S.Z. V. DEPT. OF CHILDREN
Annotate this Case
Download PDF
NOT FINAL UNTIL TIME EXPIRES TO FILE REHEARING MOTION AND, IF FILED, DISPOSED OF. IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL OF FLORIDA THIRD DISTRICT JANUARY TERM A.D., 2004 ** S.Z. and S.M., ** Appellant, ** vs. DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES, etc., CASE NOS. 3D03-1915 3D03-1742 ** ** Appellee. LOWER TRIBUNAL NO. 01-244 ** Opinion filed June 2, 2004. An Appeal from the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Sandra Taylor, Judge. Joseph M. Albury (Key West), for appellants. Calianne P. Lantz, for appellee. Before SCHWARTZ, C.J., and LEVY, J., and COBB, Warren H., Senior Judge. PER CURIAM. 1 Appellants S.Z. and S.M., the mother and father of D.M., appeal from an Order of Adjudication and Judgment of Involuntary Termination of Parental Rights. on Monday, June 9, 2003. An adjudicatory hearing was held Appellants trial counsel was not provided with a discovery packet until late in the day on the Friday before the hearing. That packet did not contain a witness list, many of the filings from the dependency case, or the list of exhibits to be presented and relied upon at the hearing. We agree with appellants that this turned the hearing into a trial by ambush that violated their due process rights. Accordingly, the termination order is reversed and the case remanded for a new hearing. Reversed and remanded for a new hearing. 2
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
