition against the mother, alleging, among other things, that she failed to “work cooperatively with the appropriate agencies” to ensure that the subject child, whom the mother reported to have been sexually abused, “would receive appropriate counseling and services.” The petitioner also alleged that the mother failed “to take any action to ensure that [the child] was being adequately and appropriately cared for by his father,” who was alleged to be abusive toward the child. The mother consented to the temporary removal of the child. Thereafter, prior to a fact-finding hearing, the petitioner requested that the mother be directed to submit to a psychological examination. …
The determination whether to direct a psychological examination is within the sound discretion of the Family Court … . Under the circumstances of this case, it was an improvident exercise of discretion for the Family Court to direct the mother to submit to a psychological examination prior to a fact-finding hearing. The record is devoid of any indication that the mother may suffer from a mental illness. Nor did the petition contain any allegations which placed the mother’s mental health at issue … . Matter of Tyriek J. (Tamika J.), 2018 NY Slip Op 03361, Second Dept 5-9-18
FAMILY LAW (NO INDICATION MOTHER SUFFERED FROM MENTAL ILLNESS, PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAM SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ORDERED PRIOR TO A FACT-FINDING HEARING IN THIS NEGLECT PROCEEDING (SECOND DEPT))/NEGLECT (FAMILY LAW, NO INDICATION MOTHER SUFFERED FROM MENTAL ILLNESS, PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAM SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ORDERED PRIOR TO A FACT-FINDING HEARING IN THIS NEGLECT PROCEEDING (SECOND DEPT))/PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAM (FAMILY LAW, NEGLECT, NO INDICATION MOTHER SUFFERED FROM MENTAL ILLNESS, PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAM SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ORDERED PRIOR TO A FACT-FINDING HEARING IN THIS NEGLECT PROCEEDING (SECOND DEPT))