What does justice for Jennifer mean? Historically, if we could rewind the clock, I think it would mean handling the Dulos divorce more equitably and not allowing it to become money driven. It would certainly mean providing Jennifer with more legal protections. In the present, I believe it means preserving Jennifer Dulos character and reputation. This has not been done, and to the extent that it has not been done, the murderer wins.
From the start of the Dulos divorce case, Fotis Dulos tried to smear Jennifer Farber-Dulos reputation by calling her crazy. In a "Hartford Courant" article of May 30, 2019, less than a week after her death, reporters stated, "Dulos made serious allegations against his wife saying she was an unfit mother because she was taking medications and had been treated for mental illness and had a relative that committed suicide." Fotis Dulos made this statement because he felt it would give him traction in Family Court where accusations of mental illness, in violation of ADA law, can still be fatal to a mother's attempt to retain custody of her children. Also, having relatives with mental illness, remarkably, can reduce your chances of getting custody. It is as if mental illness of any kind is a form of modern day leprosy.
Under the ADA signed by President Bush in 1990, discrimination against people based upon disability is prohibited by law. Yet discrimination is alive and well in the family courts of Connecticut at the present time. If we were to talk about justice for Jennifer, to give her justice posthumously, it would be to absolutely prohibit statements in Court such as the one Dulos made equating having a mental illness or anyone in the family with a mental illness to being an unfit mother. How disgraceful that the Court allowed it then. How disgraceful that they continue to allow it now.
The other thing I would like to point out is that Judge Nelson-Heller sealed the Dulos custody report and Dr. Stephen Herman's testimony in regard to that report. This was followed by the effort on the part of Michelle Troconis defense team to unseal the report, an effort which failed miserably. Still determined to get information out there, on February 15, 2024 during her criminal trial, Michelle Troconis posted the sealed custody report on her computer screen for all to see. That day, the Farber family spokesperson, Carrie Luft, noticed the custody report on Michelle's computer screen and reported her. This led to Michelle being charged with contempt. On March 6, 2024, journalist Taylor Hartz reported this incident in The Hartford Courant as follows: "Apparently, the page Michelle was looking at included part of the psychological report of Jennifer Dulos. It referenced the name of a particular doctor and the words Borderline Personality Disorder." This information, including the diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder for Jennifer Dulos, was placed on the warrant for Michelle Troconis' arrest for contempt of court.
Subsequently, the report that Jennifer Dulos had been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder was stated repeatedly in other Hartford Courant articles. Why? I thought the content of the custody report was sealed. It was entirely possible for Carrie Luft to report on the incident without mentioning the diagnosis which was part of Jennifer Dulos' private medical information. The same goes for the arrest warrant and the later Hartford Courant reports. By disclosing the diagnosis, Carrie Luft, the warrant, the newspaper were all acting in contempt of the Court order sealing the contents of the custody report, just the same as Michelle was. They should all be charged.
Why do I care about that? Applying this diagnosis to Jennifer Dulos is simply defamatory. Find me a mother whom Family Court has demonized, and she will be diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. BPD is the diagnosis given to any troublesome woman who dares to stand up for herself. Its sexist political history and implications are extensive and decades long. Meanwhile, Fotis Dulos, the killer, supposedly had no psychopathology. It certainly makes you wonder how psychiatry is weaponized and distorted within the family court system. Only in family court could a killer walk around diagnosis free while his victim is labeled with a damning one.
Ultimately, l consider the BPD diagnosis for Jennifer to be completely bogus. Across the board, friends of Jennifer have talked about what a great person she was. This is completely contrary to a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. Here is one person's description of Jennifer, "She was lovely, kind, and shy and a little funny and very private and very quiet." And another, "She was a person who had many friends and worked well with teachers and administrators at the school where her kids got their education." Suffice it to say, a person with a Borderline Personality Disorder is not capable of such positive social interactions with others. Again, another friend said, "her insatiable curiosity about the world, the delightful way she could find the humor in anything and laugh at the absurdity of everyday life, and the fierce way she protected those she loved was typical of Jennifer." Finally, her Mom, Gloria Farber, said "My daughter left behind a legacy of love for her children. Her patience, empathy, discipline and loyalty stay with them."
Justice for Jennifer would have meant not allowing that false diagnosis to make it into public view. It is patently false from the perspective of everyone who knew her. I am asking how it did become public, given that it is information from a sealed custody report. I'm also asking how Jennifer was labeled with a complete inaccurate diagnosis. Was there in fact a custody switching scheme in the works to label Jennifer crazy and put all the children in Fotis Dulos sole custody and keep Jennifer paying forever to get them back. Did her murder interrupt that scheme?
Every once in a while, I drive back and forth over Avon Mountain and I see the shrine for Jennifer Dulos. It is a very touching demonstration of love and caring for the memory of Jennifer Dulos. But it isn't enough. If we want Justice for Jennifer and for others just like Jennifer, we have to go further.
We have to hold the Judicial System accountable for their mistakes and we need to demand that the same things that happened to Jennifer don't happen to the next person. Whoever is responsible for disseminating the information regarding Jennifer's purported diagnosis should be censored and it should be removed from the public record. That's what Justice for Jennifer actually means.
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