KANSAS MALE CHAUVINIST PIG: JUDGE J. PATRICK WALTERS OF WICHITA

RightsForMothers

These Kansas Judges need to pull their heads out of their ‘god-syndrome’ asses. WTF—

FILED IN: CHILD CUSTODY, CHILD CUSTODY BATTLE, CHILD CUSTODY FOR SALE, CHILD CUSTODY FOR FATHERS, CORRUPT BASTARDS, JUDGE PATRICK WALTERS, KANSAS, MOTHERLESS CHILDREN,NONCUSTODIAL MOTHERS, SHAWN JONES, TAMMY YOUNGQUIST, CHILD CUSTODY FOR ABUSERS

UPDATE (8/26/10): Today is Women’s Equality Day.  Send Judge Walters a “Happy Women’s Equality Day” email: jwalters@dc18.org

During a hearing yesterday in a Sedgwick County Courtroom, mother Tammy Youngquist sought to have contact with her two very young daughters.  She hasn’t seen them in months.  As most mothers who have been run into the ground financially by the abusive ex, she motioned the court pro se….without a lawyer.  Judge J. Patrick Walters refused to entertain anything in the motion she put forward, and when Tammy was quoting something in Kansas Constitution about rights of women, Assmunch Walters asked “Women have rights?“  Then he left the court room.

So the ex (they weren’t even married) continues to keep total control of the little girls and won’t let them see their own mother.  Won’t even let her see a picture of them while they were in court.  Tammy’s older son was “allowed” by BOS (bag of smegma) Shawn Jones, who was alleged to have sexually abused one of the young daughters, to see his sisters’ pictures, and the boy cried.  Control freaks like BOS Shawn Jones are known to try and control access to anything to do with his property (as he thinks of them as), as they make excellent pawns in the sick game of “keep away.”  He’s so lucky to have Chauvenist Pig Judge Walters right there by his side to let him continue the game.  God help these little girls.

There are no plans for their mother to ever see them again.  But they are promising to try and put her in jail next month for child support.  Bravo BOS Shawn, you would make our Asshole of the Month Club if we had one.  You are an embarrassment to me as a veteran of the military…you wear an Officers uniform, you take two little girls from their mother, one who was born in the hospital when you were out messing with another woman.  You and the “replacement mom” (wife #4?) make buckets of money next to what Tammy makes as a part time waitress.  Shame on you.  Your daughters (and this I know personally) will end up damning you for keeping them from their mother and siblings.

See what others say about Judge Patrick Walters, on The Wall of Shame by P & C Justice:

Judge Patrick Walters, here in Sedgwick county needs to be mentioned on your wall of shame, Judge Walters is NOT following the law. He is handing children over to the alleged abusers, he is denying protective parents a right to see their child/children. Kansas statute reads that a parent is entitled to visitation unless visitation would cause danger to the child. Well, in a recent case and others Judge Walters took away parenting time from a mother because she reported abuse. He stated that she was the abuser, how dare he say such thing, this is why so many children are dying because of Judges like Pat Walters. Lets not forget about Daytona Robertson, when the mother asked to have her daughter protected, and the abuse investigated and Judge Anthony Powell took away parenting time of mom and put her on supervised visits and gave Dad sole custody, then just a few months later little Daytona died from abuse in Dads home, Dad didn’t abuse the child but it was in Dad’s home NOT moms. Judge Patrick Walters needs to be removed from the bench, he is a true danger to children of abuse, children who rely on Judges to keep them safe. Judge Patrick Walters also has taken other children away from mom’s after abuse allegations and put the children in foster care, once again how dare him traumatize these children and take them away from the ONE parent who didn’t abuse them and place them with STRANGERS, NO MORE JUDGE WALTERS, you don’t deserve the HONOR of being a Sedgwick County Judge.

Stepmothers Cannot Replace Biological Mothers

By the awesome RANDI James

Stepmothers Cannot Replace Biological Mothers  (emphasis mine)

Myth -- Stepmothers are acceptable substitutes for children's real mothers. [This is the cherished belief of many re-coupled nonprimary caregiving fathers who seek custody, and also of the custody evaluators who indulge them.]

Fact: "It has been consistently found that stepfamilies are not as close as nuclear families (Kennedy, 1985; Pill, 1990) and that stepparent-stepchild relationships are not as emotionally close as parent-child relationships (Ganong & Coleman, 1986; Hetherington & Chlingempeel, 1992, Hobart, 1989) Many clinicians and researchers assume that stepfamilies tend to become closer over time. However, previous longitudinal studies conducted on stepfamilies have found little empirical support for this (Hetherington & Clingempeel, 1992; Kurdek, 1991).

"Exploring the Stepgap: How Parents' Ways of Coping with Daily Family Stressors Impact Stepparent-Stepchild Relationship Zuality in Stepfamilies," by Melady Preece. University of British Columbia. (1996) http://www.psych.ubc.ca/~mpreece/compdoc.pdf

 

Fact: "The one most significant factor that neutralizes the advantages of remarrying is the psychological dilemma the child goes through over whom to love. The child seems to be polarized, for example, between loving the woman (the mother) who is now, as it usually happens, hated by the father, and the new woman (the stepmother) whom the father deeply loves. Virginia Rutter describes this conflict as "divided loyalty". She further explains that the child feels torn because their parents are pulling them in opposite directions. The symptoms of this divided royalty are that they brew up bad behavior or depression, a forced psychological path to resolve the conflict between the parents(Rutter). On the other hand children whose parents remain single do not experience this because no new figure (stepparent) is introduced to trigger that psychological trauma."

"Reconstituted families vs Single-Parent Families." http://wl.middlebury.edu/derick/ ; Rutter, Virginia. "Lessons From Stepfamilies". Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, Inc. May-June 1994 Vol27 n3 p30 (10). Oct. 31, 2002.

Fact: "Adolescents, however, would rather separate from the family as they form their own identities. "The developmental needs of the adolescent are at odds with the developmental push of the new stepfamily for closeness and bonding,".

Id. Also see "NEW PERSPECTIVES ON STEPFAMILIES:STEP IS NOT A FOUR LETTER WORD," by Susan Gamache, M.A., R.C.C.* STEPFAMILIES, Fall 1994 http://www.saafamilies.org/education/articles/prof/gameche.htm

Fact: "Only about 20% of adult stepkids feel close to their stepmoms, says the pioneering work of E. Mavis Hetherington involving 1,400 families of divorce, some studied almost 30 years. 'The competition between non-custodial mothers and stepmothers was remarkably enduring," she writes in For Better or For Worse: Divorce Reconsidered. 'Only about one-third of adult children think of stepmoms as parents,' suggests Constance Ahrons' 20-year research project. Half regard their stepdads as parents. About 48% of those whose moms had remarried were happy with the new union. Only 29% of those whose dads had remarried liked the idea of a stepmom.'

"Stepmoms step up to the plate," by Karen S. Peterson, USA TODAY. 5/6/2002) http://www.usatoday.com/life/2002/2002-05-07-stepmom.htm

Fact: "Stepmothers have the most difficulty building a relationship with stepdaughters. There is generally less affection, less respect, and less acceptance in this relationship than in other stepfamily relationships. The daughter may resent the stepmother's closeness with her father... Attempts by the stepmother to fulfill her role in the stepfamily may be perceived by the stepdaughter as efforts to replace her mother."

"Building Step Relationships." Stepping Stones for Stepfamilies. http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1832.pdf

Fact: "Stepmothers are also found to have more problematic relationship with stepchildren; while children, particularly girls, also experience higher stress when they are living with their stepmothers. (Jacobson, 1987 in Visher & Visher, 1993). Visher & Visher (1979) suggested that teenage daughters identify strongly with their mothers and resent any woman who replaces their mother for the father's affection. Teenage daughters also exhibit much competitiveness with their stepmothers for their father's affection. These findings suggested that there are strong situational dynamics at work that create special relationship problems for stepmother families. Difficulty between the children's mother and stepmother has also been mentioned as a possible contribution to the greater stress in stepmother families. (Visher & Visher 1988)

"Exploring the Difficulties of stepmothers in the Hong Kong Chinese Society," by Kwok Yuen-ching, Lily.The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (1998) http://swforum.socialnet.org.hk/article/fulltext/990502.doc

Also see: Ganong & Coleman. Remarried Family Relatioships Sage Publications. (1994); Visher, J.S. & Visher, E.B. "Stepfamilies: A Guide To Working With Stepparents & Stepchildren." Brunner/Mazel New York (1979); Visher, J.S. & Visher, E.B. "Old Loyalties,New Ties." Therapeutic Strategies with Stepfamilies Brunner/Mazel New York (1988); Visher, J.S. & Visher, E.B. " Remarriage Families and Stepparenting" in Walsh, T. (ed.) Normal Family Processes. New York Guilford Press (1993); Vuchinich S. et al (1991) "Parent-Child Interaction and Gender Differences in Early Adolescents." Adaptation to Stepfamilies. Developmental Psychology 1991 Vol. 27, No.4; Smith, Donna. "Stepmothering." Harvester Wheatsheaf. New York (1990)

Fact: "Children raised in families with stepmothers are likely to have less health care, less education and less money spent on their food than children raised by their biological mothers, three studies by a Princeton economist have found. The studies examined the care and resources that parents said they gave to children and did not assess the quality of the relationships or the parents' feelings and motives. But experts said that while the findings did not establish the image of the wicked stepmother as true, they supported the conclusion that, for complex reasons, stepmothers do invest less in children than biological mothers do, with fathers, to a large extent, leaving to women the responsibility for the family's welfare."

"Differences Found in Care With Stepmothers," by Tamar Lewin, Tim Shaffer for The New York Times Susan Sasse, vice president of the International Stepfamily Association, with her husband, Erik, and their children in Chesapeake City, Md. (August 17, 2000) http://www.geocities.com/thesagacontinues2000/stepmoms.html

Also see http://www.geocities.com/wellesley/9204/custody.html; and "What's Normal In a Stepfamily"? by Peter K. Gerlach, MSW. Board member Stepfamily Association of America http://sfhelp.org/04/reality3.htm

Also see: Children living with custodial fathers are less likely to have health insurance than children who live with their mothers. http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/p60-224.pdf

Fact: "[C]hildren experiencing multiple transitions, experiencing them later in childhood, and those living in stepfamilies fared poorly in comparison with those living their entire childhood in stable single-parent families or moving into two-parent families with biological or adoptive parents. Other studies show benefits of stable single-parent living arrangements for children's socioemotional adjustment and global wellbeing (Acock & Demo, 1994), and deleterious effects of multiple transitions (Capaldi & Patterson, 1991; Kurdek, Fine, & Sinclair, 1995), supporting a life-stress perspective."

David H Demo, Martha J Cox (2000) Families With Young Children: A Review of Research in the 1990s Journal of Marriage and Family 62 (4), 876-895.

Fact: "[R]esearch suggests that being a stepparent is more difficult than raising one's own biological children, especially for stepmothers, and that stepmothers may compete with the child for the father's time and attention."

Pasley, K., & Moorefield, B. S. (2004). Stepfamilies: Changes and challenges. In M. Coleman & L. H. Ganong (Eds.), Handbook of contemporary families (pp. 317-330), cited in Valarie King (2007) When Children Have Two Mothers: Relationships With Nonresident Mothers, Stepmothers, and Fathers Journal of Marriage and Family 69 (5), 1178-1193.

You can read more at the Liz Library

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We all know good and bad stepmothers, some are well-intentioned, others are.... These women are often in quite a mess of a situation: They are in their 2nd and 3rd marriages, determined to make the current marriage work, insistent that thishusband is the best (or at least a little better than the last), and sometimes constantly having to convince themselves of this. They often already have children that they are fully responsible for and in addition, they become the caretakers of the husband's children (please read Remarried Custodial Fathers As Caregivers).

Stepmothers generally believe their husband's word, as gospel, about his ex wife and are often staunch leaders in the attack against his former girlfriends and wives. She must believe it because it was her choice to marry such a "wonderful" man and surround herself in this complex situation. She cannot look stupid, again. Any woman before her can become the enemy in her attempt to boost her self-esteem.

A stepmother is a husband's greatest advocate. A judge in an Australian child sex abuse custody case opines [on the stepmother]:

"This lady was an impressive person and witness. I thought she was honest and attempting to assist the court. She clearly supports the father and trusts him implicitly. She would not contemplate a future with him if she suspected that he had been abusing his child .

**Custody was given to the father

They can be like Bonnie and Clyde.

(See: Father Let His 12 Year-Old Daughter Die A Slow Hideous Death After Beating and Scalding

Father Accused Child's Mother of Abuse in Custody Case; Stepmother Kills Child

Father and Stepmother Tortured 9 Year-Old Child

Stepmother Stabs 14 Year-Old Boy

Father and Stepmother Punched Around 8 Year-Old to "Toughen Him Up" and/or as "Play Hitting"

Where was Her Mommy? Dad and Stepmonster Charged with Criminal Mistreatment

Child Abuse Charges for Minnesota Father, Stepmonster)

From Family in Court for Brutal Child Abuse (in a rare case in which a father was charged for failure to protect, emphasis mine):

The future is uncertain for a two-year-old boy allegedly beaten unconscious by his stepmother. As he continues to recover from severe brain injuries, his family appeared before a Lee County judge trying to decide who will take care of young Kaydin on his long road to recovery.

Rosemary Kunz showed up for family court Wednesday morning.

The Department of Children and Families is investigating child abuse allegations against Kunz.

Detectives say she confessed to hitting her stepson, tripping him, and knocking him unconscious.

She went as far as to say she was "addicted to abusing him" and that she "liked to see him cry."

**Kinda makes you afraid to let your kid go with dad. All we ever hear about is stepDADS and mothers' boyfriends who do the abusing.

Child support is owed to the ex, taking money away from the family, custody battles may ensue...Stepmothers get stressed trying to hold up the family and juggle each situation as it presents. Much anger and resentment is built. I have seen many a stepmother talk absolute shit about her husband's ex AND the children.

Here's an excerpt by Leeahn Griffin-Scott:

"The 2nd X is a psychopathicredheadedfreakofnature. I kid you not. This woman is an unmittigated lunatic. My wonderful husband partnered with her as he walked out the door of his first marriage. Long story. My wonderful husband has a 9yr old child to this fool...

I know this is an awful thing to say, but if I never saw his children again it would be too too damn soon. I cannot and never will forgive them for what they have done to their father. I on the other hand, can and should expect some problems. But what they have done to the only parent that loves them more than life itself, is absolutely without question unforgiveable."

Is it her place to judge a woman she truly knows nothing about? Do stepmothers not understand karma?

My advice to stepmothers or potentials would be to do a background check on your prospective mate...maybe all of those injunctions for protection aren't just "false allegations." Get to know his family members. Keep in mind that their beliefs about him may be exaggerated in either direction. And most of all, don't make enemies with his ex. Everything that she is saying may not be false...Think about it! She knows him better than his mama because she's been sleeping with him and putting up with his shit. She knows his mannerisms, habits, friends...She should be your ally because you never know, one day, you made need her assistance so that you can join forces.

On a personal note, I once, very briefly and nebulously tried to tell my ex's current wife about the abuse we had suffered, and why I was fighting so hard in my custody battle. She told me that she would never allow "those types" of things to go on in her household, and that they had a very "loving" family. Verbatim, she said,

"There are three sides to every story..."

Which I took to mean,

"Whatever, bitch!"

But she was cordial and reminiscent of a virgin. I left it at that.

Here this "woman" was trying to tell me about the man she had been married to for one year. One. I've known him for more than a decade.

A double standard when it comes to athletes and domestic violence

A double standard when it comes to athletes and domestic violence

Great article by Jeff Benedict – A double standard when it comes to athletes and domestic violence. This could also be called: Why do athletes believe heavyweights can fight lightweights? Because that’s what I’d like to know.

It’s pretty sobering to visualize a big muscular athlete knocking down a woman or pummeling a grandfather. Against the sheer violence involved in each of these cases, it’s easy to overlook the fact that each of these incidents played out in front of plenty of witnesses. Typically, domestic violence is the kind of crime that goes on behind closed doors, where bullies carry out threats and violence without fear of being seen or caught.

But athletes are less prone to fear consequences, especially when it comes to their off-the-field behavior. Fields confronted his ex-girlfriend outside a child care facility at 5 o’clock on a Monday afternoon. Rodriguez couldn’t have picked a more public place to berate his girlfriend and strike her father than at a ballpark, never mind the fact that there were security guards on hand.

Most of us would consider this behavior pretty brazen. Yet athletes who run afoul of the law are used to getting out of jams. Look at Stephenson. While starring at Abraham Lincoln High in Coney Island Stephenson and a teammate were arrested in October 2008 for allegedly sexually abusing a 17-year-old girl inside the school. At the time, Stephenson was being recruited by schools like North Carolina, Kansas, Memphis, USC and many others. He was on his way to becoming the all-time leading scorer in New York state history and leading his team to four consecutive New York City championships. He’d become such a big phenomenon that a courtside announcer had nicknamed him “Born Ready” and a reality web series about him was being planned under the same name.

All of that was jeopardized by the felony sexual assault case pending against him. But here’s where it pays for an abuser to be an athlete. After Stephenson pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct, the University of Cincinnati offered him a scholarship. He became the Big East’s Rookie of the Year in 2010 and was selected drafted by the Indiana Pacers in the second round of June’s NBA Draft. It was as if the incident at his high school didn’t matter.

Jeff Benedict is a distinguished Professor of English at Southern Virginia University and the author of several books on athletes and violence, including Out of Bounds and Pros and Cons. Check out his website at jeffbenedict.com.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/jeff_benedict/08/18/krod.stephenson/#ixzz0xldBGGXc

Federal Judge's Ruling Sets Landscape for 'Kids-for-Cash' Civil Suits

The Legal Intelligencer

A federal court judge this week dismissed three defendants from civil suits related to the "kids-for-cash" scandal in Luzerne County, Pa., effectively clearing the way for the case to move forward.

Judge A. Richard Caputo of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania granted motions filed by the wives of former Luzerne County Common Pleas Court Judges Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. and Michael T. Conahan, as well as one filed by Conahan's brother-in-law, who served as a psychologist for the county's probation department.

It had not been proven by the plaintiffs in the cases, Caputo wrote in Wallace, et al. v. Powell, et al., that either Ciavarella's wife, Cindy Ciavarella, or Conahan's wife, Barbara Conahan, knew of or were involved in any conspiracy among their husbands and others to send juveniles to a pair of private, for-profit juvenile detention centers in exchange for $2.6 million.

Likewise, ruled Caputo, it could not be proved by the plaintiffs that Michael Conahan's brother-in-law, Frank Vita, knew his contract with the county would allow for the creation of a case backlog that would require juveniles to spend more time in the juvenile detention centers while awaiting evaluations.

The rulings mean the plaintiffs in the cases may proceed with claims against Mark Ciavarella; Michael Conahan; Robert Powell, the former co-owner of the juvenile detention facilities; and Robert Mericle, the builder of the juvenile detention facilities.

Also remaining as defendants in the cases are Mericle's company, Mericle Construction; a company owned by Powell to allegedly help funnel money to the judges, Vision Holdings; the company that operated the juvenile detention facilities, Mid-Atlantic Youth Services; and the juvenile detention facilities themselves, PA Child Care and Western PA Child Care.

In early July, Caputo dismissed Luzerne County as a defendant in the case.

Marsha Levick, chief counsel for the Juvenile Law Center, which is representing many of the plaintiffs in the case, said the plaintiffs had conceded the claims against the recently dismissed defendants.

The decision, she said, sets the path for the case to move forward.

A settlement conference is scheduled for Sept. 15. Levick said the fact Caputo's ruling came in advance of that conference was important because "we know what the landscape of the case is."

"This, really, was a tremendous victory, I think," Levick said. "We're very gratified."

Powell's attorney, Mark B. Sheppard of Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads in Philadelphia, said anything that helps parties "focus on the issues in terms of a possible settlement is a good thing."

"I think the court's decision here advances that ball," he said.

One of Mericle's attorneys, Joseph B.G. Fay of Morgan Lewis & Bockius in Philadelphia, had no comment on the rulings. Fay, along with other attorneys from his firm, also represent Mericle Construction.

Neither Bernard M. Schneider of Brucker Schneider & Porter in Pittsburgh, who represents PA Child Care and Western PA Child Care, nor Edward P. McNelis, the attorney for Barbara Conahan and Cindy Ciavarella, could be reached for comment.

Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella, who are representing themselves pro se, also could not be reached for comment.

The lawsuit stems from federal racketeering charges alleging the former judges took more than $2.8 million from Powell and Mericle.

Michael Conahan has pleaded guilty and Mark Ciavarella is awaiting trial.

The plaintiffs in the civil suits have alleged the sums received by the judges were "kickbacks" and that the money was in exchange for sending juveniles to PA Child Care and Western PA Child Care.

Caputo previously ruled that the former judges were partially protected from claims because of judicial immunity. Neither, Caputo ruled, could be held liable for his in-court actions. Caputo, however, ruled that the two men can still be sued for their out-of-court actions related to the alleged conspiracy.

Caputo, in his decisions, dismissed Luzerne County from the case because municipal liability can only be established when "unconstitutional actions" are committed by final policymakers for the county. Judges, probation officers, district attorney's office officials and public defender's office officials could not be considered final policymakers for the county, Caputo ruled.

Further, Vita had to be dismissed from the case because the plaintiffs could not prove he had a role in the alleged conspiracy.

The plaintiffs did, however, offer significant enough allegations against Powell and Mericle, along with the host of companies, Caputo ruled.

And though Pinnacle, a company allegedly used by the former judges to collect payments from Powell and Mericle, was at the center of the alleged conspiracy, that was not enough to keep the former judges' wives, who were listed as Pinnacle's owners, in the case as defendants, Caputo ruled.

According to Caputo, allegations of ownership are enough to bind Pinnacle for the women's actions, but the inverse does not have to be true. Actions undertaken by Pinnacle did not necessarily have to involve the judge's wives.

"In the present case, plaintiffs even allege that while Mrs. Conahan and Mrs. Ciavarella owned and operated Pinnacle generally, that their husbands controlled Pinnacle during the conspiracy," Caputo wrote. "Plaintiffs provide no further factual allegations that the wives agreed, assisted, knew of, or otherwise participated in the alleged conspiracy beyond 'owning and operating' an entity used by the conspiracy."

Daughter and Mother shot and killed --Ex-boyfriend's jealousy turns deadly in Hialeah murder-suicide

A HX of Domestic Violence!! Its not a Tragedy it is an OUTRAGE!! Its not ‘romantic’ its  the ultimate control completely--http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/26/1794302/exs-jealousy-turned-deadly-in.html

A schoolgirl and her mother were shot and killed in Hialeah by a jealous older boyfriend, who went home and turned the gun on himself.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yofVlwhg8pw&hl=en&fs=1]

A schoolgirl and her mother were shot and killed in Hialeah by a jealous older boyfriend, who went home and turned the gun on himself.

Lisset Perez had not yet turned 15 when she broke up with her boyfriend, a man six years her senior who had lived in her family's apartment. Lisset's new start did not last long. Early Thursday morning, her estranged and jealous boyfriend, Adalberto Torres, 21, gunned down Lisset and her mother outside her Hialeah apartment, where they waited for her school bus.

An hour later, Torres killed himself in the Miami efficiency he just rented a few days before.

``How do you explain or rationalize something like this: a 21-year-old gunning down a young girl and her mother? It's a waste and a tragedy,'' Hialeah Police Chief Mark Overton said.

He called the crime scene ``as horrific as it comes.'' The bodies of Lisset and her mother, Vivian Albelo, 39, lay under police tarp in an open area at the Water View Villa complex for hours. An early morning rain sent blood streaming into puddles of water.

Police didn't know how many bullets were shot. Some hit parked cars. The rain may have washed others away. It is not known what kind of gun Torres used.
Before their breakup, Torres and Lisset -- nicknamed ``Chai'' -- lived together in her family's apartment for two years.

``My aunt accepted the situation, so Chai wouldn't move away,'' said Yunerkis Aguilera, Perez's cousin. ``My aunt did not want her to date him.''

The shooting echoed another crime of passion in Hialeah at the popular eatery Yoyito Cafe-Restaurant. There, an estranged husband stormed the restaurant in early June, killed his wife and three other women, left three more women badly injured, then shot himself a few blocks away.

In both cases, reports of physical abuse emerged after the shootings.
In the Thursday shooting, neighbors heard the shots while getting ready for work and school. Lisset's friend Yaimarelys Roque, 23, a neighbor and Lisset's close friend, had seen Torres -- nicknamed ``Pacho'' -- walking around the apartment complex Wednesday night and immediately thought of Lisset.

``He was very jealous,'' Roque said. ``He didn't even like it when she came to my house to play with my son.''
Family members and friends described Lisset as shy, sweet, very pretty and gentle.
``She was serious -- too serious for her age,'' said friend and neighbor Javier Lugo, 24.

Lisset had just celebrated her 15th birthday on Tuesday. Roque had bought her a small chocolate cake. The big birthday celebration was set for Sunday, when Lisset planned to spend the day at Virginia Beach with family and friends.

Family members say Lisset's mother had come from Cuba in the 1980s. Lisset, born in the United States, was the second youngest of her mother's five children.

She had started ninth grade this week at Westland Hialeah High School.
The news of the shooting shocked students, even teens who didn't know her, and the school held a moment of silence in memory of Lisset.

``Anytime a young life is lost, it's a tragedy, and our thoughts are with the family,'' said Guillermo Muñoz, principal at the school where grief counselors arrived to provide support.

The couple did not have any record of domestic violence. But Hialeah police spokesman Carl Zogby said police had heard that Torres ``used to rough her up, but she never reported it.''

Torres, who was born in Havana, Cuba, did not have a criminal record in the United States.
``He was very respectful, he was very friendly, he was a great kid,'' said Alex Rosa, Torres' cousin.
But those close to Lisset saw Torres as a controlling and jealous older man.
``He wouldn't let her talk to even my brother or my husband or my 2-year-old son,'' said Mayelin Vizcaya, a relative.

Two days before the shooting, Torres moved to an efficiency in a peaceful southwest Miami neighborhood, at 2721 SW 29th Court. His body was found there at about 9 a.m., said Napier Velazquez, a Miami police spokesman.
The owner of the house who rented to Torres said he worked in exports and liked motorcycles.
In Hialeah, standing near the yellow crime-scene tape, Lisset's Cuban grandmother Julia Diaz cried as she tried to comfort another granddaughter, Yalin Betancourt, who had lost her mother and sister.

``The best thing that ever happened to her was to break up with him, but at the same time, it got her killed,'' said Vizcaya.
Hialeah police urged women to report domestic violence.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement reported 111 homicides in Florida last year in which the victims were the spouse or partner of the murderers. More than a fourth of those cases happened in Miami-Dade County.

• Hialeah shooter kills teenage ex-girlfriend and her mother

Little Boy ‘Jean Paul Lacombe Diaz’-(kidnapped by father his with POLICE ASSITANCE (a 2nd time)- French court sides with Texas mom in Custody Fight-FINALLY JUSTICE

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVjhTCLKlhU?fs=1&hl=en_US]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7173978.html

French court sides with Texas mom in custody fight

© 2010 The Associated Press

Aug. 27, 2010, 6:57AM

Jean Paul Lacombe Diaz

SAN ANTONIO — A Texas woman's lawyer says a French court has granted her custody of her 11-year-old son who disappeared last year after being removed from a school bus in San Antonio.

Attorney Miguel Ortiz told KSAT-TV that the court Friday granted custody to Berenice Diaz. She and her ex-spouse, Jean Philippe Lacombe, who is from France, were in court Thursday in Marseille.

Ortiz says paperwork was being completed to return the boy, Jean Paul Lacombe, to his mother.

Law officers last October removed the boy from the school bus after the father allegedly used incomplete Mexican court documents to falsely claim he had custody.

The father faces Texas charges of kidnapping, aggravated perjury and interfering with child custody. Further details on the criminal case were not immediately available.

 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU7GGCS_EtU?fs=1&hl=en_US]

American Mothers Political Party today 8/26/2010@ 5:00 PM AT 5 pm Central Call-in Number: (347) 205-9977

Neither Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor Gloom of Night

Call-in Number: (347) 205-9977

AMPP is a social movement seeking justice and accountability within the family court system which includes DHHS/CPS, psychologists and other so called experts.

 

AMPP TV—for more Videos

We as mothers demand CITIZENSHIP and our Rights to our Children.

We demand that our children not be used as pawns by our abuser in a custody dispute. We demand that Mothers and Children be equally protected against court ordered visitation with an abuser.

We demand that Mothers and Children be given the same rights, privileges and voice that the abuser gets in family courts! We demand that our President take action now as can no longer afford to be silent and we won’t.

We demand the same "rights and freedoms" to which all humans are entitled. Behind the closed doors of the dirty little secret of the family court system, thousands of women each year lose child custody to violent men who beat and abuse Mothers and Children.

Family courts are not family-friendly and betray the best interests of the child. Until Mothers and Children's voices are heard we will never shut up, give up or go away!

 

Interview with Jan Kurth who wrote the Chapter on the Father’s Rights Movement in the book “Domestic Violence, Child Custody and Abuse” Edited by Barry Goldstein and Mo Hannah Civic Research Institute

ABUSIVE FATHERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO SEEK SOLE CUSTODY IN CHILD ...

American Mothers Political Party: For Arbiters In Custody Battles ...

Domestic Violence, Abuse, and Child Custody

Written by Staff

Wednesday, 14 July 2010 11:47

As reported by The Civic Research Institute; written with the expressed goal of helping battered mothers assert their rights to a safe family life free from violence, the contributors to this book take a firm stand against so-called “balanced” points of view that attempt to explain or justify abusive behavior. This book is grounded in the belief that battering is never justified, and batterers are not entitled to “equal rights” to custody when the safety of a child is in question. Advocates who share that view will find this book a uniquely compelling ally in protecting and defending the rights of battered mothers.

Domestic Violence, Abuse, and Child Custody Legal Strategies and Policy Issues - Editors: Mo Therese Hannah, Ph.D. and Barry Goldstein, J.D.

“Domestic Violence, Abuse, and Child Custody will be instructive for policymakers, those working in the family justice system, and members of the media–which the authors say has by-and-large failed to expose custody court scandals. But it is a must-read for any mother involved in a child custody battle, and especially for mothers trying get free from an abusive relationship." - R. Dianne Bartlow, Ms. Magazine Blog

“The stories of injustice in this book will shock you, and make you cry--but keep reading. Abusers are hoping you won't pay attention because it will be too painful. Prove them wrong by reading this book again and again and again--and share it with everyone who needs to know the truth.” Read More - Wendy Murphy, J.D., New England Law-Boston; author of And Justice For Some

"We are excited about Domestic Violence, Abuse and Child Custody, a new book that we believe can be used to change the broken custody court system." Read More — Rita Smith, Executive Director, NCADV(National Coalition Against Domestic Violence)

“This book serves as a beacon of light to all those who have become jaundiced by the malfunctioning family court, social services, law guardian and mental health system.” Read More — Amy Neustein, Ph.D., Co-Author of From Madness to Mutiny: Why Mothers Are Running From the Family Courts—And What Can Be Done About It

“Wise judges will use the up-to-date research now available to take a fresh look at practices and assumptions deeply ingrained after thirty years.” Read More — Judge Sol Gothard, J.D., MSW, ACSW, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal, State of Louisiana (ret.)

In a trend that started in the 1980s, and increasingly since then, family court judges across the U.S. have ordered thousands and thousands of children into unsupervised visitation with abusive biological fathers. In many cases, mothers have been denied any form of custody, with some losing all contact with their children. In the last few years, attorneys and social service advocates have met to address this issue at the annual Battered Mother’s Custody Conferences. This book brings together the expertise and perspective of more than thirty contributors to BMCC in a comprehensive resource that arms advocates with the best thinking and most effective legal strategies in the battle to protect mothers and families from a system that often fails to address abuse and sometimes actually worsens the problem.

Domestic Violence, Abuse, and Child Custody presents insights and hands-on practice guidance from the leading experts on child custody cases that involve intimate partner violence and child abuse. Chapter authors address the prevalence of these problems, the complex reasons why protective mothers lose custody of their children, the things court agents and other professionals often do that contribute to bad outcomes, and the corrective measures that must be put into place to ensure legal protections for abused women and their children.

• Understand the harm caused by all types of abusive behavior, whether physical, verbal, financial, legal, or other forms.
• Guide the representation of protective mothers through research, case law, and consultation to improve case outcomes.
• Establish the paramount importance of children’s safety beyond all other priorities that may emerge in a child custody case.
• Provide judges with new insight into the dynamics of violence, recognize when experts and other types of witnesses are providing testimony based on myths, stereotypes, and discredited theories, and provide an empirically based, real-world rationale for orders emphasizing the safety of protective mothers and the accountability of batterers.

Praise for this important new resource ...

“This comprehensive book is a gift to the cause of justice not only for victimized women and children but for anyone who cares about the integrity of law itself. The American legal system has for too long facilitated the very violence it purports to forbid, often allowing abusive men to use the courts to punish women and children who speak out against child sexual abuse and domestic violence. Mo Hannah and Barry Goldstein have created a desperately needed manual that will empower generations of victims to fight back. My favorite section is the one that reminds us of the obvious: 'Therapy is Not the Answer' to violence. The stories of injustice in this book will shock you, and make you cry--but keep reading. Abusers are hoping you won't pay attention because it will be too painful. Prove them wrong by reading this book again and again and again--and share it with everyone who needs to know the truth.” - Wendy Murphy, JD, New England Law-Boston; author of And Justice For Some

"We are excited about Domestic Violence, Abuse and Child Custody, a new book that we believe can be used to change the broken custody court system. The book contains chapters by over 25 of the leading experts in the US and Canada including judges, lawyers, psychiatrists, psychologists, sociologists, journalists and domestic violence advocates. The co-editors, Mo Therese Hannah and Barry Goldstein and many of the contributors like Joan Zorza and Lois Schwaeber are long-time friends and supporters of our movement. Although the contributors come from very different disciplines and backgrounds, there is remarkable agreement that thousands of children are being forced to live with abusers because of common mistakes and discredited practices used by the family court system. The book is meticulously researched and cited so the findings have the highest credibility." — Rita Smith, Executive Director, NCADV (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence)

“This book serves as a beacon of light to all those who have become jaundiced by the malfunctioning family court, social services, law guardian and mental health system. Whether the reader is a protective parent, child advocate, attorney, judge, social worker or mental health expert, this exquisitely organized and illuminating volume will help the reader to better understand the socio-historical, socio-legal, and socio-cultural forces shaping today’s domestic relations courts. The editors have assembled eminent scholars, practitioners, and child advocates in one volume that flows like a brilliantly conducted orchestral piece. This fine collection clarifies the core issues at hand and provides a full panoply of solutions; it adds a significant contribution to an expanding body of literature on domestic violence, abuse and child custody.” — Amy Neustein, Ph.D., Co-Author of From Madness to Mutiny: Why Mothers Are Running From the Family Courts—And What Can Be Done About It, recipient of the NARCCW 2010 Pro Humanitate Literary Award, shared with Attorney Michael Lesher, a contributor to this volume.

"For years custody courts have confidently denied complaints by mothers of unfair treatment in domestic violence cases. If the court system had commissioned research to determine how the present practices are working, the result would be the information contained in Domestic Violence, Abuse and Child Custody. The research findings demonstrate court practices are outdated and their confidence misplaced. Wise judges will use the up-to-date research now available to take a fresh look at practices and assumptions deeply ingrained after thirty years. No one wants to be known as the judge who hurts children and this research can prevent the kinds of tragic outcomes we see too frequently.” — Judge Sol Gothard, JD, MSW, ACSW, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal, State of Louisiana (ret.)

• Media
  • Dr. Phil Exposes the Crisis in Family Court
  • INTERVIEW WITH DOMINIQUE LASSEUR, PRODUCER OF “BREAKING THE SILENCE: CHILDREN’S STORIES”
• Family Court Related Research and Articles
  • Family Court and Fathers’ Rights = A Deadly Combination
  • Mother’s Day Proclamation at the White House 1870 and 2010
  • NIMH - Monkey Brain Scans With and Without Mom
  • Confirmed: Protective Mothers Were Right
  • Justice is biased!! The laws play Russian Roulette with children’s lives
  • 88 Killer Dads - Father's Rights
  • High Conflict Cases Likely Have History of Domestic Violence
  • Family Law Act Aids Abusive Fathers, Imperils Children
• Federal Fatherhood Initiatives
  • U. S. Fatherhood Initiatives - Control of Women and Children Under the Guise of "Responsible Married Fatherhood"
  • Attention Judges and Lawmakers: This is the REAL AGENDA of the Father’s Rights Movement
  • Maternal Deprivation Inflicted on Battered Women and Abused Children
  • Senate Judiciary Chairman - Response to Proposed Changes to Child Custody Law
  • Hearing to Review Responsible Fatherhood Programs
  • The National Fatherhood Initiative: Supporting a Misogynistic Agenda
• Family / Criminal Law and Research
  • ABUSIVE FATHERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO SEEK SOLE CUSTODY IN CHILD CUSTODY BATTLES
  • Coercive Control: How Men Entrap Women in Personal Life
  • Whores Of The Court and the Rape of American Justice
  • Domestic Violence, Abuse, and Child Custody

Some Concerns About False Allegations of Abuse Are Accurate

Time’s Up! By Barry Goldstein

We often hear complaints about false allegations of abuse. The research is definitive that women rarely make deliberately false allegations of abuse. Victims who make such allegations are subject to vicious attacks, discussion of painful and embarrassing circumstances and very often cruel retaliation for telling the truth. Accordingly it is not surprising unless you live in the pretend world of abusers that only one-two percent of allegations of abuse by women are deliberately false. While unqualified professionals often discount or discredit such allegations particularly when made in the context of contested litigation, we rarely hear the question of how frequently men's denials of abuse are accurate. Abusers virtually always deny charges against them despite the fact they are almost always accurate, but these same professionals are rarely skeptical of abuser denials that have far less truth value. This is another example of gender bias that tends to be invisible to those who unconsciously use gender biased methods.

The myth that women frequently make false allegations has serious consequences. Many prosecutors and child protective agencies routinely refuse to investigate allegations by mothers if there is a contested custody case pending. Custody courts often punish mothers for making such allegations. Even when the allegations are not immediately discounted, they are generally treated with tremendous skepticism.

What happens when fathers make allegations against mothers in the context of contested custody cases? These allegations are taken seriously and agencies that routinely discount mothers' allegations make a full investigation of fathers' complaints. These complaints are often used as a strategy by abusers to quickly switch custody at the start of litigation in order to gain an advantage. Nevertheless, agencies that see far more allegations by mothers because men in our society are so much more abusive tend to believe they need to take men's allegations seriously in order to appear neutral.

An important research study was done for the Canadian government led by Nicholas Bala. The researchers investigated complaints to child protective agencies involving allegations of sexual abuse in the context of contested custody cases. This research established that fathers are sixteen times more likely to make deliberately false allegations than mothers. The research is not saying mothers are sixteen times more honest than fathers. This research is limited to parents in contested custody cases. Most contested custody cases cannot be settled because the father is an abuser using custody as a tactic to pressure the mother to return or punish her for leaving. These abusers believe the mother has no right to leave them so they are entitled to use any tactic including false allegations to get their way. Most of the inadequately trained professionals relied on by the custody courts believe the myth that mothers frequently make false allegations, but are unaware of the scientific research that fathers in contested custody cases are much more likely to make false allegations. This research has important implications in criminal cases, child protective proceedings and custody disputes.

This study has important implications for the work of prosecutors and child protective workers because they must exercise caution before bringing charges based on allegations by fathers involved in custody disputes. Not only are such allegations often false, but the professionals are likely to be fooled because abusers are particularly adept at manipulation. Professionals who believe they have the ability to determine if someone is telling the truth just from observing them are particularly vulnerable. Best practices would require these professionals to speak with the mother and consult with domestic violence experts (such as advocates) before reaching any conclusions. Prosecutors and case workers should require independent evidence and be cautious about children who normally are very credible but might be under the influence of the abuser.

One of the last cases I worked on as an attorney illustrates what can happen if professionals fail to consider an abuser's motivation and permit themselves to be manipulated. The father started by making false allegations to Child Protective Services (CPS), but the children told the caseworkers nothing happened so the reports were quickly dismissed.

The father learned his lesson so that when the parties separated he made new complaints to CPS and pressured their older daughter to support his charges. Thereafter he convinced the district attorney that his wife had cut him with a surgical instrument (she is a nurse) and they brought criminal charges against her. The case went to the domestic violence court so the judge could handle both criminal and custody issues. The father obtained a protective order for himself and the children and received temporary custody based upon the criminal charges and the indicated cases by CPS. The judge was relatively reasonable under the circumstances and permitted the mother regular visitation with the two daughters.

The court appointed an evaluator who recommended custody for the father based on the indicated CPS charges and pending criminal charges. The mother's prior attorney encouraged her to settle by giving the father custody since it looked like this was the likely outcome. The criminal charges against the mother and father (he had earlier assaulted her) were each settled by plea agreements that made no findings, avoided convictions and continued mutual orders of protection. It was at this point that I was brought into the case.

We appealed the indicated case from CPS and at the hearing some of the earlier caseworkers testified that the child told them the father was pressuring her to make false complaints against the mother. The new caseworker had not bothered to investigate the history and was intimidated by the father who kept calling the office until they made findings against the mother. The hearing also established the father's history of domestic violence. The administrative judge wrote a strong opinion establishing the falsity of the charges against the mother and left two indicated cases against the father for assaulting the mother in front of the children.

With the findings from CPS, the mother now had a good chance to win custody. The father had stopped paying his share of the mortgage and his aggressive litigation tactics forced the mother to file for bankruptcy. They would lose the family home unless it was sold, but he would only cooperate if she used a broker he designated. The broker represented the father at the closing and the sale went through. The father then sought additional child support claiming the mother received money from a fraudulent sale of the home. He also started a divorce action in another county seeking to punish her for the alleged fraudulent sale of the home.

We were able to prove that the father signed the real estate contract and power of attorney for his agent. I insisted on a hearing on grounds for divorce which was the first time we had the opportunity to prove the father's history of abuse (the custody trial was taking years because the judge could give us only a few hours at a time and the father's attorney was often unavailable which helped the abuser who had fraudulently obtained custody). The divorce judge was experienced and understood domestic violence resulting in a strong decision exposing the father's history. The court found the father had used the child to make false CPS complaints, cut himself and then brought false criminal charges and there was a long pattern of coercive and abusive behavior by the father. These findings were fully binding on the father because he was a party to the divorce case. Accordingly we had a strong chance to win custody. I made a motion to immediately return the children based on the divorce court findings. I expressed concern the abuser would again pressure the children to make more false complaints if he maintained control, but the judge decided to wait until the trial on custody could be completed.

Knowing he was going to lose custody, the father contrived still more false charges. At a visitation exchange the father instructed the older daughter to refuse to go with her mother and instead claim her mother twisted her wrist causing a black and blue mark. The prosecutor filed new charges against the mother and the father unilaterally stopped visitation sometimes claiming the children refused to go. Of course if a mother ever did this she would be in jail and custody changed, but the judge limited himself to repeatedly ordering the visitations to take place, finally arranging the transfers in the court.

I contacted the prosecutor and showed her the long history of false complaints by the father including pressuring the daughter to lie about her mother. The prosecutor refused to drop the charges and wanted the mother to plead guilty which of course would have destroyed her custody case. At the trial, the police officer who interviewed the child revealed that contrary to the charges, the child had no marks on her after the attempted exchange. A witness the district attorney failed to interview testified that the alleged incident never happened and the child never testified. The judge dismissed the charges after trial.

The judge tried to avoid further problems by allowing the mother to pick the children up at school so there could be no interaction between the parents. During the weekend visitation the mother dropped the children at the church for religious instruction. Unbeknownst to the mother the father came to the church threatened the nun so badly that she was scared of him and instructed the older daughter to make new charges against the mother. Since the criminal charges were dismissed in part because there was no injury, the girl bit her arm and told the school nurse her mother had squeezed it. CPS was called and the caseworker investigated the charges without interviewing the nun, reviewing the prior history or considering what the mother had to say. Instead they brought new charges and the county attorney filed petitions in Family Court that resulted initially in supervised visitation, but often no visitation as the father used his control over the girls to destroy their relationship with the mother.

The mother had a lot of things going for her that many domestic violence victims did not. She had a strong relationship with her daughters and support from her family. She was a nurse and so had income to try to protect her children. The divorce judge and administrative judge were outstanding and I would like to think she had a good attorney. While the domestic violence judge could have done a better job, he was not as hostile as many other judges. The District Attorney's Office in Westchester County was the first prosecutor to have a special office to prosecute domestic violence crimes. Some of the CPS caseworkers and particularly the earlier ones had the integrity to speak out when the agency became intimidated by the abusive father. Nevertheless, the abuser was able to manipulate the system to destroy the children's lives.

False criminal, child protective and other charges have become a common practice among abusers in contested custody cases. Professionals in these systems need to be trained to be aware of these practices and conduct the kinds of investigations necessary to avoid colluding with abusers. Our children are depending on it.

Barry Goldstein is a nationally recognized domestic violence expert, speaker, writer and consultant. He is the co-editor with Mo Therese Hannah of DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, ABUSE and CHILD CUSTODY.

David C Rodeheffer PHD- Topeka Kansas Court Whore

Please rate him –you can do so anonymously- no sign in needed to comment

http://www.topix.com/forum/city/topeka-ks/TIJER9K3SIGD9SK6G#lastPost

Review: Albott & Assoc - David C Rodeheffer PHD

909 SW 10th Ave
Topeka, KS 66604 -1101

(785) 234-4743

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THIS MAN IS LYING SACK OF SHIT WHO MAKES EVERY SINGLE DIME FROM BEING APPOINTED AS COURT WHORE THROUGH THE SHAWNEE COUNTY COURTHOUSE HIS SPECIALTY IS MAKING SURE KIDS KEEP GETTING RAPED HE DEFENDS PEDOPHILES FOR PAY WHILE PROFITING FROM THE SPILLED BLOOD OF INNOCENT YOUNG CHILDREN.
RUN FAST AND DONT LOOK BACK.
GOD HELP THE CHILDREN THAT DR. PEDOPHILE- AKA DAVID CRAIG RODEHEFFER EVER COMES INTO CONTACT WITH

OMG

Topeka, KS

 

i took my daughter there because the courts ordered me to-- her daddy confessed to sexually raping her-- the good dr told me to let daddy do it-- it was healthy for my child-- to be taught about her "inner sexual awareness" by daddy-- that it is HIS job a good fathers job to do this!!!
i reported to bsrb and they dismissed it-- he is protected by his peers omg-- i had to flea the state b/c of this--

Domestic violence is on the rise in Shawnee County Interview with District Attorney Chad Taylor and Claudine Dombrowski

Domestic violence is on the rise in Shawnee County

By Jessica Drew

Domestic violence on the rise

 

Domestic violence on the rise in Shawnee County.

"I remember curling up in a ball to protect her from the kicks," domestic violence survivor, Claudine Dombrowski, described.

Claudine Dombrowski is a survivor to domestic violence, a cycle she went back to many times. "I had a choice I could see my daughter or I could never see her again. The abuser had complete control, so I got my daughter back and went back to him."

Going back to an abusive relationship is a problem District Attorney Chad Taylor said his office sees quite often. "We see it everyday, and it's just a matter of the psychology of the cycle of abuse," Taylor said.

The number of cases coming across Taylor's desk is growing. "Our year to date projections for 2009 total is going to be an increase of about 80 percent for the domestic battery cases that we filed," Taylor said.

Claudine fights to help women like herself who have fallen in the hands of abuse. "This was the crow bar, and then I was beaten and raped," Dombrowski said.

She said she never reported her beatings until after her daughter was born.

Taylor said it happens often, "It goes from bruises to hospitalization, to like we said this is all about homicide prevention."

Claudine said even if you haven't been a victim, you probably know someone who has and you can help them. "Don't think it's you...get rid of the scarlet letter of shame, it's the most important thing."

Taylor wants to show there's help out there for victims. "Making this a priority and letting people know that this will not be tolerated in our community," Taylor said.

Taylor's office gave us statisitics on Domestic Violence in 2008 the DA's office received 1267 cases, out of those 508 were filed. Starting from January 1st until October 16, 2009 there have been 1347 cases received, and out of those 849 cases have been filed.

One Domestic Battery charges, in 2008 there were 723 received and 246 filed for court. The projections for this year are 784 received and 443 filed, meaning an eighty percent increase on Domestic Battery.

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Comments

candd66604 (anonymous) says...

When families are struggling with bills and employment or lack of it the stress levels go over the top. The news of the rise in cases doesnt surprise me tho it does sadden me.

October 20, 2009 at 4:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

aj92 (anonymous) says...

I saw the Domestic Violence Video. An I was just wondering how do you know that Claudine Dombrowski is telling the truth? I've seen countless articles about an "abused" victim who are just making it up to get back at that person for a unknown reason. And these people, like Claudine, don't realize by going on tv how much it hurts and embarrasses the chlidren that are brought up in thr interveiw. I have seen, Claudine, on the internet before with pictures of her daughter (and a different story every time), and I feel for her daughter, because I know how embarrassing and how much it can hurt. I can only imagine how it must feel, having a "mother" on tv and plastered all over the internet, about her "abusive" father. I wish Claudine would understand this and stop hurtting her daughter this way.
Now, I'm not saying that there aren't people out there that are really abused, but I think you need to know if its true or not. Before you go and interveiw them and air it.

October 20, 2009 at 6:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

alexisamoore (anonymous) says...

It is great to see DA Chad Taylor and a victim speak out during domestic violence awareness month. Sadly millions of victims continue to lose their lives each year and fall through the cracks of resources. Bravo to Claudine for being brave and for speaking out and kudos to DA Taylor for making domestic violence a priority in his office.

If you are a victim of domestic violence, stalking, cyberstalking or identity theft as abuse be sure to visit www.SurvivorsInAction.com "No Victim Left Behind"

October 20, 2009 at 7:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

etluv (anonymous) says...

How many "countless" victims have you seen make up an entire video and post them? Evidence please. And what are you, a private investigator? If so, you should do a piece. Besides, Claudine, and a few others are on a Human Rights case presented to the United States...I really doubt all the women went that far based on a fictitious story.

And you're right, you can only IMAGINE what it is like to have a mother "plastered all over the internet." The experience obviously isn't yours to own, nor are you qualified to speak on behalf of HER child. Perhaps mom is a heroe, perhaps mom is the only one who stands behind this child unconditionally--so much, that she's put her life on it. Perhaps you WISH you had someone who loved you that much.

October 20, 2009 at 8:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Accountability (anonymous) says...

Great Job DA Chad Taylor! The real shame of Kansas is how Claudine Dombrowski lost custody of her daughter to an abuser after she was brutally attacked and raped. What sort of judicial system does that to a mother who was trying to protect her child? Claudine Dombrowski seems to be a real threat to the abusers in our world because she isn't scared to tell how the system violated her and her child's constitutional rights.
The Kansas Constitution does state that women should have rights to their children and this keeps getting violated as children are taken from their mothers and placed with abusers.

October 20, 2009 at 8:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Delilah (anonymous) says...

Stories like Claudine's are being played out in courtrooms across the country every day. Not everyone is brave enough to speak out with the courage that Claudine has found. She not only speaks about her own pain and abuse, but she speaks for the ones who are living in fear of their lives and the lives of their children.

She holds up and supports so many others besides herself and does it out of the goodness of her heart, not trying to bring attention to herself, but to bring attention to the travesty of justice many are facing.

I, personally, applaud her for being an outspoken advocate, not only for just herself and her own child, but for the hope and help she works so hard to bring to others.

October 20, 2009 at 8:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Seeking4Justice (anonymous) says...

It is a shame that others are judging Claudine unfairly. Her abuse is real. Losing custody of her daughter to an abuser is real. Unless you have walked in her shoes you do not have the right to say whether or not the abuse has happened. Many women do not report abuse because they are scared. Women think of their children first and do what is best for them and yet they still lose custody to abusers. Where is the justice for our children? Abuse is real and until society realizes the real problem is with the abusers this cycle of abuse will continue. It is time to hold the abusers accountable. There are many forms of abuse and just because with some women you do not see any bruises does not mean that she has not been abused in other ways.

I think it is great that DA Chad Taylor is not going to put up with it and to hold the abusers accountable. We need more people to step up to the plate and not let the abusers get away with abuse or taking children away from good mothers. Abuse is not acceptable in any form. If it would happen to a loved one of yours I am sure that they would have a different outlook on it.

We should praise Claudine for her strength and efforts to help other women that are going through what she has gone through and continues to go through. Way to go Claudine! I am so proud of you! Keep up your great work of getting the truth out there whether people want to hear it or not!

October 20, 2009 at 8:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jdrew (inactive user) says...

Thanks everyone for your comments on my story! I appreciate the feedback. I just wanted to let everyone know about the open records Shawnee County Courts has on the website. You can check all criminal cases, and in the case with Ms. Dombrowski, I ran a search and verified her story. I did not name the abuser, because I don't think it adds anything to the story, and it would not help any situation.

I do appreciate viewers and people in the community checking the facts, and just know I do everything I can as a reporter to make sure details are accurate. Having open records easily accessible from the County, and being able to run a search online on their website does make my job easier! Thanks again everyone for your comments!

If you have any other questions please email me!

October 20, 2009 at 9:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

JaneTruth (anonymous) says...

Maybe Claudine's child would rather her mother be alive, and to heck with embarrassment.

Does the photo of Claudine all covered with blood and bruises look like somebody trying "to get back at a person for an unknown reason?"

No matter how much stress is caused by the economy or whatever, that is no excuse for beating one's spouse! We all have stress. We don't all beat our wives or husbands.

With people who do this, the object is control. And it always escalates. The so-and-so is not going to stop by himself. We need more DAs like Mr Taylor.

October 20, 2009 at 9:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Justina (anonymous) says...

Some may say, "She made it up and she's a fake." THAT alone is the problem with the mainstream of society. Without knowing her intimately, without being in her life to witness what she says happened to her, without any substantial reason other than 'so many other women lie and make it up all the time'...every woman is judged as liars.

I am here to tell you that I was honestly beaten, kicked, bit, maritally raped and beaten down emotionally, mentally, psychologically and spiritually by my batterer...and with every bit of honest evidence that he was a danger to me and my children, the corrupted system handed custody of my children over to him and took away my decision rights without my right to due process...and I face members of this society thinking that I must have been lying and the courts found a good reason why I should have lost custody.

I have felt alone in this horrifying nightmare in almost a decade of this. I thought I was the only one and in this isolation I almost accepted that I was a crazy whacked out liar and didn't even know it. That's just how far down I was. And, it wasn't until over a year ago that I started researching on the internet for abusers who get custody and how I could turn this around for my children, who are being horribly abused by their father.

The cruel awakening finally happened as I found out I wasn't alone, that this really does happen to battered mothers and that it was becoming like the worst case of cancer, eating away the Human Rights that battered mothers do have, to be protected from her abuser and to have the full right to protect her children from him, also. Too many of us mothers are suffering this pain of losing our children to our abuser and it's got to be stopped.

To Be Continued....

October 20, 2009 at 9:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Justina (anonymous) says...

The only way it will TRULY stop is when everyone stops making the error of automatically thinking and accusing a woman of lying when she alleges domestic violence or child abuse/molestation, without good evidence to prove such. When it comes to the safety of women and children, it is absolutely important to error on the side of protecting women and children and let the investigation prove the truth of what's alleged.

Claudine is who gives us women who have suffered what she has suffered, a voice - courage to speak out ourselves - and a way for us all to find our own empowerment in order to be the change in how the US family courts grossly and dangerously mishandle custody cases that involve abuse at any level. If every citizen did their part to be the change that is expected in our family courts, we would see and experience that change.

Claudine is doing just that. We must all put aside the judgment of rather she's lying or not, as accusing her of lying or defending her of not lying. All that arguing is not what will get a bigger and most important job done. What matters is that there is corruption in the courts and what Claudine is doing is trying to bring change to make order in a disordered family court system happen. We should all be standing next to Claudine, as co-partners to help the other get this crucial change to happen!

Thank you, Claudine for your courage, strength and your never give up and never give in spirit. The winds of change have been long overdue and I just hope and pray that everyone globally will use the power within themselves to strengthen and carry this wind of change, till the change we so desperately need in our family courts, when dealing with a protective parent and children where abuse is alleged, will happen forever!

Here's To The Change,
Justina

October 20, 2009 at 9:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Claudine_Dombrowski (Claudine Dombrowski) says...

Petition to Inter American Commission on Human Rights in its Entirety:
http://www.stopfamilyviolence.org/fol...

Also See:
http://bit.ly/U997l

Thank you all for supporting DA Chad Taylor- and Jessica Drew!! We need to stop the violence, If my case can in anyway help, then it will not all have been in vain.. to save just one life..
One woman, one child.

October 20, 2009 at 9:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Accountability (anonymous) says...

I say Chad Taylor should run for Kansas Attorney General! We know that AG Six could care less about victims rights including children. Go DA Chad Taylor! Be our next Attorney General!!!

October 20, 2009 at 9:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

anonymum (anonymous) says...

I really wonder about these sadistic comments against victims accounts. Alot of abusers will go to great lengths to conceal the violence. It is illogical to suggest that by exposing the atrocities against Claudine and her child would be an embarrassment. I imagine that the courts who have taken part of this abuse are embarrassed that now many know of their ills.
Its quite absurd to suggest that Claudines experience is anything but true.

For the court to grant an abuser custody is beyond simply violating the basic human rights of mothers and children, it is an act of torture and this court should be held accountable for its actions. On another note, we commend the media for drawing out this issue and hope that not only is this situation rectified, but both the mother and the child are greatly compensated for the undue suffering that they have caused.

October 20, 2009 at 9:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Justina (anonymous) says...

It is incredibly absurd to accuse Claudine of lying! It boils my blood when anyone is automatically accused of lying about being violated.

Meanwhile...Claudine's child, the one she carried and gave birth to and protected with her very own safety and life at stake, has been ripped away from her loving mother...and the time together lost that can never be replaced.

Shame does not belong on Claudine's conscious....I say shame on her abuser and shame on Shawnee court system...for placing Claudine and her child in harms way and holding them as prisoners in harms way just for your own dirty agendas that you choose to think is way more important that these two precious lives.

However, praise goes to Claudine and whoever gets on board with her to help stop domestic violence at home and in the family court room!

October 20, 2009 at 10:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

SickOfVilence (anonymous) says...

In most states, domestic violence is not coded as such, especially if the people are living apart and the woman has a different last name or has reclaimed her maiden name. These stories are on the increase, but due male dominated police departments, sympathy for men or outright graft, when men do these things to women, it is covered up. 89,000 rapes were reported last year alone. How many were prosecuted? Where I live, NONE. Even child rape is not prosecuted. How can a 4 year old cause a rape?
Time to wake up and smell the atmosphere, the air stinks and it is the cops and the judges and the lawyers who all agree to cover up what is happening, and they do it for economics. Greed Rules.

October 21, 2009 at 1:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

SteveT (anonymous) says...

How do I know Claudine is telling the truth? WHY would someone lie about abuse? Plus PICTURES don't lie!
My heart goes out to Claudine and her child...and all women out there who have to deal not only with abuse by the abuser but through the court system. The child should be embarrassed aj92 due to the childs father being a abuser NOT because the mother is fighting the corruption, collusion and cronyism in the family court system.

October 21, 2009 at 2:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Justina (anonymous) says...

Thank you so much for that validation for us moms and our children.

You're right...pictures don't lie. Neighbors witnessing the verbal or physical abuse don't lie, the bruises and broken bones and trying to figure out how to hide it all from being found out don't lie, the pain and fear on the mothers and children don't lie, the demolished things in the house don't lie, the submissive way a woman walks cowardly next to her significant other and the children behind with that same walk don't lie...most of all the broken hearts of who love abusers don't lie.

I cry writing this because I, like so many other moms. that have suffered horrendous abuse and now have to endure the pain of our children suffering the abuse from our abuser...have been screaming out the truth for so long upon deaf ears and cold hearts...we absolutely need everyone who cares about our pain to make such a noise about it that it will not be ignored any longer!

As far as I am concerned....it's not about me lying to manipulate the court to giving me custody of my children so that I can get money from my ex in the form of child support. It's all about the truth, which is that he's a wife batterer and a child abuser, and I must get my Human Right as a protective mother enforced so I can protect my children from him. He can keep every copper penny he earns, I don't want any of his money...I only want my children back in my safe and unconditional loving care! Is this too much to ask?

October 21, 2009 at 3:34 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

fortenderheart (anonymous) says...

For all of you that are doubting Claudine's "story" . . .do some homework . . . see the line of progression on the attacks . . .if you look you will see that her "story" is substantiated . . .and that you need to step back and really think about who you are trying to defend. . . .

Do you really want to defend an abuser that has a history of abuse? Somehow . . .in your heart . . .you should know better. . . you should be thinking about how you can keep the children safe . . .the wives safe and think about how to put an end to this mess . .
Yes, it was a very important message to come out during the month of October . . .but . . .look at all Claudine has been through . . .and what she continues to go through . . .

NO mother should be kept from their children! It is so important to have the maternal bond that helps the children to grow into a strong adult . . . and not repeat the cycle of abused to abuser . . .as so many do . . .

Before judgments are made . . . you should really explore the information that is available out there . . .Learn to spot the signs . . .and see the progression of the disease of abuse! .

Then . . . thank your lucky stars that you are NOT in the same position as Claudine . . .or any other victim . . .and try to make a difference so that the courts can see that there are specific reasons why a victim reacts the way that they do . . . instead of misinterpreting their actions as being malicious . . .

One last word of caution . . . DO NOT be so quick to blame the victims! NOBODY ASKS TO BE ABUSED!!!!! Look to see what information is available to validate their claims . . . and then make a decision!

October 21, 2009 at 9:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Song1212 (anonymous) says...

It takes a heart of gold, and nerves of steal to do what Claudine, DA Chad Taylor, and KTKA have done. No one wants to admit they are abused, and no one wants to be abused. Sadly it is a fact that our society blames the victim. Violence is non-productive, and does not set an example for a better country or world. It carries a stigma that needs to be shed. Thank you Claudine for speaking out, for not sitting down nor shutting up. We are lucky you have survived to share your horrific past to stop a cycle that breeds hate, mistrust, shatters lives and destroys children. If fact, it is the number one cause of death for pregnant women in this fine country. You bring us hope and strength. You daughter and mother must be proud.

October 21, 2009 at 10:35 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

valros (anonymous) says...

I have much to say on this TRUTHFUL story. I agree. Many of you do not know your facts and we need all the support we can get. Think about your own children. What if it was your child. I strongly urge you to believe not only Claudine's story, but many to come. You have no idea how the very "system" put in place to protect victims and THEIR CHILDREN have empowered the abusers for years.... I should know. Been doing it for 4.5 yrs now. It is time to hold them all accountable!!! SRS, EMCU (Exploited Missing Children Unit), the judicial system, need I go on. I pray you all wake up and see the Truth for what it is. God Bless, but The heartland-It has lost it's heart!!!

October 21, 2009 at 1:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Justina (anonymous) says...

I would love to take this opportunity to absolutely thank DA Taylor and KTKA for giving Claudine this opportunity to are her story and expose the dark corruption of the system...who's grossly failed to uphold Claudine's Human Rights to protect herself and her child from the control and abuse of their abuser.

It is the hope and dream of all of us mothers who suffer this same pain, that those in power in our government will step up to the plate and start protecting all who are victims of violence. For that, DA Taylor...thank you so much. Hopefully you will be a great example that others with your power will follow and do the same.

And, for us moms to raise awareness as fast and sufficiently as possible, we absolutely need people in the media to help get our voices heard. Jessica Drew, there is literally thousands of thank yous from all of us mothers around the world for your willingness to get Claudine's story out there. We have needed this for way too long. Hopefully other members of the media all around the world will follow suit and help us bring the change we need to end violence for families all around the world.

Justina

October 21, 2009 at 1:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Public_Pretender (anonymous) says...

My heart and soul goes out to you and the media for finally allowing the vicitims of civil rights violations and crimes speak out for a change. We need a reality TV on this, not like most shows, that allow the violators that are suppose to be helping families come on, when they are such liars pretending to help and behind closed doors they are screwing you over till there is nothing left of you but flesh and bone, for they've burned you heart and soul. You know it's real bad when you know that most individuals fail to report the abuse becaues they say: Quote, if I report this, they will take away my kids and give it to the abuser and/or terminate my rights claiming parental alienation, and mental instability"! It's sad when people feel there is nowhere to turn to for help.

October 21, 2009 at 2:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

marlene_jones (anonymous) says...

Claudine Drombroski is one brave lady - braver than most - to speak out and continue her fight against this corrupt CPS system after what has happened to her.
I applaud her and thank her for what she does. I also thank DA Chad Taylor - he should be our next Attorney General of Kansas - we need someone that works for the citizens of Kansas. Better yet - I wish he would move to Wichita and become the Sedgwick County DA.
Thank you Jessica Drew for believing.

October 21, 2009 at 3:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Bunny38 (anonymous) says...

Sadly, the law in Shawnee County says that the 1st person to contact law enforcement is the victim. What happens when a man claims to be the victim because he called law enforcement first. I am a petite woman now facing charges after being beaten by a man, and the Sheriff's department's protocol is to not release my statement or photos of my injuries to the D.A.'s office until they are requested, the D.A will not speak to me (the supposed Defendent) and has no idea that a statement and photos exist. I am not the one who has had a previous arrest for domestic violence, I am a victim who is being treated like a criminal, Yeah, way to go Mr. Taylor.

October 21, 2009 at 3:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Justina (anonymous) says...

Bunny,

Are you serious about there being a law that says the first person to contact law enforcement is the victim?! If so, I would love the state's code for that law. It would make a good topic to blog about. That's so incredibly insane! Totally insane!

Justina

October 21, 2009 at 6:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Seeking4Justice (anonymous) says...

I can see several moms have already posted about the truthfulness of Claudine's story and there are many moms that continue to face terrifying situations that nobody will listen to. I want to thank everyone involved for allowing Claudine to tell her story. It is vital that the truth gets out about the abuse that children and mothers have to live with on a daily basis. So many mothers do not know where to turn for help and lose their children because they do not have good, honest, attorneys who will fight for the truth.

There is no justice for our children or mothers who lose custody to our abusers. I thank District Attorney Chad Taylor for stepping forward to help others to learn of the truth. I know that many moms thank you from the bottom of their hearts. We need more people like you, Jessica, and everyone else who wants to share the truth with the rest of the world. Please keep up the great work. I pray that others will step forward in the media and other high positions to put an end to the corruption in the family courts and all professionals that help to take protective mothers who have been abused need to be held accountable.

Children should not have to live and be without their mothers and be forced to live with the abuser and his family. Children are forced to break the bonds with their mothers many times because of what the abuser says and does. Many abusers seek to do anything possible to break the relationship between the child and mother. How would you feel if your child was stripped away from his/her mother and given to the abuser not to mention the fact the child rarely gets to see their mother who only wants to protect her child? How would you really feel? Where would you turn? Many moms are not able to find representation as attorneys and other professionals do not believe that a judge or others would make a mistake. Another reason they are not heard is because of economic abuse from the courts, ex, and other professionals. Abusers end up getting "hired guns" on their side where they charm and lie there way into taking the children away from their mother who is more than fit to care for them.

I pray that we will be able to seek justice for our children and mothers around the world. Thank you again for being such a great example to the rest of the world. Please keep sharing stories such as Claudine's because there are so many mothers out there without their children and who have been abused.

October 21, 2009 at 8:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Justus (anonymous) says...

Everyday women lose custody to abusers. The justice system is "pay to play" in the US. This story needs to tell the real truth how abusers accuse the victims of the fictitious "Parental Alienation Syndrome" (PAS) in order to get custody of children. It's just one more way to abuse the women by taking her child(ren) away. The total lack of ethics in the US legal system as well as the blatant advertisement of the use of these child custody scams that are avaible for purchase over the internet, as well as purchasing the unethical testimony of the PAS "experts" shows that the US is failing to protect women and children from abusers. Justice is for sale in the US. Just google "father's rights" and see the thousands of hits for these "win custody" scams.

October 22, 2009 at 7:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

EileenKing656 (anonymous) says...

Aj92 suggests we should silence and shame victims like Claudine, a piece of advice that no doubt sends batterers and child abusers leaping into the air with whoops of joy.

Claudine describes what so many mothers have documented for us: they tried to protect themselves and their children but ended up in a horrific Catch 22 situation in the family courts. Across the entire United States we see case after case where abusers are getting custody, no matter what the evidence is. It is one of the best kept dirty secrets of a country that believes it has the best judicial system in the world. Speaking out, getting this into the general media, are important steps to ending violence and child abuse! What is watched works.

Eileen King
Justice For Children
Washington, DC Chapter

October 22, 2009 at 8 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Justus (anonymous) says...

Instead of protecting the victims, the US forces women to co-parent with abusers. They may give out a worthless piece of paper, that is difficult to enforce while forcing the victim to "cooperate" (meet every demand) of the abuser. There is at least one (or more) homicide every week in these situations. This is how the US treats domestic violence victims:

http://www.azfamily.com/news/Domestic...
Domestic violence advocate questions Judge's decision in Peoria murder-suicide
by Ryan O'Donnell / 3TV

Posted on October 20, 2009 at 8:27 PM

Updated yesterday at 11:00 PM

PEORIA , AZ -- On October 6, 2009 Dawn Axsom and her attorney pleaded with Judge Jose Padilla to allow her to leave Arizona with her two-year-old son, Xavier, but Judge Padilla denied the request.

According to court testimony, Axsom's estranged husband, 28-year-old Gabriel Schwartz, had been arrested twice for DWI, was unemployed, and had made two failed suicide attempts. This prompted Axsom to also file for an Order of Protection against Schwartz.

Judge Padilla granted Schwartz visitation rights, requiring a drug & alcohol and mental health evaluation to be completed within 60-days.

Two weeks after that court appearance, Dawn Axom and her mother Linda were found shot to death in their Peoria home, reportedly by Schwartz, who then turned the gun on himself.

Elizabeth Ditlevson, who works for the Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence, says it's not just Judge Padilla, but other family court judges who don't seem to take domestic violence as seriously as they should.

"Some courts are privileging an abusers access to their children over the safety of the victim parent and the child. We think that that is a huge issue and it needs to change" said Ditlevson.

October 22, 2009 at 8:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

cancermoonwolf (anonymous) says...

I first would like to commend the people involved with shinning light to the atrocities that are faced daily by women who are abused. Too many times news outlets do not (or can not, as the case may be) expose what goes on behind closed doors. This only furthers the secrecy that must remain in order for a batterer to continue their reign of terror within their own house.

I also see that many here have already 'verified' Claudine's story. I am appalled that anyone after seeing her photos and court docs could even suggest she is making this up. Too often victims are not believed, even when they do have proof, because no one wants to admit that our society has turned a blind eye to what is a reality for so many.

I don't quote stats, I don't need to. I urge those that wish to see some numbers to do some research. Do not just pull up the first thing you find and take it as the final tally. Do not base your assumptions off what others say they have seen or heard, educate yourself and do your own researching.

So, thank you to Jessica Drew, KTKA, Chad Taylor and Claudine Dombrowski for taking that first step and bringing this into the media. For speaking out, and making people uncomfortable by giving information about a subject that no one wants to acknowledge even though we all know it exists. I sincerely hope that your actions will bring the winds of change that some many victims need!

October 22, 2009 at 8:08 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

silverside (anonymous) says...

I have had the privilege of knowing Claudine for a number of years, and I have come to greatly admire her courage, integrity, and dedication. She is devoted mother who has always put her daughter's welfare first. Of course, there are people here who want to sweep abuse under the rug and deny its existence. And they will always be hostile to those who refused to be silent and speak out about violence and judicial coddling of criminals. The actions of these people usually reflect the abusive situations they grew up in, situations they now reproduce in their current lives with other people. Too bad they are unwilling to confront or even recognize how warped they have become with their lack of compassion and their hostility towards justice.

October 22, 2009 at 9:07 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

WitchyWoman4Luv (anonymous) says...

First off... Can we all say "GOOGLE"??? All you have to do is type her name.. (Go ahead.. I'll wait..) The evidence will jump in your face!! This has been going on, forever! Almost the entirety of her child's life has been wasted on fighting an abusive MONSTER and a morally corrupt Family Court system!! This is absolutely ridiculous!! No one fights THIS HARD, or THIS LONG, for some trumped up reason!!

Secondly, it is about time, that someone with a heart and soul, and the BRAINS to know how to use them, became DA! BRAVO, Mr. Chad Taylor!! Would love to see YOU move forward, in your career!!

Jessica Drew, I applaud your courage in joining in this battle, as WAY TOO MANY so-called journalists have ran hiding. Kudos to you!! May you, too, go far!!

I am saddened that so many women and children are losing so much valuable time together, just because some court official wants to line their pockets. I would love to see a National, or International, Inquiry into Family Courts EVERYWHERE!! This is not a lone case.. This is not even just a handful of courts... This is happening EVERYWHERE, and in a gut-wrenching, terrifyingly rapid progression. It makes you wonder if there is something that Family Court officials take a class for, doesn't it?? These cases are on YouTube, MULTIPLE Blogs, websites... You name it, and they are THERE!! COME ON, WORLD!! We have to stand behind the TRUE victims and stop worrying about the MONSTERS and what THEY might do. I would suggest worrying that it could be your daughter who may be beaten to a bloody pulp, and HER children stolen from her!!

It is bad enough that we were beaten. It is bad enough that we were raped, tortured, brutalized, desecrated, and countless other violations, upon our person. Must we be FORCED to watch our children go through the same thing???? We are told to keep our mouths shut, by order of the "COURTS", or we will serve time in JAIL?? For Protecting our CHILDREN???? Is this logical, moral, or ANYTHING right??

I will end this, only by saying that Claudine Dombrowski is an inspiration to Victimized women and children, all over the WORLD... Yes, it is everywhere, and yes, we are FINALLY FIGHTING BACK... Look out, abusers!! Here we come!!

October 22, 2009 at 10:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

protectivemothersalliance (anonymous) says...

Thank you to everyone who is responsible for getting this story out! Claudine's story and many other stories like this, should be flooding the news media. Violence against women and children along with family court corruption and abuse has become an epidemic in this country. It is only by allowing brave mothers like Claudine a platform, that we can even hope to make change with these egregious violations of human rights .

Janice Levinson
Co founder/director
Protective Mothers Alliance

October 22, 2009 at 1:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

burl8025 (anonymous) says...

ITS ABOUT TIME! CLAUDINE HAS DONE MORE FOR THIS COMMUNITY THAN MOST PAID FOR ORGANIZATIONS.

MY FAMILY AND I ARE DEEPLY GREATFUL FOR ALL THAT SHE DID IN HELPING TO EXPOSE JUDGE DOWD IN THE ORLANDO PAUL CISNEROS CASE.

THESES JUDGES ARE INSANE.

20 FELONY COUNTS RAPE AND SODOMY TO A MINOR CHILD- YOU GET PROBATION.

BEAT THE HELL OUT OF YOUR WIFE- KEEP THE CHILD FROM THE MOM AND GIVING CHILD TO THE ABUSER.

THAT IS BEYOND INSANE!

KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK DA CHAD TAYLOR, KTKA49 AND REPORTER JESSICA DREW!

ONLY WHEN THERE IS OUTRAGE WILL THERE BE CHANGE!

MICHAEL BURLISON
CO-FOUNDER
www.KansansForJudicialAccountability.com

October 22, 2009 at 5:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Jo (anonymous) says...

When so many people accuse women of being liars (false accusers) and bringing up "shame", you wonder why these women often live in shame and silence?! It's a disgrace how we treat victims. - These are comments based on a few of the readers' posts.

In regard to her case, she is one of tens of thousands (if not more) of battered women losing custody to an abuser.

Violent men more often than non-violent men seek custody....and get it. The "leave me & you'll never see the kids again" threat can turn into reality in family court. How can that happen?

*abusers often look respectable, even charming

*family courts with "friendly parent policies" view hostile or fearful women as anything but

*stereotypes of women's vengeance supercedes evidence and reality

*claims of neglect or mental illness - men actually make more false allegations than women, according to research, but stereotypes and angry divorced men have more branding power than facts

*disbelief that a person can cause such harm, lack of evidence & witnesses, not reporting prior abuse, etc. can all work against a battered woman

*it's rare that fathers are denied access to kids; parental rights trump women & children's safety

This is a national problem we're dealing with, not just one individual case -- it's time WE BELIEVE WOMEN and start protecting children - and preventing further abuse & homicides.

October 22, 2009 at 7:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Sheryl (anonymous) says...

Hopefully, this DA will investigate Claudine's case to conclusion (investigate the judge, guardian ad litem, other players such as the ex and his attorney) or refer it out for investigation, her daughter needs to be returned to her loving & protective care and custody.

Judges switch custody to "shut the mother" up instead of protecting both mom and child. One messed up system, one that operates in virtual secrecy and is in dire need of exposure and reform.

October 22, 2009 at 7:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

nojustice (anonymous) says...

Thanks Claudine for speaking out against such violence. Women and children are being denied the right to protection everyday in this country and even right here in Kansas. I personally know of mothers who have lost their child/children to the abuser, the conspiracy and corruption within our child protection system is out of control, children are being forced to live with their abuser because of a case just like Claudines, judges are giving abusers full access to their victims.

I say enough is enough, no more violations against women and children, start holding domestic abusers and child abusers accountable for the violence they inflict on their victims. NO MORE EXCUSES, start using the laws that are in place to better to protect the innocent!

Keep speaking out, hopefully someone will look into Claudines case and see how many laws have been violated.

How about an Attorney General who is willing to make domestic violence and child abuse top priority. Someone who is willing to truly uphold the laws of our state.

Thanks so much Claudine! From A Child's Rights Association

October 22, 2009 at 9:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

70sixspeed (anonymous) says...

I live in Placer county in California- and there is a case in the courts right now where the woman I love has been in a bad custody battle with her ex abuser. She has a sweet innocent 3 1/2 year old daughter with the abuser, and the courts and police have failed and actually put her daughter in harms way and put her full time in her fathers home. They are trying to shut her up as explained above by way of restraining orders, trying to arrest her, fining her, switching judges- etc etc. It also does not help that the fathers lawyer is married to one of the few family law judges in the county- and is friends with EVERYONE in the local court system. We have tried getting help everywhere but currently she has not seen her daughter even in supervised visitation in over 5 months which is breaking the court order- but since everyone is trying to keep her quiet, they keep making it harder for her to see her daughter by placing impossible road blocks in her way. She has tons of evidence that the courts and local police have not even viewed, and we dont know where to go now- there is a website trying to help get her daughter help, saveaaliyah.com which shows her evidence and explains ALOT about how abusers work- please take a minute and view it- It will take everyone to put an end to these kinds of people- so please pass this along and fight with the rest of us-

October 22, 2009 at 11:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Accountability (anonymous) says...

Children in Kansas are taken from protective parents and given to the abusers through family and juvenile courts. Evidence is altered and tampered with. Little children are threatened, abused and their rights violated by these so called child protectors. The child victims are silenced by the system that was supposed to protect them. EMCU is nothing but a bunch of corrupt parasites.

It is encouraging to hear DA Taylor speak out on behalf of DV victims.

DA Taylor has my support.
Hopefully Mr. Taylor will run for Attorney General!
There's a New Man In Town. Great song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzbRdV...

October 23, 2009 at 12:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

mothersfor (anonymous) says...

Cases like Claudines unfortunately are astoundingly common. Our Judicial system views children and wives as the property of men, still today, and finds ways to vindicate that attitude. There is no other way to explain a Judge granting custody of children to the man who molested them, or used violence against their mother.There is something very wrong with a system that equates supplying sperm with parental rights. People need to recognize that just because someone has sired offspring, it doesn't preclude them from being Sociopaths (like Saddam Hussein, for example). There is something profoundly wrong when violent men are not held accountable and sometimes even put in charge of children, and the victims of their abuse are vilified and terrorized again in the courts.
I live in New Jersey and know of several cases where exactly these horrors are being played out by Judges who are as malicious and damaging to these families as the men who originally terrorized these women and children. I didn't think it could be possible for a Judge here in this progressive state to give custody of two little girls to the very man who molested them and who they fear but I know it first hand. The protective mother, a well respected doctor, has had her young daughters taken away from her by a Judge, one person, on the flimsiest of all possible grounds, an allegation by the Judge that she had negative intent vis a vis her ex.(who raped her and molested thier daughters. Her only negative intent was the desire to protect her chldren and herself from a sexual deviant.)
Domestic Violence cases should be heard by specially trained panels. Men who are abusive look "normal" but they are not. They are often Sociopaths if not Psychopaths but they are very adept at projecting a great image. They are often successful professionals which makes it easier for people to believe they couldn't possibly be the criminals that they are. We have many stereotypes to debunk. Especially assumptions that mothers who are trying to protect themselves and their children are lying about abuse.
There needs to be much more coverage about this harrowing issue before the rising statistics make it impossible to ignore. All too often, abusive men turn murderous and much too often, tragedy could have been prevented if the courts had acted correctly. Physical and sexual abuse is criminal, and the person doing it is a criminal, even if they are in the family.

October 23, 2009 at 1:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

StillStanding (anonymous) says...

ABUSERS know how to look good in court, but if you look closely, you can identify them by their comments discrediting and/or blaming the victims. How very transparent.

It's not the Psychology of the abuse that keeps MOTHERS from getting out. What keeps them from getting out is that they are NOT allowed to get away, AND take their children with them. This would sound incredible, but stop by the StopFamilyViolence site for numerous examples, and copious research into Domestic Violence and Child Custody.

What's happening is that even the most well-documented cases are still *mandated* into mediation. Victims then have the evidence they submit tossed into as mediator's file box, then mediators make custody recommendations that completely ignore the issue of a father's violence. Laws that are in place often have *no* rulings, meaning they're not being followed-at all. Why?

This nets the court professionals with an average 80K from the Protective Parent over the years of litigation (•Neustein, A., & Goetting, A. (1999).

What kind of father abuses his children? (The Leadership Council - Custody Myths)-Predominately, one who abused their mother:To date, over 30 studies that have examined the co-occurrence of domestic violence and child abuse found a large overlap. Overall, both forms of violence were found in 40% of families studied with the range in the majority of studies varying from 30% to 60% of families (Appel & Holden, 1998, Edleson, 1999).

What kind of "dad" molests his daughters? A violent man is 6.5 times MORE likely to molest his daughters. (Lundy Bancroft; Understanding the Batterer...)

These people are perpetuating the Cycle of Family Violence, for money. Think this is "not your problem? This is the pool of males your daughters will choose from.

US citizens should form a single massive movement to reform the family courts, and stop the abuse-for-money scam. Literally millions of abuse victims have been re-victimized in family courts when they try to leave.

October 23, 2009 at 10:07 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Indianashameteardropsforkatel (anonymous) says...

To the one who said Claudine was making it up "oh whatever you abusers and your helpers always say the same thing it comes back to the victom is lieing or somehow it's their fault" that is just a typical abuser cop out:-! Why are you abusers and your enablers always have the same pathology!?!?!?!
IndianashameTeardropsforkatelynn

October 23, 2009 at 2:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

StillStanding (anonymous) says...

ONE MORE THING: I want to go back and shame that PERSON who wants to say our kids should be embarrassed at our speaking out.

For God's sake, the SHAME belongs with the person attached to the hand that delivers the blows, and a comment like that sure casts a shadow of suspicion on anyone who wishes to shame and embarrass victims from reporting.

OUR daughters will know what's is at stake in the mate selection process.

October 24, 2009 at 11:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

ladessa316 (anonymous) says...

I just love people who like to imply someone is lying and do it anonymously.
Sounds like an abuser. Hiding. Denying.
I happen to have known Claudine Dombrowski since we were both 12 years old: that's 33 years. I happen to have taken some of those pictures. I lived in Topeka while attending Washburn University School of Law.
I know for a fact her story is true. I know that I personally went to the hospital, so many times I couldn't count, to sit by her side. I was there when her child was born and helped pick out the baby's name. I saw the black eye the night Claudine gave birth. I know she and her child hid at MY house. I know she cried a thousand tears on MY shoulder. I know that I, my children, my family were terrified that someday a call would come that Claudine or her baby were dead. That someday it would be too late. I know one of the hardest things I've had to do is try to explain to MY daughter is why someone would do this and not go to jail. I know Claudine's ex. I know what happened and I'm not afraid to confront you Mr./ Ms. Anonymous.
Maybe you should not imply someone is lying if you were not there. Why don't you crawl back into the slime pit where you reside and stay there being silent when you don't know and were not there.

October 24, 2009 at 5:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

sedgwickfamilycourtvictim (anonymous) says...

Claudine, It will be a year next month when I called you crying, you cried with me I had lost custody of my children due to a horrible attorney here in Sedgwick County. I had no where to turn to get support and you guided me. I will never give up on my children, and hopefully someday we won't have to pay an arm and a leg for justice, it should come free its our rights as US citizens. Everything is about money and whoever has the most money and the best connections win. (At least in my case!). I would like to thank Mr. Taylor and Jessica Drew for allowing us to speak out against this injustice especially when most of us left scared, and only protecting our children.

October 25, 2009 at 11:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

denise_momsv_org (anonymous) says...

Claudine, I commend your strength and continuous efforts to raise awareness of Domestic Violence and on your credibility to have gained support from this reporter and the District Attorney. As well as from all of us who are in support of this cause and posted positively on your behalf.

October 25, 2009 at 8:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

NancyCarroll (anonymous) says...

You would think the abuser should be embarrassed. What kind of man (or even human being) does this to another person, over and over and over again? No, as a typical abuser, he will send his associates here to input doubt of the truth of what he did. Their daughter embarrassed? Puleeeeease. The abuser is trying to have Claudine put in jail to SHUT HER UP, and this with the help of the Shawnee County Family Court System, who seem to be at the abuser's beck and call. DA Chad Taylor needs to investigate these corrupt family law judges that allow abusers and their corrupt lawyers to continue to abuse these victims.

Thanks to the abuser, Claudine is on 100% disability.

Thank you Jessica Drew and KTKA for continuing to seek justice for victims from these corrupt bastards.

Stay strong Claudine, many people all over the world love and support you and your daughter! Too bad you can't get the same respect in Shawnee County Family Court.

October 26, 2009 at 5:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

SteveT (anonymous) says...

Such a disgraceful society to blame the victim....shame on all of you that commented with such hatred.

November 3, 2009 at 3:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Claudine_Dombrowski (Claudine Dombrowski) says...

If you are a battered Mother You WILL lose custody of your children. The Family courts DO NOT allow the criminal convictions into Court.

And they will go to all extremes to continue to torture and batter. As a Survivor as below and the Lead plaintiff at Inter American Commission on Human Rights
(Dombrowski et el v US 2007)
http://www.stopfamilyviolence.org/pag...

And as one who has endured 16 years of seeking justice- only to find JUST-US (the perps rights to continue to batter and destroy lives;The best advise I can give-is to run.. Run hard and run far before you ever enter the Insane Asylum Called Justice. Justice is only given to PERPETRATORS!! ONLY!

This is a human rights issue- there are no rights unless you beat, rape or torture women and children. ( but then we all already know that)

There can not be change unless there is outrage- Battered women and their children will never be safe- not never http://AngelFury.org
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November 13, 2009 at 10:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Claudine_Dombrowski (Claudine Dombrowski) says...

The Leadership Council: Domestic Violence (DV) by Proxy: Why Terrorist Tactics Employed by Batterers Are Not "PAS" September 16, 2009 Part 1:http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/1/pa...

As more and more abused women lose custody to batterers in family courts, they are wrongly embracing the very ideas that enabled their abusers to gain custody in the first place. False accusations of “parental alienation" are often used by batterers to gain custody and to defend against accusations of abuse.

Some unfortunate women after years of enduring domestic violence have lost custody to the batterers who abused them. In these cases, batterers have made good on their threat to attack their ex-partner in the place she is the most vulnerable—by taking her children away from her. After separation, these batterers continue to wage their campaign of manipulation and abuse by attempting to convince involved children that their mothers never loved them. Looking for a way to describe their batterers' behavior, some mothers have called what their batterer is doing "parental alienation syndrome."

In reality, what these women are describing from their ex-partners is better termed Domestic Violence by Proxy (DV by Proxy), a term first used by Alina Patterson, author of Health and Healing. DV by Proxy refers to a pattern of behavior which is a parent with a history of using domestic violence or intimidation, uses a child as a substitute when he no longer has access to his former partner. Calling this behavior “parental alienation” is not strong enough to convey the criminal pattern of terroristic behaviors employed by batterers.

When his victim leaves him, batterers often recognize that the most expedient way to continue to hurt his partner is to assert his legal rights to control her access to their children. By gaining control of the children, an abusive male now has a powerful tool which allows him to continue to stalk, harass and batter an ex-partner even when he has no direct access to her. Moreover, by emotionally torturing the child and severing the bond between children and their mother, he is able to hurt his intended victim -- the mother -- in a way she cannot resist.

November 13, 2009 at 10:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Claudine_Dombrowski (Claudine Dombrowski) says...

The Leadership Council: Domestic Violence (DV) by Proxy: Why Terrorist Tactics Employed by Batterers Are Not "PAS" September 16, 2009 Part 2:http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/1/pa...
DV by Proxy may also include coaching the child to make false allegations regarding their mother's behavior and harming or punishing the child for not complying. DV by Proxy perpetrators may also create fraudulent documents to defraud the court in order to prevent the mother from gaining custody. Whether or not the child is biologically related to them is irrelevant to perpetrators of DV by Proxy. The perpetrator's main motivation is to hurt his ex; whether or not his own child is harmed in the process is irrelevant to him.
This is very different from "parental alienation syndrome" as described by the late Richard A. Gardner. Dr. Gardner described PAS as an internal process by which a child aligns themselves with a preferred parent to protect themselves from the divorce conflict. “PAS” is conceptualized as a psychological process of identification with a parent who, according to the theory, encourages this identification at the expense of the other parent.
PAS inducing parents, according to Gardner, are often unconscious of what they are doing to encourage the identification. In contrast, perpetrators of DV by Proxy are very conscious of what they are doing. Controlling, coercive, illegal acts often done by abusive and controlling people, usually men, are not subtle, and do not encourage an identification with a parent. Criminal, fraudulent, coercive acts are visible and obvious. These behaviors encourage compliance by threats and fear. Behaviors involved in DV by Proxy are deliberate and often illegal. These behaviors include: battery, destruction of property, locking children in rooms to prevent them from calling parents, falsifying documents, along with other similar overt behaviors.
The most dangerous aspect of Gardner's PAS theory is that that the alienating parent's behavior is theorized to be so subtle as to be unobservable. In other words, the behaviors that are supposed to cause the alienation are assumed to be happening without any proof that they have actually occured. As many women have discovered this makes a charge of "alienation" almost impossible to defend against.

While Gardner's theories regarding PAS have been shown to be overly general and have not been supported by careful research, behaviors seen in DV by Proxy can be readily observed. Behaviors involved in DV by Proxy are deliberate and planned; many are illegal, and if the child is given the freedom to talk, will be described in great detail by the child.

If the child's formerly favorable view of the victimized parent changes when exposed to tactics like this over time then it is more likely a form of "Stockholm Syndrome" or traumatic attachment to the abuser, rather than the alignment with one parent and negative reaction to the other that Gardner described as "alienation".

November 13, 2009 at 10:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Claudine_Dombrowski (Claudine Dombrowski) says...

The Leadership Council:
Abuse and custody disputes: Scientific and Legal Issues

http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/1/pa...