CT LAW TRIBUNE OP-ED: MICHELLE CRUZ, FORMER CT VICTIM'S ADVOCATE ALSO QUESTIONS JUDGE PINKUS HANDLING OF RESTRAINING ORDER!

Attorney Michelle Cruz states as follows:

"Obtaining a restraining order is not easy for a victim of abuse. Many times it takes weeks, months or even years for the victim to muster the courage and strength to ask the courts to protect her from an abusive partner. The victim often struggles with fears of trusting the courts and the terror of the offender's reaction when he finds out that a restraining order has been sought. Sadly, for Adrianna Oyola, when she applied for protection, she was let down by the court.

Oyola is only 19 years old. She filled out an affidavit for a restraining order on June 17. She alleged that Tony Moreno, the father of 7-month-old Aaden, threatened to take the boy and make him disappear. She said she was afraid Moreno would hurt the child, who was ultimately killed when Moreno threw him off a bridge. Oyola said Moreno threatened to kill her and she was afraid to sleep.

During a June 29 hearing on the request for the restraining order, Superior Court Judge Barry Pinkus never asked Oyola for details of her allegations related to the father's threats or concerns for the child's safety. Rather, the judge glossed over the specifics, instead inquiring about the time frame of encounters between Moreno and Oyola. Had the judge asked specifically why Oyola was afraid for the baby's safety, perhaps he would have better understood the victim's concerns and not dismissed them as a "custody dispute."..."

Read more: 

http://www.ctlawtribune.com/id=1202732500715/Michelle-Cruz-Judge-Asked-Wrong-Questions-to-Babys-Abused-Mother#ixzz3gBmc1vhP