C.A. 4th;
G053903

The Fourth Appellate District granted a petition for writ of mandate. The court held that a juvenile court had no authority to unseal a minor's sealed juvenile records so as to make them available for use by a third party in his criminal trial.

Isaiah Harris was arrested and charged with the pimping, pandering, and human trafficking of 16-year old S.V. He was later also charged with conspiring to dissuade S.V. from testifying against him. The district attorney also filed a juvenile petition charging S.V. with the misdemeanor offense of making false statements to a police officer. According to the prosecutor, the purpose of charging S.V. was to bring her back into Orange County so that she could be protected. S.V. was placed on informal supervision and, six months later, the juvenile court dismissed the charge and ordered S.V.'s records sealed, as required under Welf. & Inst. Code §786. Harris subsequently filed a request for disclosure of S.V.'s sealed records, arguing she was likely to be a prosecution witness at his upcoming trial, and he had a right to discovery of any potentially exculpatory information bearing on S.V.'s veracity.