Sara was 13 when she was raped by her stepfather, became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Her first appearance in Dade’s circuit court was in the dependency division, where she came as an abused child seeking the court’s protection and a guardian ad litem. Her second appearance was as a witness in her stepfather’s criminal trial. She later appeared in the court’s juvenile division, when she was appointed a lawyer for the termination of her parental rights so the child could be adopted. The court appointed another guardian ad litem for the infant.
In another Dade case, two children saw their father murder their mother. They appeared first in dependency court with a guardian ad litem, then in criminal court as witnesses, and finally in family court, when relatives sought to adopt them. They also were represented in probate court to settle their mother’s estate.