“Family Law Corporation” not “Family Court”. If you cannot afford to BUY your child back, you will lose in family court. I live in Tampa, Florida and have raised my 12 year old daughter alone for the first 11 and a half years of her life. Straight A student, in dance classes and Girl Scouts. My ex-husband, who is a police officer, kidnapped her out of school 14 months ago (after he got his latest girlfriend pregnant and married her within 6 months of knowing her) and I have been fighting to get her back ever since. He was never interested in raising her before. In fact, he can’t with his work hours. My daughter is now being raised by a step-parent instead of her own mother. My Judge is atrociously biased (ABC Action News published a story on him for the same similar things he is now doing to me a few years ago).
I was horrified when I googled his name and found the article. It totally validated my feelings as every time I leave his court room I feel totally beaten down, degraded and demoralized. And as if none of the important things have been discussed.
My Judge has stated over and over that he does not know about kids because he has no kids, he has DOGS. He even had a show on Tru TV and Animal Planet called “Pet Court”. Yes, this is my Judge. He was new to family law a year ago when my daughter was kidnapped by my ex-husband and our case came to court.
My ex (a police officer) has been caught lying under oath and has been in contempt of court for 14 months straight and this Judge has looked the other way and not done one thing about it. I submitted documentation of the contempt as well as my ex husbands abuse and this Judge never asked me or him one question about it. All he focused on is how much money is in my bank account.
Whoever can afford to drag the case out the longest wins. My ex husband makes a lot more money than me. Parental kidnapping is not a crime and NOONE (and I mean NOONE) will help you. It is a “civil” matter that has to play out in family court. Family court entails waiting months upon months to get hearings and mediations and depositions. I can’t afford to keep the fight going. Attorney fees, required mediation fees, depositions, court reporters and on.
This judge and my ex husband have slowly but surely destroyed the loving relationship that I used to have with my daughter. The vindictive alienation and retaliation has taken its toll. I think we have now both just fallen into acceptance.
Her father is a trained interrogator (undercover vice and narcotics detective) educated on how to break people down and her step-mother is a therapist – between the two of them they have worked my daughter over on a daily basis for the last 14 months while isolating her from me. In fact, they even took my daughter for “therapy” and the therapist they chose is a good friend and former business partner of the new step-mom. What a coincidence. The judge has been made aware of this fact along with the fact that I have been denied numerous visits, holidays, phone calls, receive hateful harassing emails from the new wife and my ex-husband yet nothing – and I mean nothing – has been done about it.
Not sure what else to do but give up at this point. I am broken in every way that a person can be broken – my HEART, my spirit, my will, my fight, my wallet. I am a social worker (have worked for DCF in the past) and substitute teacher so I don’t make a lot of money. I am just beat down and drained and do not see myself EVER getting any justice in this courtroom with this Judge.
FAMILY COURT VICTIM 