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Maryland Family Law Article, Section 5-701:

> “Unsubstantiated” means a finding that there is an insufficient amount of evidence to support a finding of indicated or ruled out.

There was not sufficient evidence to support either confirmation of abuse or to rule it out. That's all this ruling means.

[1] http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/frmStatutesText.aspx?artic...

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What CPS is asking is that the parents prove a negative. The burden of proof should be on CPS to make a claim and offer evidence. What are the parents supposed to say? "And on the thirtieth of November, we spent an hour not neglecting our children"?

If not enough evidence exists to determine that neglect was happening, then these parents should not have CPS retaining a file on their "unsubstantiated" neglect for the next 5 years.

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