Hawaii Supreme Court January 6, 2014, No. SCWC-12-0000521 (In the Interest of T.M.)

Opinion of the Court by

ACOBA, J.

We hold that the failure of the Family Court of the Third Circuit1 (the court) to appoint counsel for Petitioner/Mother-Appellant Jane Doe (Petitioner) until nearly nineteen months after Respondent-Appellee Department of Human Services (DHS) filed a Petition for Temporary Foster Custody over Petitioner’s son, T.M.