Adoption of Diane

How courts have described this case

Verbatim parenthetical descriptions written by other courts when citing this decision. Ranked by citation-network relevance.

• when prop erly admitted in evidence, mother’s prior history of parental neglect relevant to present fitness
• privilege belongs to patient who has the burden of asserting the privilege; in care and protection proceeding it would be anomalous to permit the parent to assert privilege
• judge may consider history of parental unfitness in determining current parental unfitness
• mother contesting petition to dispense with her consent to adoption could not invoke G. L. c. 233, § 20B, to object to psychiatrist’s testimony where “neither the child’s attorney nor the guardian ad litem chose to exercise the privilege”
• evidence of prior parental neglect relevant to current parental fitness
• prior patterns of conduct may bear on present unfitness

Source: CourtListener parenthetical corpus (CC0).