C.J. AND E.J., IN THE INTEREST OF D.K.R., A CHILD, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE

Fla. 1st DCA | 2011-04-13
No. 1D10-5174
Wolf, J., Padovano, J., Rowe, J.
58 So. 3d 392 Florida District Court of Appeal, First District (2011)

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Synopsis

The court reversed the dismissal of a dependency petition because the trial court improperly considered unsworn allegations and failed to accept the petition's factual allegations as true when evaluating the motion to dismiss.


Holding

A motion to dismiss a dependency petition must be evaluated by accepting all factual allegations in the petition as true and construing them favorably to the filing party, and an unsworn motion to dismiss cannot support factual findings by the trial court.


Headnotes

[1] An unsworn motion to dismiss in a dependency proceeding must be evaluated by accepting all factual allegations in the petition as true and construing them favorably to th…

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Key Quotes

“a trial court must accept all factual allegations in the four corners of an initial pleading as true and must construe those facts in a manner favorable to the filing party when considering a motion to dismiss”

Standard for evaluating motions to dismiss in dependency proceedings

Facts & Procedural History

Appellants filed a Petition for Dependency regarding a child, and the trial court granted appellee's unsworn Motion to Dismiss the petition.…

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Opinion of the Court
WOLF, J.

WOLF, J.

Appellants seek review of an order granting appellee’s unsworn Motion to Dismiss appellants’ Petition for Dependency. We reverse because the factual allegations contained within the four corners of the pleading, when construed in favor of appellants, are legally sufficient to prove dependency pursuant to section 39.01(15), Florida Statutes (2010). See Dep’t of Children & Families v. R.V., 917 So.2d 334 (Fla. 5th DCA 2005) (noting that motions to dismiss filed pursuant to Florida Rule of Juvenile Procedure 8.235(b) are akin to motions to dismiss for failure to state a cause of action in civil proceedings); Locker v. United Pharm. Group, Inc., 46 So.3d 1126, 1128 (Fla. 1st DCA 2010) (noting that a trial court must accept all factual allegations in the four corners of an initial pleading as true and must construe those facts in a manner favorable to the filing party when considering a motion to dismiss); C.J. v. Dep’t of Children & Families, 756 So.2d 1108, 1110 (Fla. 3d DCA 2000) (finding Guardian Ad Litem’s report was inadmissible hearsay).*

REVERSED.

PADOVANO and ROWE, JJ., concur.


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