New hearing date set for county report in Seth Ireland case

Fresno County Superior Court Judge Jeff Hamilton on Wednesday set a hearing date of Jan. 14 to decide whether Fresno County should turn over a report that details why Child Protective Services failed to prevent the killing of 10-year-old Seth Ireland.

Fresno lawyer Warren Paboojian, who represents Seth’s father, Joseph Hudson, filed a motion in 2012 to have the document known as the quality assurance report released. Two courts – Fresno County Superior Court and the 5th District Court of Appeal – have ordered county officials to turn it over.

The county, however, has argued that releasing the QA report would have a chilling effect on social workers and others who investigate a child’s death. Lawyers for the county want to redact portions of the report and want a protective order to prohibit the release of the report to the public. Paboojian is opposed to both.

Seth was hospitalized on Dec. 29, 2008 after being punched and kicked by his mother’s boyfriend, Lebaron Vaughn. He died Jan. 6, 2009. Vaughn and Seth’s mother, Rena Ireland, are serving prison terms after being convicted for the boy’s death.

This story was originally published December 9, 2015 at 5:06 PM with the headline "New hearing date set for county report in Seth Ireland case."