In re Pitts
Illinois Court of Appeals
44 Ill. App. 3d 46, 357 N.E.2d 872 (1976)
- Written by Meredith Hamilton Alley, JD
Facts
Mr. and Mrs. Pitts (the Pittses) (defendants) were the parents of an infant and three other children. The infant died of suspected abuse. The Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) (plaintiff) filed a neglect petition concerning the Pittses’ surviving children. At the neglect hearing, DCFS called Mary Bullock to testify. Bullock was a DCFS child-abuse investigator. Bullock’s investigation of the Pittses led DCFS to file the neglect petition. DCFS also called Linda Darr to testify. Darr was a DCFS social worker who counseled the Pitts family throughout the investigation. The Pittses objected to the testimony of Bullock and Darr, arguing that Bullock and Darr’s testimony relating to conversations with the Pitts family was barred by a statutory social worker-client privilege. The statute prohibited social workers from disclosing information they obtained from a person who consulted with the social worker in the course of the social worker’s employment, with some exceptions. The trial court denied the Pittses’ motion to exclude the testimony and entered the testimony into evidence. The Pittses filed an interlocutory appeal.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Stouder, J.)
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