PSBR attorney Wyatt Vespermann and client Patrizia Sanchez sat down with Telemundo reporter Carlos Trejos to discuss their fight for justice in Central California. Ms. Sanchez serves as Guardian ad Litem for her grandson, J.G., in a lawsuit filed against the County of Tulare and several of its employees for their failure to respond or investigate numerous reports of child abuse/neglect that nearly killed the infant boy and has left him with profound and permanent brain damage as a result of severe malnourishment.
Plaintiff J.G. was born via lotus birth on September 7, 2019 to parents who do not believe or endorse modern medicine. Due to the beliefs of his natural parents, the infant was not fed breast milk or its substitute. Ms. Sanchez, his paternal grandmother, became very concerned about the baby’s development and apparent malnourishment in the months that followed and contacted Tulare County Child Welfare Services (CWS) to investigate. The baby’s mother was required by CWS to take corrective measures to help him meet weight gain expectations, which she did, and the emergency response case was closed in early November 2019. However, once the parents were no longer required to report to the CWS case worker, they returned to their previous care of the child and J.G. was not given milk or a proper substitute which are essential for infant development.
From March through July 2020, numerous reports of concern for J.G.’s health and well-being were made to Tulare County CWS with no response – including allegations that the baby was subjected to ‘hot yoga’ and given ‘ice baths’ by his parents. By August 2020, when his parents took him on a vacation to Costa Mesa, J.G.’s health was deteriorating quickly. His body was covered in rashes, his extremities swelling and he was not growing. When attempting to awaken J.G. one morning, his parents found the infant unresponsive and he was taken to Children’s Hospital Orange County where it was determined he had suffered profound brain damage due to severe malnourishment. Life support was discontinued but J.G. did not die.
J.G.’s parents were charged with felony endangerment by the OC District Attorney. The child was taken into the custody of Orange County Child Protective Services and placed into the custody of Ms. Sanchez by the Orange County Superior Court.
Together, we now fight for J.G., seeking justice and holding those accountable in Tulare County for their inactions.