N.F. v. Superior Court CA5
One-month-old A.F. (the baby) presented to the emergency room on July 3, 2021, with bruising on her face, chest, mid-back, and arm. Further evaluation revealed multiple bilateral rib fractures of varying age, a left pulmonary contusion and left hemothorax. The fractures and laboratory test results were indicative of blunt force trauma and child abuse. The baby was admitted to the hospital where she remained for three days. Testing for a bone-related deficiency and/or a genetic disorder was normal.
Mother and her boyfriend, E.M., the baby’s father, lived with the maternal grandparents, a maternal aunt and her two children and a maternal uncle. Mother noticed bruising on the baby’s chest on July 1, 2021, and showed them to the maternal grandmother. They thought the bruises were a birth mark or marks made when mother breastfed. On the early morning of July 3, mother noticed bruising by the baby’s eye. She fed the baby and went back to sleep.
Comments on N.F. v. Superior Court CA5