Family Forum / Parenting / Adoption / November 2003

Subject: Re: Suspicions grow in AL- DHR refuses lawyer to teen from Guatemala
From: Greegor@hotmail.com  (Greg Hanson)
Date: 11/28/2003 9:56 PM Eastern Standard Time
Message-id: <35120b16.0311281856.41bab08c@posting.google.com>

http://www.
al.com/opinion/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/opinion/106975541829430.xml

Suspicions grow
Judge, DHR act like they have something to hide 11/25/03

There may be solid legal reasons that a Limestone County district
judge wants to keep Guatemalan teen Marta Alonzo from even speaking to
lawyers other than the one the judge appointed for her. However,
District Judge Jeanne Anderson needs to make those reasons public.

Otherwise, suspicions about how the Department of Human Resources and
Anderson have handled this strange case will continue to fester. DHR
also has been active in trying to keep the lawyers from talking with
Marta.
         
Why? Does DHR or the judge have something to fear from Marta talking
with lawyers outside the control of DHR or the court?

Marta's infant son, Javier, was seized by DHR back in February while
the 17-year-old was at work at a chicken-processing plant. Marta, too,
was put into foster care, but she was kept in a separate foster home
from her son for nine months. Only last week were Marta and Javier
reunited.

DHR claims it had good reason to take Javier, but a doctor who
examined both Marta and her son said the infant was not abused or
neglected. Anderson told the doctor to quit speaking publicly about
the case.

Advocates for Marta have tried to get other lawyers to speak with the
teen mother, but Anderson and DHR have kept that from happening.

Anderson has barred at least two lawyers - Clint Brown of Decatur and
James Tucker of Montgomery - from visiting with Marta. Brown has been
trying for weeks to get a meeting with Marta, and even has documents
from Marta's parents in Guatemala authorizing him to represent her
interests.

Brown said he will try to reverse Anderson's latest decision to keep
him from meeting with Marta, as he should.

Tucker is the lawyer for the federal R.C. Consent Decree, the
agreement between DHR and the federal court to improve services for
abused and neglected children and children in foster care. DHR has
acknowledged that Marta is a member of the R.C. Consent Decree class,
which Tucker represents.

Yet, Anderson has continued a hearing on whether Tucker can have
access to Marta, who technically already is one of his clients.

Strange, indeed.

Brown said that Anderson claims only she can appoint counsel in the
case. Anderson must understand, however, that her decisions must be
sound and defensible. Still, Anderson has refused to speak publicly
about her decisions in the case.

But somebody from the Limestone County court should speak up if
Anderson won't. Already, DHR's credibility is damaged, through
contradictory comments and, most recently, after a timeline of the
case was released by DHR that clearly was at odds with known facts.

If DHR or any of the other parties involved with Marta and Javier have
nothing to hide, they have nothing to fear should Marta speak freely
with lawyers other than the one appointed by Anderson.