PLEASE NOTE: This blog is a bigotry free zone open to all persons, regardless of age, race, religion, color, national origin, sex, political affiliations, marital status, physical or mental disability, age, or sexual orientation. Further, this blog is open to the broad variety of opinions out there and will not delete any comments based upon point of view. However, comments will be deleted if they are worded in an abusive manner and show disrespect for the intellectual process.
My ex "hired" an attorney (friend of his girlfriend) and she hand delivered an appearance to me in court; told me I had to go through her for any contact and now months later...that appearance was never filed in court and I need to go back and request a change in custody to sole. The court clerk said to contact her - I have - she won't respond. I guess she isn't his attorney? She was hire to help him with visitation but after a year still hasn't set that up. Also, I know his new address but his old one is with the court and not updated; he has blocked my phone numbers (even the one our child can reach him from); and will receive registered mail but won't respond to it. I can't afford an attorney and make too much for legal help. Now what do I do?
ReplyDeleteMy off the cuff guess is that you should get advice from the judge on how to handle the situation. Yes, you can actually submit a motion entitled "Motion For Advice" from what I gather. But send me an email at: Slopercathy@gmail.com!
ReplyDeleteUpdate...not his attorney anymore. I tried to contact her several times and she finally called back. Told me I wasn't her client she didn't have to call me back; she has rude clients and doesn't need my attitude and the told me she was not his attorney and then hung up on me. Didn't leave me a moment to get a word in. Thinking about complaining to the bar - she told me I had to contact her, told me she was representing him and then pulls this garbage? Unprofessional at best! Anyways, she never filed anything and doesn't represent him as he has no leg to stand on.
ReplyDeleteI am shocked by the stories here. It is a La Costra Nostra-styled racket. Although I must warn you, even those GAL's that are court appointed can be tainted even though paid through paltry state funds. Those individuals are subject to contracts issued by a state agency. The administered contracts are only as good as the state agency officer initiated the contracts. The specific officer initiating the contracts has anything but the best interests of the child---or the taxpayer in mind. You see, it is not fiction when one speaks of Blacklisting in the state of Connecticut. GAL's that question or perhaps are "too much of a social worker" in the eyes of a specific civilly immune state agency employee can be blacklisted. Blacklisting comprises of withheld earned pay and non-renewal of a contract. Blacklisting is also confirmed to have been a utilized methodology in the realm of "Surrogate Parents." Taxpayer money is played with as if it is a private pile of treasure reigned over by a few specific players within state agencies. There is plenty of blame to go around and the problem not only falls on private GAL's (which I agree wholly with the assessments here), but more so on public GAL's and surrogate parents---whose hands are TIED due to the corruption with the state agencies administering contracts. For example, at one surrogate parent meeting (in front of hundreds of professionals vying for positions as surrogate parents), the presenter gleefully stated that anyone in the audience would not have a contract renewed by her personally, if they angered her in any way . This power over tax payer money IS the corruption that needs to be dealt with.
ReplyDeleteThis is very useful information as we try to formulate what we need to do in order to have effective reform of the GAL system. I also find what you are saying very shocking from a taxpayer and parent's point of view. Thanks for sharing this information.
DeleteYou certainly have an informative blog and many of your viewpoints are on spot. You and your readers should peek at http://cruel-injustice-in-ct.blogspot.com This woman who once worked for a high profile attorney REALLY got a raw deal. Top it off she has been respectful and not published names.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestion. I'll check it out!
DeleteHi, I was divorced in 2009 (in CT). I have two children my ex was supporting and my youngest is graduating high school this June, can I get an Educational Support Order now that makes my ex continue to pay child support while the two children go to college. He refuses to pay for college, one child is 19 the other is 18. All I want is the child support to continue while in college.
ReplyDeleteDeb, unless your children are severely handicapped, there is no child support beyond the age of 18. That said, support for College Fees beyond the age of 18 where the money goes directly to the College or to the Child to pay room and board expenses is absolutely possible. What you have to do is first try to get your ex to agree to pay at least 50% or more, depending upon his income, and you might seek to obtain retroactive College fees if he has not been paying for your children who are already over 18. If your ex will not come to a voluntary agreement, you can then make a Motion For Attorney's Fees with the Court. I believe the Court would be quite sympathetic to your request to make sure that your children are educated. But if you put in a request in child support terms, the Court will go ballistic against you. If you google the term Educational Support Orders in the State of Connecticut, you should come across the CT General Statute that supports this. Remember, you will be expected to pay a percentage of College fees as well based upon your income. But remember, I am not an attorney and cannot give legal advice. This is only what I know because I have children as well and checked these concerns out earlier!
DeleteAlert on James Wing ..two filed grievance complaints 2011 and 2014 against him, one current malpractice April 2014, mentioned in parent's GAL( by name) as negligent...AVVO report is "superb",2 recent negative reviews were removed....His PR machine has to work overtime to hide his trail of incompetence.I wish there was a way to let people know a lawyer's record...I hired him on his AVVO rating. I think he may write his on positive
ReplyDeletereviews as they are so over the top: "My Last Hope" etc
I hired attorney James Wing I was very upfront and told him in detail of my situation as it relates to custody and visitation . I remember him saying something to the effect that I was the better parent and he knew he could make the court see that after ten thousand dollars and legal fees he did not do that . He actually did little to nothing for my case what he did do was bill for me an extreme amount of hours and I always paid my bills in full . I remember how I could never speak to him directly and always his paralegal and at one point I could no longer speak to her everyone was unreachable .
DeleteHe is not the attorney to hire he will promise you the moon in that initial conversation and you will achieve nothing of what he says
Exactly how he behaved with me. No communication with either me or opposing counsel. Spoke of me to opposing counsel in disrespectful manner"erratic". I filed a grievance with the court and they returned 5 counts of probable cause. He had to hire counsel and had a public trial
DeleteDoes anyone have any feedback on Dr. Howard Krieger?
ReplyDeleteDr. Krieger was notoriously involved in Susan Skipp's case, I understand. He has been the subject of considerable complaints and I would be very cautious about working with him.
DeleteEveryone, be very very wary of Elizabeth Sharpe (Terri) GAL, unless you are a man. She supports fathers and will fabricate data. She is in Fairfield County.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Sharpe (cos cob, ct office) is indeed one to be avoided if your are the Mom. She was 'appointed'/ 'assigned' to my case on POST judgement (trial court decided) matters (read between the lines...the Dad, my husband was after a baseless reduction of Unallocated (!) Alimony & Child Support, which even my 16 yr old daughter (!!) being 'used' by her Dad went on Affidavit Record as saying so (that thankfully ended that horrific escapade into gross negligence GAL land for me...no such luck for the many other parents out there whose 'under-age' children are pawns for the paying Dad spouse). When I, the Mom, brought to Elizabeth Shape's office a binder of relevant info re my (virtual vote w her feet) 16 yr old daughter's cogent history (medical, school, athletics, interests, the typical dossier), the first words out of Elizabeth Sharpe's mouth were "is my bribe in there as well?". I shit you not. It was horrifying. I had the good sense to file against her and call into question whether the whole escapade/charade was to deplete my daughter's trust funds, including college ones. I even called her and accused her of that...that, and only that, was when she backed off herself courtside via her own motions for order 'clarification' (meaning her role). It was a circus nevertheless. She was called out on her BS, she knew it, she fortunately was prevented from getting paid a dime as a baseless GAL, but several 'dimes' were nevertheless spent in having her removed of her own accord. I suspect there was 'revenue sharing' amongst the attorneys of record to achieve such. Personally I construe, or would argue, unrecognized or unreported 'revenue, or fee, sharing' as a cute euphemism for flat-out illegal kickbacks. Which I doubt are either caught by the extremely lame CT IOLTA random audit system (set up by the judges of superior court themselves in their inimitable foxes-watching-henhouses fashion endemic in their midst) or are reported on the attorneys Federal and State returns (and the State of CT turns a huge blind eye to attorney 'fee' IOLTA/Trustee accounts/money laundering vehicles btw). In any event, the previous poster is dead on correct...DO NOT AGREE NOR MEET WITH ELIZABETH SHARPE OF GREENWICH, CT!! if you are the Mom trying to right by your kids and your own self. Unless you bring the bribe.
DeleteI am another mom here to warn women against Elizabeth Sharpe. My ex called for her appointment when our son was almost 13. It's unusual for a GAL to be called in when the child is that age. Their father/son relationship was broken before my ex left, but instead of working with counseling to help mend their rift, my ex was intent on claiming I was to blame for alienating our son from him, and he and his attorney got the court to assign Ms. Sharpe.
DeleteI found Ms. Sharpe to be completely unscrupulous. She is fond of referring to your children as "her clients". In my case, in the two+ nightmare years of our divorce, she met with my son (her client) for a grand total of half an hour, in which, according to my son, she spent the whole time bragging about how her clients love her, citing how the father of one of her other "client's" had treated her and the child to a Yankee game and put "Thank You, Elizabeth Sharpe" up on the Diamondvision. She spent no time interviewing my son about his feelings about the divorce, or the father/son therapy.
If you have the misfortune to have her appointed to your case, do not answer the phone when she calls! Conduct all communication with her in writing via letter, email or text. Be warned, she'll call you on the phone with a friendly demeanor, spending the first 10 minutes on pleasantries, then talk to you for long periods about anything and everything. She will intimate that your cooperation in speaking to her for as long as she wishes is required. If you have the temerity to question the purpose for the call, her demeanor changes in an instant to a very brusque and threatening one. Of course every second you are speaking to her she's on the clock, billing at $400+ an hour. She did the same thing with the therapist my ex and son were working with until he put a stop to it.
I did not ask for her services, my ex and his attorney did, but her fees will come out of your JOINT assets, so you're paying her to work against you.
Initially I was naive (or just stupid), I thought the court would not assign someone who did not have the best interest of the children at heart. They may indeed be well-intentioned but the family court system is a money-making black hole, populated with many unethical, greedy people. Beware and make sure there's a paper trail.
I am another mom abused by Terry Sharpe. Avoid this woman like the plague. I have lost my life savings. She enables abuse. She has five different personalities and all are EVIL
DeleteUnfortunately I have a similar tale of Terry Sharpe. I am a mom and can attest that she prefers men and will always come down on the side of the father no matter. I wish I had read all this earlier.
DeleteShe is senile, dishonest and cannot understand most of what is said to her. Also extremely egocentric and more than a bit racist, too. She’s from another era and personifies a GAL who does this work because the unaccountability of the job permits a person like her a steady income without being fired or sued. At 80 years old, she should have retired decades ago - instead, she believes in 1950’s attitudes toward girls and boys. She is incapable of helping - she can only fan flames and make things worse. Not that she could notice that (or care). By the way, I’m a man.
DeleteCan you recommend a good GAL? And how much to do you need to have to support your motion for one?
ReplyDeleteI am not an attorney and cannot give legal advice. I don't know any good GALs. By definition the term means "bad" as far as I know, not kidding. I don't exactly understand your second question? What do you mean by "have"?
DeleteTell your readers please that in your, or at least your devoted posters humble experience and opinion, you/they have yet to hear or report of a single one. Please relay that it is ALL about money-grubbing and a concerted court ordered and recognized sheer financial draining exercise in futility, for all parties (parents) concerned, and also the kids. Please direct them to the small modicum success of GAL atrocities and reform via web sites, hearings, legislative actions, you tube and the like. Please scare these otherwise good folks off from the direct pathway to hell via the CT Judiciary.
DeleteAvoid Terry Sharpe (Cos Cob) who is absolutely the most corrupt GAL you will ever come across. She is pro father but will not perform basic duties will not investigate anything harmful to the children - just skip a GAL and go straight to DFS especially if you have problems with an alcoholic parent who is endangering your children. She will drain your finances produce false invoices and pretend her communications with you were "stuck" in her draft box. She is an old lesbian with an axe to grind against women. She has no idea what it is like to raise children and will work against you even when you have thriving children. She is a pathological narcissist enabling pathological narcissist fathers bury the mothers of their children. This woman should be put in jail.
DeleteLive the blog. It's very helpful. Please join us here https://www.facebook.com/groups/491161954367811/
ReplyDeleteAnyone else
it's a page of people fighting the same courts all over the world and trying to organize and resource together but who've been alienated from their children using these corrupt courts and manipulation.
Anyone else who are losing the battle for their kids please feel free to join.
I am the Admin and from Enfield Connecticut with my court case in Tolland county. I'd love to share thoughts and ideas with you
-kelly
I would say that Judge Holly Whetstone is known for being a particularly bad judge and I had understood that because of that she was removed from family court and is in some other court at this time. Also, I have generally heard that the Rockville Court is a particularly rough court so I'm not surprised that you had a particularly difficult situation. FYI, parental alienation syndrome and its offspring are a father's rights invention that is used to divest fit mother's of custody of their children and cut off all mother's access to the children. This is very different than domestic violence by proxy where men seize control of the children and use them as pawns in family court to harm a fit mother and legally abuse. Just FYI.
DeleteCan anyone recommend an attorney that won't take advantage of me involving parental alienation and PAS. The Bridgeport court has done a good job of frustrating me in resolving this and i am tiring of the feeder networks Gals and phycologists substituting for judges who seem to like to outsources and continue the cycle of expenses and adversarial contests. It's going on a year and half that I have not seen my daughter.
ReplyDeleteI was just wondering if there's been any improvement in your case?
DeleteWhat resources if any have you used? It seem like PAS is something of CT because everytime I mention it to someone they have zero knowledge of it...!
Can anyone share anything about the Bridgeport Court System?
Does anyone have any feedback, experiences or comments on
ReplyDeleteDR. JAMES CONNOLLY or LISA KERIN?
Dr. James Connolly I believe is a long time insider. I have not heard of Lisa Kerin.
DeleteJust FYI, see this link of Lisa Kerin, but take all of these kinds of comments with a grain of salt. See link: http://www.yellowpages.com/milford-ct/mip/lisa-kerin-msw-1651275
DeleteI have dealt with Lisa kerin for way to long. She is highly unprofessional and bias. My ex would call me names in her office and she stated it was my fault. She made every excuse possible for him and defended him to the end until finally he did something so horrendous that she couldnt defend him anymore but instead of saying he was wrong she just recused herself from our case. She screams in her sessions and constantly talks about her personal life. I feel bad for anyone that has to deal with her.
DeleteDO NOT GO TO LISA KERIN!!! She is wildly abusive and unprofessional. She made my communications with my ex much worse! She came to court and got in my face and threatened me that she would lie about me being abusive. She has several loud abusive outbursts at me during our sessions that were totally uncalled for and unprovoked. I can'r believe she is still able to have a business. You are warned. Stay as far away from Lisa Kerin as possible.
DeletePersonally, and this is my particularly prejudice, I don't think social workers are sufficiently knowledgeable to assist with clients who are having problems in family court. I would look for a person with a PH.D. at the very least.
ReplyDeleteI just don't Trust anyone the court appoints or that the lawyers insist on. Frankly, if you have insurance you can contact them for a list of providers so why have the court or Atty. select a therapist or psychologist.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with the comment made regarding SW - I have come across a review on Lisa Kerin in Yelp that was alarming to say the least.
Have anyone encountered a true ethical psychologist that you can recommend for my 15 yr old kid?
Someone recommended Linda Smith, but after reading this blog I will stay away from her. Harry Adamakos? Please share your experience or recommendations. Thank you so much!
I don't believe you are required to use a court appointed professional for an ongoing court case. Any professional can become involved. It's only when there is a court ordered custody evaluation or co-manager that a court would be involved. If it is just counseling for a 15 year old child then any psychologist should be fine. I've gotten to the point where if anybody who is a lawyer or court related individual recommends anyone to me, I automatically cross them off my list. Dr. Gruen? Dr. Stephen Humphries?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI just do not understand Family Court in CT. Dad has a pending case for Neglect & endangerment, son is removed until the case is resolved. However, he STILL has my younger kid during his parenting time and is still trying to get Full Custody.
ReplyDeleteHow is this possible? He's ok to be around one kid and not the other? And yet, one case is in Criminal Court and the other in Family and one has Nothing to do with another! Everything is blamed on PAS - I just don't understand!
IF anyone has any knowledge or knows of any helpful information PLEASE let me know. The GAL does absolutely nothing - Everyone just wants money... I don't know what is going on with our Court System!
Deal directly with the police and family services if your child is in danger. GALs do zero except take your money
DeleteHow can one even get rid of a GAL? You are absolutely right, they do absolutely nothing at all! I'm not saying all - but by far the one my kids have earns his money doing nothing at all!!! It's a shame and truly a dis-service to the profession!
ReplyDeleteAfter many years of Terry Sharp's unethical representation of my children, she was legally removed as AMC. This made new case law for CT in 2010. You can use this case and try to remove your GAL.
Deletewhats the case name
DeleteThe U.S.DOJ funded an investigation-finding the nation's minors attorneys and custody evaluators recommend and the nation's judges award custody to abusive fathers-based on parental alienation. It's not just Connecticut, it's the nation. To get rid of a GAL, you threaten to sue them, and they will exit stage left. But no matter how many judges or GAL's you get rid of, another horrific, horrible one will replace them.
ReplyDeleteI want to sue my sons' GAL but my attorney told me my GAL is immune. Court protected. Is this true?
DeleteIf you live in the State of CT, this is correct based upon case law, "Carrubba v. Moskowitz". That said, this is no CT General Statute that has indicated that GALs have judicial immunity. Here you could argue that the Court system is creating law which is outside their purview. This would be a good case, in my view. You see, an attorney can sit there and say, well, it can't be done, or an attorney can proceed to do what he or she can to overturn a prior court ruling that was improper. I am saying this as a non-attorney, you understand. Proceeding further, if you are truly discouraged by this option and don't want to sue, you can still go and file a complaint against the GAL based upon his or her violation of professional ethics. See the following link for the GALs code of ethics:
Deletehttps://www.jud.ct.gov/family/GAL_code.pdf
If a GAL is an attorney and violates this code of ethics, I believe you would go to Statewide Legal and file a grievance. If a GAL is a mental health professional, you would go to the DPH and see if you can have his or her license revoked. So this is a second option.
The one thing good fit non-custodial mothers have in common is they have an abuse case. The nation's divorce courts label abuse cases, parental alienation cases, awarding abusive fathers custody, court ordering protective moms, no contact or supervised visits.
ReplyDeleteWell...been waiting to see if you have posted anything about the past election results with President-Elect Trump. I'm sure you were pro=Hillary as most women are because she advocated for women's rights in several areas, but now that is gone, gone, gone. With Trump he knows you play the "woman card" as he phrased his choice of words, but truthfully Roe vs Wade is going bye bye, VAWA is going bye bye...all of Joe Biden's work for women is going down the hole. If you look at results last year in Massachusetts governor challenge Martha Coakley vs Charlie Baker...although Ma. is a heavy Democratic state all the dads DID NOT WANT Coakley and she lost the election, and dads once again being a powerful voting block put down Senator "Loud mouth" Warren and Hillary.You wont get any cooperation unless you stop advancing yourselves at the expense of men. Thats Megan kelly's definition (Fox news) of a feminist.
ReplyDeleteNeed feedback on anyones experience with Janis Laliberte in Milford....as a GAL. thank you
ReplyDeleteEveryone I've ever spoken to has said really bad things about this attorney. Stay away.
DeleteHere is an interesting case where Janice Laliberte was the GAL. Strobel V. Strobel. See link: https://www.jud.ct.gov/external/supapp/Cases/AROap/ap92/92AP82.pdf
DeleteWhat happens when you can no longer pay your useless GAL?
ReplyDeleteA GAL cannot endlessly charge. He or she must complete the tasks ordered by the judge and then no more. For the better part, all of this including fees are handled by the Judge so I'd let the judge know you have run out of money. There are GAL's available at a sliding scale, or State rates, and you can ask to have the case changed to one of those GALs. You can make a motion to remove the GAL if he or she is not doing a good job.
DeleteDoes anyone have any feedback on Linda Smith?
ReplyDeleteLinda Smith is well known to be a problem.
DeleteDr. Linda Smith is partner to Dr. Eric Frazer who is a proponent of quack PAS theory. I'm certain she is as well. I would stay well away from her.
DeleteCan anyone provide details on what she's done that's harmful?
DeleteI was considering using her until I saw this, she seemed very knowledgeable. Heard Frazer was a problem though.
Dr. Smith was invaluable in my case to bring the truth to light. I would highly recommend her to anyone.
DeleteLinda smith has caused harm and trauma to many children.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Dr. James Connolly? I hear he’s just as bad...
DeleteHe is someone that gets recognized in court simply because he has all these accolades and certain degrees and age but, as the phrase goes, just because you have a degree/title does not make you proficient or great in that profession! Not all attorneys are good simply because they passed the Barr exam! They may have taken 4-5 times and you would not know it...Connolly should just retire already! He’s totally Bias!
DeleteJim is a solid evaluator. He gets it.
DeleteDoes anyone have information on GAL jennifer celantano? New haven juvenile court.
ReplyDeleteShe’s clueless
DeleteI am trying to reply to the post below stating DO NOT GO TO LISA KERIN: I cannot believe good fit protective mothers do not know...that minor's attorneys and custody evaluators recommend custody to abusive fathers. In the nation's courts, abuse cases are labeled [parental alienation cases], custody is awarded to abusive fathers, while good fit protective mothers are [court ordered] no contact or supervised visits. DO NOT GO TO LISA KERIN!!! She is wildly abusive and unprofessional. She made my communications with my ex much worse! She came to court and got in my face and threatened me that she would lie about me being abusive. She has several loud abusive outbursts at me during our sessions that were totally uncalled for and unprovoked. I can'r believe she is still able to have a business. You are warned. Stay as far away from Lisa Kerin as possible.
ReplyDeleteI wish I would have read your post prior to encountering this nightmare of a so called “professional” she ought to be ashamed of herself!
DeleteI realized Lisa Kerin was a problem when she told me to file a MOTION against my ex during our session. This is “suppose” to be a professional charged with helping us move forward, but instead is looking to make matters worse! I Never heard or seen such a thing, she literally left me speechless! She wants to stir things up so she can continue to make money off of you - Stay Away and warn others to stay away from her too! She should loose her practicing license!!!!
ReplyDeleteI heard someone in court talking very negatively about this woman. I could not help myself but ask about her, and all that I have read here was echoed by this family - both mom/dad, which is rare, were definitely on the same page regarding this social worker! While they did not get into much details they were adamant about me staying away from her, more importantly, my kids!
DeleteAs many have already posted, Lisa Kerin, is just highly unprofessional and should not have a license! She will make matters worse between the families! She honestly should not be practicing any type of family practice at all in any State! If she favors you then you might be “saved” but if she does not God Bless you because she will destroy your life and your contact with your children! She will lie to the GAL, to the courts, to the evaluators and anyone involved in your case. She has selective memory; if you record her and then wait to see what she reports you will prove how much she lies with ZERO guilt! She has more issues than her clients do! If you step back and observe her well you will quickly pick up on her issues and insecurities with her childhood, father, marriage & kids; she tends to counter-transfer OFTEN during her sessions, she yells, she’s inappropriately in your face, tends to stir the pot between the parents INSTEAD of helping them - THE LIST IS ENDLESS! There are countless of complaints against this woman BUT, BUT because certain attorneys or GALs tend to still use her so they can “win” cases... she’s still in business!!!! Hopefully, one day, the right person will come alone and handle her, truly make a formal complaint against her bc what she’s doing should be illegal - it’s certainly UNETHICAL!!
ReplyDeleteSo if you are wise, whether you’re the dad/mom find another co-parent therapist bc there’s NOTHING co-parenting about this one!!! Best of Luck!
Is this blog still active?
ReplyDeleteI certainly monitor the comments on the blog and pay attention if something new comes up. Otherwise, everything that I see going on is just repeat. I have written as much as I possibly can about what is going on in family court. All of the situations that I have described are continuing to happen. This is an ongoing situation. There has been little reform, and little indication that the legal profession or anyone else, the media, your average citizen, give a shit about what is happening to people. I could continue to cover this issue, but again, as I said, it would all be repeat. There are 1800 blogs in total on this website with extensive observations on what to expect in family court, how to handle your own family court situation, reviews in detail of specific cases. I think I've pretty much covered it all. If anything new appeared, certainly I'd report on it. But at this point, it's all the corruption again and again with the same family court operators doing it. I'm not sure what more I can say here. Nothing much has changed. Prepare to have your life destroyed if you enter family court, particularly if you are a mother.
DeleteThank you! I am going on 8 years in this fiasco of back/forth in the Bridgeport court! There has to be somebody that can call attention to this major corruption! The longer I’m there the more I see it! I no longer have attorney because I cannot afford one but I have also been involved for so long that I can defend myself probably better than the paid attorney that’s negotiating with the opposite side! If you have any advise please share it because this family court “game” is exhausting!
DeleteThe only ones that pay the high price are the children!
Hello, does anyone have an update on how the Bridgeport court is handling parents that were in contempt of the parenting plan by not releasing the kids using COVID-19 as an excuse? It is my understanding that COVID should not have been used as an excuse to withhold access to the non-custodial parent. Thank you
ReplyDeleteI'm really overwhelmed filling a complaint with this court system. I really need a civil rights attorney. The series of events that has unfolded in my case is rediculous. The GAL has violated several codes of conduct and misrepresented herself to the court twice. We were forced to pay out of pocket $200 dollars an hour for a psychologist. The average hourly rate is $150. The GAL attended and participated in the session. Billings for it. Attorneys do not meet the requirements of a license mental health professional. They do not meet the eithical or legal standards set forth by the CT board of allied health and licenser. Or the Connecticut Department of public health. No proper parenting evaluation was done. The psychologist she and the court forced us to use is not on the list of approved court psychologist. Can't find her name any where on it. When therapy is performed which was done in my case. It disqualifies the psychologist from contributing to the parenting plan. Leaving all the recommendation to the GAl weather a psychologist agrees with it or not. Hardly seems like that is in the best interest of a minor child. It is no secret that this court system receives finding for father's rights. Which Gals and the Judges receive compensation. Conflict of interest. Both parents should have equal rights and be treated fairly. That was not done in my case. Motions I filled were cancelled and never addressed. In the best interest of my x husband. It is the judges in this system to hear all legal arguments and evidence of it. I was relentlessly locked out of the court room. The judge never heard vital information. The GAL with held it. There is no court records of conversation when parties are not present in court. The judge are allowing hear say. Allowed people to be financially burdened unfairly.This system is a mess. It is bias and violating people's rights with no concern. It's violating the minors rights and failing to work in their best interest. Putting their emotional psychological and physical well being in danger in some cases. After almost a decade of record complaints why is this still happening? Why are some of these judges allowed to stay on the bench year after year dispite much distrust from the residence of the State? As well the on going poor treatment of the parties having to go through this system. Why do the residence of Connecticut who vote and pay taxes have to live with a family court system that is considered one of the worst in the Country? Why after a record number of complaints why is there no unbudsmen for the court system? Are the hearings being held really changing anything?
ReplyDeleteAvoid Kevin Finch like the plague. Biased, does not take the time to know the child or touch base with all providers and parties involved and custodial issues.
ReplyDeleteVery dismissive as well.
Avoid GALs all together.