During the hearings in regard to family court reform, we heard members of the judicial branch state that no litigants are threatened with jail in family court. Here we have another example to the contrary as Mr. Peter Szymonik is threatened with jail if he fails to pay fraudulent attorney's fees to Rhonda Morra, one of the most corrupt GALs practicing in Connecticut today. For the full story, please go to the Corruptct website at the following link:
People aren't threatened with jail for not paying their GAL?! Are you kidding?? This happens all of the time in Connecticut. Parents are often threatened with jail, bankruptcy, loss of custody of their kids, or all of the above. God Bless and Peter and his kids.
ReplyDeleteHe demanded this particular GAL for the sole purpose of trying to gain sole custody. His ex-wife stated neither could afford a GAL. His ex-wife paid a hefty amount as well following court orders. Mr. Szymonik didn't get sole custody and didn't pay but he his history of paying child support is similar. There is a LOT more to this story but this isn't real journalism either. It's all hearsay, a one sided story, and nothing more.
ReplyDeleteThis is a blog, of course, and not real journalism, but it is good to hear from people who contribute their perspectives, and I'm glad you added yours.
DeleteI don't care if GOD demanded this particular GAL. The GAL isn't possibly acting in the best interests of the kids when she seeks to have a parent incarcerated. There may be more to this story, but that's the point of this aspect of it.
DeleteI agree that no parent should be put in jail for not paying GAL fees. I also have a problem with putting parents in jail for not paying child support as well. How are you ever going to explain that to the children who are involved.
DeleteOnly an insider would purport to know this sort of detail. We really don't need this unproductive slander of a Connecticut citizen trying to make a failing system better. Save it for the courtroom.
ReplyDeleteI don't support a CT citizen being jailed based on GAL fees. On the other hand, any articles that imply that Mr. Szymonik's ex wife is not a good mother, I believe to be false. I'd also say that had Mr. Syzmonik acknowledged that fact sooner, he would not have ended up with so many GAL fees. I certainly know of Ronda Morra's wide spread reputation and I have no doubt she made the situation worse. On the other hand, trying to take children from a good mother is really questionable behavior.
DeleteJailing a parent for not paying GAL fees is insane. The possibility of incarceration, and the threat thereof, is one of the things that makes GALs so unaccountable. This process has been designed by the divorce industry with the cooperation of the judges. Many of the judges have themselves come from, and my return to, the divorce industry. This has nothing to do with the best interests of children. It is all about the financial exploitation of families in difficult circumstances.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to threatening to incarcerate the dad for not paying GAL fees, the judge in this matter has also permitted the GAL to file motions and seek discovery, including via issuance of a subpoena, even though she is not a party. How does that comply with due process? Does the judge think she is empowered to elevate any member of the divorce business she wishes to the status of a party?
ReplyDeleteThis also happened in Susan Skipp's case and the GAL charged her for all those filed motions, even though GALs are not legally allowed to file motions. What gets me is when the Family Court judge demands that litigants obey the Practice Book and then doesn't obey it him or herself. Then when people fight back, the judicial branch says they are mentally ill. That seems to be the CT Judicial Branch's fallback position.
DeleteDebtor prisons are unconstitutional. Courts are required to hold hearings to determine financial status and ability to pay before jailing citizens. The ACLU put an end to this judicial practice in Michigan. https://www.michbar.org/journal/pdf/pdf4article1706.pdf. Connecticut, of course, still lags behind. The legislature has a lot to do.
ReplyDeleteI was held in a cell in the basement of 90 Washington Street on a Friday afternoon. I owed Rhonda Morra $1500. I was told that if I did not come up with cash, I would be kept for the weekend. It was a different judge. How does Rhonda Morra get these judges to be bill collectors for her?
ReplyDeleteAt this point, Family Courts in Connecticut have nothing to do with families. They are just debt collection agencies for the divorce industry. Go into any family courtroom in Connecticut, and you will see hearing after hearing in which some divorce industry player gets some judge to order some parent to pay some "fee" for a "service" supposedly performed that the parent doesn't think was provided, wasn't needed or was fraudulent. Meanwhile, parents and children suffer as their matters never get resolved with the expediency with which the industry insiders get paid. Sad but true.
DeleteIt's obvious that Rhonda Morra has some 'deal' with the courts and that the system is corrupt. She presents herself as a 'child advocacy' lawyer and nothing could be further from the truth. I have seen several cases where the children have suffered immeasurably at the hands of abusive fathers because of her. She only seeks sordid advantage or money with no regard to the moral implications or the lives of those children.
DeleteI have heard several reports like this in regard to Rhonda Morra.
DeleteSzymonik v. Bozzuto et al
ReplyDeletePlaintiff: Peter T. Szymonik
Defendant: Elizabeth Bozzuto, Rhonda Morra and Adam Teller
Case Number: 3:2014cv01761
Filed: November 24, 2014
Court: Connecticut District Court
Office: New Haven Office
County: Hartford
Presiding Judge: Janet C. Hall
Nature of Suit: Other Civil Rights
Cause of Action: 42:1983
Jury Demanded By: Plaintiff
Here's a link with a letter posted by national GAL reform explaining what happened to Peter and about his federal lawsuit alleging a violation of constitutionally protected rights and unfair debt collection practices.
ReplyDeletehttp://nationalgalreform.wordpress.com/2014/12/06/connecticut-im-hoping-that-the-four-hours-i-spent-in-jail-may-make-a-difference/
While I publish this comment based upon freedom of ideas and I do not in any way support the jailing of parents over GAL fees or child support, I want to affirm strongly my belief that Stephanie Szymonik has NOT abused her children in any way. Any statements to that effect are false and untrue.
DeleteAs an ex insider I'll give you an opinion. If you made parents pay for their GAL up front I guarantee you will cut out half of the litigation in the family court system instantaneously. I was a GAL for over a decade. I helped my child clients the best I could. I wasn't' perfect. I made enough money to survive, but, in the end, I couldn't even afford my own health insurance. What makes most of you think a GAL should be free?
ReplyDeleteI think most of us do not see the necessity for a GAL at all. I do think that some divorcing parents don't realize how petty they are being and they drive up costs unnecessarily? Sometimes I think they don't realize that what bothers them is not relevant to them getting a divorce and that five years from then they will be wondering what the heck they were arguing about! Of course, attorneys could mitigate the nonsense if they chose to but many do not because they cash in on the confusion and fear that reigns in the lives of couples at that time.
DeleteCatharine Sloper in a previous reply you indicated that a parent should not be incarcerated for not paying child support. I would like to hear from you as to how you feel this should be handled then. Are the taxpayers again going to flip the bill for raising the children of the non paying parent What's your solution? I'd love to hear it.
DeleteI am just hearing about that case in Georgia where this father who owed $30,000 or so in back child support lost his job and then killed his family. I am not saying that oh losing his job justified what he did. But I will say that the pressure many parents feel over the threat of jail hanging over their heads along with the outstanding child support debt can destabilize as well as plunge some individuals deeply into a mental health crisis. And as you know, given my history, I am very sympathetic to people who struggle with their mental health. Clearly, people in debt who are unable to pay their bills such as mortgages don't end up in jail--what do we do in those cases? Whatever we do there, we ought to do when it comes to child support. But I would not say that child support is coming to us free of charge. If you look at the massive amounts of federal money put into child support collection efforts, we are all paying for that. Look up the Attorney General's office for the State of Connecticut (not the DOJ) -- George Jepson's Office -- you can see there is an entire department for collections meaning that a considerable number of highly paid attorneys and paralegals are employed there. This is not cheap. Well, I don't know how much I have chiseled away at this problem, but its a start to the conversation. The bottom line, however, is I do not believe in one parent putting the other parent in jail right in front of the childrens' eyes, no matter how much they may deserve it. I find it interesting that for a civil matter, it is only in this area of family law that judges are able to put people in jail. I'm sorry, but in this day and age, solutions for family problems like putting people in jail I find barbaric. That's just me. I'm not saying anyone has to agree.
DeleteThanks for your reply. I disagree that you compare child support to a default on a mortgage loan. For one a child has to eat everyday and be clothed and provided with medical needs. How is that like a mortgage. How does the custodial parent pay for these things if the non-custodial parent doesn't pay their obligation to support the child that they brought into this world? If I am reading your reply correctly, then why even have child support? If that were the case then there would be no payments at all and no jail time for the non paying parent. Who is to provide the child with financial support? I don't understand how in your eyes this would happen. I don't believe that the non paying parent is placed into jail before the eyes of the children. I have not heard that to be happening. I do know that in some states the failure to pay child support is a felony unlike in Connecticut. again I appreciate it that you took the time to respond but you really didn't offer any solutions to get around the non paying parent.
DeleteI can't say that I have all the answers to all questions, even though that would be great if I did! I absolutely do place as a top goal making sure that non custodial parents pay child support. I absolutely agree with you on that. On the other hand, people have a broad range of debts and they are held to account and must pay those debts, and yet they are not jailed when problems arise. There are persuasive arguments that all debts should be paid, for instance, attorneys fees, should folks get away with not paying their attorneys fees. I am paying my attorney in very small installments on a monthly basis. It will probably take the rest of my life to settle this debt, but it is happening. Should I be put in jail so that I will be forced to pay it faster? Lots of attorneys, I am sure, would say "yes". I would personally like to brainstorm more and dialogue more regarding what are some alternatives. My goal is to reform the system as a whole so that litigants can avoid the financial devastation that often results from divorce so that there are resources to pay child support. I'd like to see more compliance with court orders so that both parties can land on their feet financially subsequent to the divorce. I just bottom line feel jailing parents is wrong. I'd like to see us as a society arrive at a better solution.
DeleteVictim of Judge Daniel D'Alessandro, NJ. My 3 yr old ripped form me.
ReplyDeletewww.orphanmaker.org