L.C. and B.C.
v.
SHELBY COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES and Alabama Department of Human Resources.
Page 913
Appeal
from Montgomery Circuit Court CV-17-901751.
James
V. Green, Jr., Alabaster, for appellant.
Steve
Marshall, atty. gen., and Felicia M. Brooks, gen. counsel,
and Elizabeth L. Hendrix, asst. atty. gen., Department of
Human Resources, for appellees.
MOORE,
Judge.
L.C.
and B.C. appeal from a judgment entered by the Montgomery
Circuit Court affirming an administrative order of the
Alabama Department of Human Resources ("the Alabama
DHR") that upheld indicated findings of child abuse and
neglect made by the Shelby County Department of Human
Resources ("the Shelby County DHR") against L.C.
and B.C. We dismiss the appeal.
Procedural
History
B.C. is
the father of two minor children, C.C. and J.C., born of his
marriage to V.R., which ended in divorce. L.C. is the current
wife of B.C. and the stepmother of C.C. and J.C. In 2015, the
Shelby County DHR received reports that L.C. and B.C. had
abused C.C. After an investigation, the Shelby County DHR
determined that the abuse was "indicated," meaning
that "credible evidence and professional judgment
substantiates that an alleged perpetrator is responsible for
child abuse or neglect." Ala. Code 1975, §
26-14-8(a)(1). B.C. and L.C. timely requested an
administrative hearing to contest the findings. See
Ala. Admin. Code (Dep't of Human Res.), r.
660-5-34-.08(1) (affording a person who has been indicated
for child abuse and neglect a right to a hearing to contest
the findings).
The
administrative hearing took place on September 15, 2017,
before an administrative-law judge ("the ALJ"), in
a proceeding styled as "Before the State of Alabama
Department of Human Resource Shelby County." David W.
Smith, an assistant attorney general for the "Department
of Human Resources Montgomery Regional Legal Office,"
acted as the attorney for the Shelby County DHR in those
proceedings. On October 9, 2017, the ALJ issued an
administrative order upholding the indicated findings.
On
November 8, 2017, B.C. and L.C. electronically filed a notice
of appeal that was styled "Before the State of Alabama
Department of Human Resource Shelby County" and in which
they certified that
Page 914
they had served a copy of the document on Smith "by
electronic filing" on that same date. Also, on that same
date, L.C. and B.C. filed electronically in the Montgomery
Circuit Court a "Petition for Trial De Novo or, in the
alternative, Petition for Judicial Review Pursuant to Section
41-22-20 and Petition for Writ of Certiorari," naming
the Alabama DHR as the respondent. B.C. and L.C. amended
their petition to add the Shelby County DHR as a respondent.
The petition and amended petition requested service by
sheriff on
"David W. Smith, Assistant Attorney General Department
of Human Resources 3030 Mobile Highway Montgomery, Alabama
36108"
and
"Shelby Cou
nty
Department of Human Resources 987 Highway 90 Columbiana,
Alabama 35051."
The
record indicates that the Shelby County DHR was served on
November 20, 2017, but that Smith was never served.
On
December 22, 2017, Elizabeth Hendrix, who identified herself
as "Assistant Attorney General State of Alabama
Department of Human Resources," filed a notice of
appearance as counsel for the Shelby County DHR. No attorney
ever appeared specifically for the Alabama DHR. On October
30, 2018, a final judgment was entered by the circuit court,
affirming the ALJ's October 9, 2017, decision. The
circuit court denied a postjudgment motion filed by B.C. and
L.C. on January 28, ...