Dear Rep. Vargas and Mr. Szymonik:
This is just to let you know in advance of the NPR program that Attorney Jeff Mickelson was the Guardian Ad Litem in my case from 2007 to the present (since they never get removed from a case!). He only met with my children one time only and yet he charged us $25,000. During that time he allowed my ex husband to medically neglect my children in multiple incidents by allowing my ex to take the children who have albinism and are sun sensitive out into the sun without sunblock or proper sun protection. As a result, they ended up with serious sunburns, in one situation to the point of painful blisters. The children lack the pigment required to protect their skin from the sun and need repeated applications of sun block when they go into the sun.
A nurse once told me that denying my children sun block is the same thing as denying a diabetic insulin.
Attorney Jeff Mickelson never reprimanded my ex for these incidents, never contacted him about these incidents, never lifted a finger to see that the children were properly protected, and never informed the court that there was a concern. In August 2010, my ex husband decided to take the children, who are medically at risk if they are exposed to the sun, down to Florida when the UVA index was at 11+ indicating extremely dangerous conditions. Again, Attorney Jeff Mickelson did nothing to inform the court that a trip of this kind would put the children at risk medically, exposing them to health risks such as cancer, immune deficiency diseases, facial disfigurement, and cataracts, etc. Now he has apparently decided to step down from several cases. He should. He is incompetent and negligent.
I could go into more detail regarding other areas of concern, but this is the one that concerns me most.
I would say further that Attorney Jeff Mickelson actively engaged in advocating on behalf of my ex husband, appearing to receive direct instructions from the opposing attorney in my case.
At one point in the case, for months Attorney Mickelson insisted upon having me participate in Dr. Elizabeth Thayer's Peace Program with my ex husband even though my psychologist specifically stated that this program was not called for and could be damaging to me psychologically, particularly since my ex husband was refusing to adhere to the requirements of the program.
According to the policy of The Peace Program, both parties are not supposed to engage in litigation during the time that the parties are participating in the program. My ex husband and his attorney refused to stop litigation during the time we were supposed to participate in the program and I expressed fear that anything I stated during counseling would then directly be used against me in court during that litigation and that Dr. Wendy Habelow (an associate of Dr. Elizabeth Thayer) would be called in to testify against me.
It was in Attorney Jeff Mickelson's power to intervene and request that my ex stop litigation according to the requirements of The Peace Program, and he could have taken action to protect the confidentiality of The Peace Program sessions. Instead, Attorney Mickelson insisted that I participate in The Peace Program despite the fact that my ex refused to comply with the non litigation requirements of the program, and despite the fact that I was denied my right to the protection of my confidentiality.
I would also like to state that Dr. Wendy Habelow did nothing to insist that my ex comply with the requirement of the program that he cease litigation during the time we were receiving treatment. It is important to know that The Peace Program will not accept insurance and will only accept cash for its services.
Essentially, Attorney Jeff Mickelson set me up to fail in the program and I was denied access to a conciliation program that might have been of great assistance in resolving matters. I believe this was done to incentivize further conflict so that the attorneys in the case, including Attorney Mickelson, could continue to charge major sums of money for their services. Again, this is negligent, incompetent, exploitative and not in the best interests of the children.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Richter
