Member Story: Innocent accident? Mandated report.
It had been a normal day so far for the Wheeler* family, Ashley was cleaning in the kitchen while 4-year-old Rachel played in the living room. Ashley finished in the kitchen and walked into the next room to pick up Rachel who was playing on the floor next to the couch. What Ashley didn’t see when she went to pick up Rachel is that she had slid her foot under the couch. Unfortunately, as Ashley picked her up, Rachel’s ankle twisted.
A couple of hours later, Rachel was still complaining to her mother that her ankle hurt. So Ashley and her husband Joshua decided to take Rachel to the urgent care for x-rays. The x-rays came back showing that Rachel had a small break in her ankle. Although the urgent care doctors said they had no concerns of abuse, because the break was an oblique fracture, they said their own policies required them as mandatory reporters to report the incident to CPS.
Shortly after the Wheelers had returned home, CPS knocked on their door and demanded that they be allowed to inspect the home and interview Rachel and the Wheelers’ other children. Joshua calmly asked the social worker to excuse him one moment while he got his attorney on the phone. He then stepped back inside, shut the door, and called Heritage Defense.
The Heritage Defense attorney then spoke to the social worker and arranged a meeting with her and the parents, with the attorney present, but the attorney would not agree to a home inspection or interviews with the children. Eventually, the social worker agreed.
The meeting went very smoothly and shortly after, CPS closed the case and labeled the allegations as unfounded.
If you are a member of Heritage Defense, we hope it is an encouragement for you to know that your membership is going to help families like the Wheelers. While we cannot guarantee outcomes, if your family is ever falsely accused of child abuse or neglect, we are ready to fight to defend you and your rights.
If you are not yet a member, please join today to have 24/7 access to experienced attorneys ready to defend your family.
*Names changed for privacy