In re License of Strecker, No. A09-371.

• Decision Date: 12 January 2010
• Docket Number: No. A09-371.
• Citation: 777 N.W.2d 41
• Parties: In the Matter of the TEMPORARY IMMEDIATE SUSPENSION OF the FAMILY CHILD CARE LICENSE OF Christine STRECKER.
• Court: Minnesota Court of Appeals

777 N.W.2d 41

In the Matter of the TEMPORARY IMMEDIATE SUSPENSION OF the FAMILY CHILD CARE LICENSE OF Christine STRECKER.

No. A09-371.

Court of Appeals of Minnesota.

January 12, 2010.

Pat J. Skoglund, Jessica E. Schwie, Jardine, Logan & O'Brien, P.L.L.P., Lake Elmo, MN, for relator Christine Strecker.

Susan Gaertner, Ramsey County Attorney, David F. MacMillan, Assistant County Attorney, St. Paul, MN, for respondents Minnesota Department of Human Services and Ramsey County Community Human Services Department.

Considered and decided by HALBROOKS, Presiding Judge; KLAPHAKE, Judge; and MINGE, Judge.

OPINION

KLAPHAKE, Judge.

Relator Christine Strecker appeals from a determination by respondent Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) that reasonable cause existed to believe that she posed an imminent risk of harm to the health or safety of the children in her daycare. Relator argues that the DHS finding failed to satisfy the "reasonable cause" standard required by Minn. Stat. § 245A.07, subd. 2a(a), and that the final decision of the Commissioner of Human Services (commissioner) continuing the temporary suspension of her daycare license was not supported by substantial evidence and was arbitrary and capricious. Because we conclude that DHS did not satisfy the burden articulated in the statute, and because we further conclude that the commissioner's final decision was not supported by substantial evidence and was arbitrary and capricious, we reverse.

FACTS

Relator began operating a daycare in her home in 2002. J.H., a six-month-old infant, began daycare with relator in July 2008. During the week of September 8, 2008, J.H. attended relator's daycare every day, but on Friday, September 12, his mother picked him up in the early afternoon for a well-child checkup. At the checkup, pediatrician Dr. Sandra Mayrand administered three immunizations and performed a routine physical exam. Dr. Mayrand expressed no concerns regarding J.H.'s health at that time. J.H. remained in the care of his mother and father during the weekend and returned to relator's daycare the following Monday.

On Tuesday, September 16, J.H.'s father dropped him off at relator's home. When J.H. first arrived, relator noticed no problems—J.H. appeared in good health. J.H. took an afternoon nap around 1:00 p.m., and when he awoke, relator brought him downstairs. After changing his diaper, relator set J.H. on the carpeted floor to let the other children outside. When she returned, relator saw J.H. exhibiting signs of a seizure. She immediately called 911 and J.H.'s father. J.H. was taken to the emergency room at St. John's Hospital. A CT scan revealed a subdural hematoma, and J.H. was transferred to Children's Hospital. At Children's Hospital, another exam indicated that J.H. had lesions on his left tonsil that were indicative of trauma.

The following day, J.H. had an MRI scan that confirmed the existence of a subdural hematoma. The treating physician, Dr. Mark Hudson, noted in J.H.'s medical records that abusive head trauma was the primary consideration. That same day, relator was interviewed by Roseville police and Jenny Neujahr, a Ramsey County senior child-protection worker. Relator denied harming J.H.

Neujahr also interviewed J.H.'s parents on September 17. Both parents denied that they accidentally bumped or dropped J.H. during the prior weekend. J.H.'s father told Neujahr that he "did not want to point fingers" at relator. Later, Neujahr interviewed relator's two children, who told her that relator does not use physical means to discipline them or her daycare children.

On September 19, J.H. was examined by ophthalmologist Dr. Susan Schloff, who discovered retinal hemorrhages in both of J.H.'s eyes. Dr. Hudson's report, which includes the results of Dr. Schloff's consultation, states that "[w]hen this injury occurred remains somewhat unclear." His report notes that retinal hemorrhages cannot be dated accurately and further notes that the acute nature of J.H.'s subdural hematoma suggested that it could have occurred on September 16 or in the days before.

On September 23, relator agreed to take polygraph tests, but she later declined on the advice of her attorney. J.H.'s parents took a polygraph test, and while parts of the record suggest that both parents passed the polygraph tests, other evidence suggests that the tests may have been inconclusive. The tests revealed that J.H.'s mother had some issues in her childhood as well as an instance of driving while intoxicated, and that J.H.'s father suffered from anxiety and depression.

DHS became involved on September 29, when it received a copy of J.H.'s records from Children's Hospital. DHS contacted respondent Ramsey County Community Human Services (the county) and spoke with Muriel Leko, relator's licensing supervisor. Leko became relator's licensing supervisor when relator first obtained a license to operate a daycare and, over her six years of supervision, Leko conducted three scheduled interviews in relator's home and one or two unannounced drop-in visits. According to Leko, relator was intelligent, always pleasant and cooperative, and Leko received no complaints about her daycare.

By the time DHS contacted Leko on September 29, she had spoken with Neujahr about relator's case but had not learned about the parents' polygraph tests. It was Leko's personal opinion that relator's license should not be temporarily suspended at that point. Leko spoke with Ramsey County Attorney David MacMillan, who also did not support a temporary license suspension due to the difficulty of pinpointing the date and source of J.H.'s head injuries. But DHS directed Leko to recommend a temporary license suspension, and MacMillan told her that she must follow DHS's directive. Leko then wrote a letter to DHS recommending immediate license suspension, but she noted MacMillan's lack of support. DHS issued a temporary suspension of relator's daycare license on the same day.

Relator requested an expedited hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ) to challenge the temporary license suspension pursuant to Minn.Stat. § 245A.07, subd. 2a(a). In support of continuing relator's temporary license suspension, DHS called Leko to testify at the hearing and introduced six exhibits. The exhibits included the notes of Neujahr detailing her investigation; medical records documenting J.H.'s subdural hematoma, retinal hemorrhages, and tonsillar lesions; the medical opinion of Dr. Hudson that retinal hemorrhages cannot be dated accurately; the medical opinion of Dr. Hudson that J.H.'s subdural hematoma could have occurred on September 16 or in the preceding days and that his injuries were consistent with shaken-baby syndrome.

Relator hired Dr. William Ford, a neuroradiologist, to independently examine J.H.'s medical records. Dr. Ford specifically testified that, based on the blood deterioration found in MRI scans, J.H.'s injury occurred "three to five days" before the September 17 MRI. Dr. Ford noted that medical literature suggests a range of three to seven days for blood deterioration. Dr. Ford's medical partner, Dr. Mark Meyers, also reviewed the scans and concluded that J.H.'s injury was present for "at least five days."

Relator also hired a second expert, Dr. Robert Ramsay, to independently review J.H.'s ophthalmological report, and relator introduced his report into evidence. Dr. Ramsay, like Dr. Hudson, noted that retinal hemorrhages cannot be dated accurately, but he further concluded that J.H.'s hemorrhages may have been present for five to seven days before his September 19 eye exam.

Relator also testified and specifically denied shaking, dropping, hitting, or harming J.H. in any way, and several of relator's daycare parents offered evidence consistent with her testimony. Officer Mark Koenig of the Minneapolis Police Department testified that relator was the daycare provider for his children until her license was suspended in September. He stated that relator has an even temper and that his children never said anything negative about her. The ALJ also received five letters from relator's past and present daycare parents, all stating that relator provided a safe and loving environment for their children, that she did not use physical discipline, and that she was trustworthy and attentive. Two families, including Officer Koenig's, volunteered that they would return their children to relator's care if her license were reinstated.

The ALJ recommended rescinding relator's temporary license suspension. In a supporting memorandum, the ALJ concluded that "[a]lthough the medical evidence does not completely rule out [relator] as the injuring person, it does make clear that other individuals may have caused the injury. Under these circumstances, it is not reasonable, without more, to point the finger at [relator]." Therefore, the ALJ concluded that DHS had not shown reasonable cause to believe that relator posed an imminent risk of harm to the health or safety of the children in her daycare.

On February 11, 2009, the commissioner issued a final order adopting the ALJ's findings of fact and conclusions of law, with one exception. The commissioner found that DHS satisfied its burden of demonstrating "reasonable cause to believe that there is a risk of imminent harm to the health and safety of children served by [relator]." In an attached memorandum, the commissioner concluded that the "evidence presents reasonable cause to believe that J.H. sustained [his injury] . . . on or before September 16, 2008," and that "the record is clear that as near as can be medically determined, J.H. could have been injured on a day and at a time when he may have been in [relator's] care." The commissioner's decision rejected relator's medical evidence, reasoning that it did not make the evidence that the injury occurred while J.H. was in relator's care "inherently incredible." Likewise, the commissioner noted that a long history of...