M.D., In re (2023) D081568 D081568; filed 7/11/23. ![[Files/CaseFiles/D081568.PDF]] [Opinion PDF](https://www.courts.ca.gov/opinions/archive/D081568.PDF) ## Rule excerpts Quoting Welfare and Institutions Code section 300.2(b), as amended by Senate Bill 1085; financial hardship alone is insufficient for dependency jurisdiction. > But the Legislature also provided an important caveat. It made clear that “[c]onsistent with existing law, no family should be subject to the jurisdiction of the juvenile court nor should children be separated from their parents based on conditions of financial difficulty unless there is willful or negligent action or failure to act and a nexus to harm such that the child has suffered or there is a substantial risk the child will suffer serious physical harm or illness.” (§ 300.2, subd. (b), italics added; see also In re L.B., supra, 88 Cal.App.5th at p. 415, fn. 6, review denied.) — M.D., In re (2023) D081568, slip op., p. 25.