Tuesday, November 24, 2020
Tuesday, November 17, 2020
Monday, November 9, 2020
On Northwest Liberty News Talking Judge David Knutson
Is he the worst judge in America? I make my case.
Thursday, November 5, 2020
Indiana Woman Being Gaslighted by the System
(Cover of the movie from 1944 Gaslight)
Noreen "Rene" Connolly is being gaslighted.
Noreen lives in Cedar Lake, Indiana, a town of nearly thirteen thousand people and about 140 miles northwest of Indianapolis. In other words, it's not the setting one would expect for such a story.
Her ex-husband has a documented history of stalking and abuse; she was attacked in her home in 2017 and her home was set on fire in 2019.
Despite this she has been blamed and suspected, the incidents have been used against her, to take away her kids and other things.
Below is a temporary order from March 6, 2019, from the judge in the case, Thomas Hallett, using the fire, and her being suspected, as a reason to temporarily take her kids.
March 6 2019 Order to Keep ... by mikekvolpe
In it, the order states, "The Court finds that an emergency exists due to the fact: A) That Wife's residence burnt down on March 2, 2019.
B) The circumstances of the fire are under investigation
C) Wife does not have a permanent residence
D) Wife has previously made statements concerning her desire to burn down
the home.
The order continued, "Husband shall have temporary physical custody of the minor children...Wife shall have parenting
time as agreed for three hours in duration to be exercised in a public place agreed upon by the parties."
I asked Rene if she feels gas-lighted.
"Yes, I do," she responded.
I have described gaslighting as "driving someone crazy and then calling them crazy."
A more formal definition is, "an increasing frequency of systematically withholding factual information from, and/or providing false information to, the victim - having the gradual effect of making them anxious, confused, and less able to trust their own memory and perception."
Gaslighting, for those who don't know, is from the famous 1944 film Gaslight starring Ingrid Bergman as a woman
driven to madness by her husband. Here is one scene.
Connolly's ex-husband has a rap sheet which goes back at least to 2016 when he was charged with invasion of privacy.
In that case, Connolly's ex-husband continued to send threatening text messages to her cell phone even after she got a protective order.
I sent an email to Russell Brown, the attorney who represented Connolly's ex, but Brown did not respond.
Below, is one police report which led to the charges.
15CL4128.PDF Invasion of Pr... by mikekvolpe
Her ex-husband's harassment would continue long after he was charged.18CL0060 Chief Coulson (Left) by mikekvolpe
That continued until Rene found herself with a zip tie around her neck in her home in June 2017.
Rene told me she woke up with this zip tie around her neck; the investigation proved fruitless and no arrests were made. The police report is below.
Department of Child Service became involved and remarkably, on a temporary basis, Rene's ex received temporary physical custody while Rene received supervised visits, much like what will happen in 2019 when her house was set on fire.
By the end of 2017, 50/50 was restored, after DCS cleared Rene.
Then, on March 2, 2019, Rene's house was set on fire.
She told me she was just entering the bath tub when she smelled smoke and raced out of the house.
Witness statements taken at the scene, confirm this, as neighbors describe her running half naked out of her house.
Police Report House 19CL0940_clinv3!2!19 (1) by mikekvolpe on Scribd
Here is what a neighbor described, "{the neighbor} could hear screaming and thingsbreaking.
"When {the neighbor} went outside he saw Noreen Connolly running around wrapped in a
blanket."
Still, police immediately drew suspicion to Rene. First, her ex-husband, who
happened to arrive as officers and fire also arrived at the scene, suggested
that Rene had previously threatened to set the house on fire.
"In this e-mail, dated February 28th, 2019, it was discussed that there have been monthly NIPSCO bills over $1000.00 for the last couple of months at the house, mostly due to electric usage." The police report stated. "This pointed out that the house is heated by gas, so the furnace shouldn't be the cause of the high electric bill. This e-mail also talks about the possibility of recent domestic violence incidents between Noreen and her daughter. The e-mail also talks about Noreen making threats that she was going to burn down her home."
Police also suggested that Rene was uncooperative. "Noreen Connolly was not talking to anyone and would not answer any questions, even basic questions like possible occupants of the house...Noreen again refused to discuss with Chief Nick Majer and referred then to having a lawyer present."
Rene told me she was in shock and remembers little of that night.
I reached out to Cedar Lake Police Chief Bill Fisher. While acknowledging the email, Chief Fisher did not provide a formal statement before this was published. Chief Fisher was not the chief when these events occurred.
With suspicion drawn to her, the judge- whose name again is Judge Thomas Hallett- was driven to act in an emergency fashion with the temporary order I already showed.
The fire was then investigated by the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS). Report here.
After months of investigation IDHS came to no conclusion: saying the cause of the fire was undetermined.
IDHS did not comment on this investigation, but did provide me with an explanation of what falls under undetermined and other categories.
- Undetermined – a fire may remain undetermined if there is too much damage to identify a cause, or if all other sources cannot be ruled out.
- Accidental
- Natural – started by lightening or some other natural phenomenon.
- Incendiary – this classification is used for all fires caused by human behavior, whether on purpose or accidental. Arson is a subset of incendiary, and is typically classified as such by prosecutors, rather than fire investigated.
In December 2019, the judge issued his final order. It is below, but largely mirrors the temporary order.
Divorce Decree Issued 12-13-19 (1) by mikekvolpe on Scribd
The judge exhibited all sorts of bias, if you ask Rene; that's certainly what a judicial complaint she filed stated. That's below.
Jud Qual Complaint Form by mikekvolpe
I reached out to Judge Hallett's chambers but received no response. I also reached out to Mindy Heidel, Rene's exes divorce attorney but also received no response.
They are: Jill Miller and Julie Ann DeMange.
Dr. Jill Miller, of Northwest Psychological Services, has several letters behind her name: Psy.D., HSPP, LCAC, according to her website.
Meanwhile, DeMange is an attorney practicing with the law firm, Tanzillo, Stassin and Babcock.
Miller did not respond to my email, while DeMange did answer a call but refused to answer any questions, citing strict privacy rules- which there are- about all she'd confirm is that she was a lawyer.
It is interesting that Miller is a psychologist while DeMange is an attorney but both are qualified to be GAL's.
I asked DeMange about that as well, but she politely told me this was research I could do on my own.
According to the Indiana government website, "Indiana law requires the appointment of either a guardian ad litem or a trained court appointed special advocate in abuse and neglect cases. Moreover, if a child becomes the subject of a petition to terminate the parent/child relationship and the parent objects, the court shall appoint a guardian ad litem or CASA for the child. In addition to the abuse and neglect cases, Indiana law allows for and Indiana courts are now frequently appointing CASA volunteers in custody and paternity cases."
The program merely requires certification, according to the Indiana government website.
According to the website for the law firm, Cohen and Malad, here is what's required to become a GAL.
"A Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) is an attorney or trained volunteer appointed by the court to represent a child’s best interests in cases involving juvenile delinquency, child abuse, or neglect. In many of these cases, the court has determined that a Child in Need of Services (CHINS) needs a neutral representative that can assess the situation and provide a recommendation to the court.
"People who serve as court-appointed GALs must go through a thorough training process before they can volunteer. GAL training consists of education on a variety of topics such as the identification and treatment of child abuse and neglect as well as early childhood and adolescent development. One portion of the training also includes information related to how the attorney GAL represents children."
One interesting tidbit, according to this legal website, is that Indiana law defines a GAL as a "volunteer", but I doubt either DeMange or Miller were doing this for free.
In fact, throughout the country, lawyers, psychologists, and social workers, make a great living being appointed a GAL to cases.
Indeed the same website, states in Indiana, "Indiana law allows the trial court to assess the Guardian Ad Litem’s fee against one or both child’s parents. The fees vary from county to county. Some counties, such as Hamilton County, Indiana, have programs that are funded by the county or grants that will pay for the GAL. But even in those counties, the parties may be required to reimburse the Guardian Ad Litem for their work. Or the Court can require the parties to pay a user fee."
Both Dr. Miller and Ms. DeMange recommended that Rene's ex be awarded physical custody; GAL recommendations are supposed to weigh heavily in the judicial decision making process.
Post Script
This is the last of four articles I'm doing in conjunction with a new organization entitled FIRST4. FIRST4 hopes to build software which would make activists aware whenever a child is taken by CPS anywhere in the US because the first four hours in the system are the most critical. The first article is here; the second article is here, and the third article is here.
Tuesday, November 3, 2020
St. Louis County Courts Target Women
I have spoken with approximately ten people who describe an atmosphere in St. Louis County courts where due process is routinely violated, bias is shown, dogma is favored over facts, and this targeting is primarily against women.
Patty Fish
Find an interview with Fish below.
Fish tells an amazing story in which her ex-husband forged her signature on multiple mortgage loan documents on a property she owned herself- this property even had a spousal waiver- but this loan was still allowed to go through and numerous Missouri courts- including at least one Appeals Court- found against her.
In fact, Christine Bertelson, the Missouri courts public affairs officer, told me as much about this case, "{Fish's ex} and Patricia Fish were defendants in the mortgage case. Judgment was entered on 12/12/18 against both defendants after a multi-day bench trial. The judge made a number of findings of fact. See 13SL-CC03334. The court of appeals affirmed at 600 SW3d 273."
Fish tells me that her ex-husband was charged criminally but, after a five year court process was found not guilty and that not guilty verdict was used as leverage against her in lawsuits.
Fish also tells me that the judge who presided over his criminal trial, Judge Nancy Watkins McLoughlin, also presided over one of her civil trials.
Judge McLoughlin determined that Fish's ex-husband had been given authority based on a few emails and purported phone calls even though the Missouri statute is clear that it requires a formal power of attorney.
Find Fish's summary of the case below.
Nightmare in St Louis Count... by mikekvolpe
Fish's case has one more interesting tidbit, the appearance of Elaine Pudlowski, who was Fish's ex-husband's divorce attorney.Fish told me it was Pudlowski who initially told him to say that Patty somehow authorized him to make this loan.
Pudlowski comes up numerous times; she declined to comment when I reached her by email.
Pudlowski and 50/50
In this interview below, listen to one woman describe how her child made disclosures that her ex was molesting them. Pudlowski became the GAL in 2017. This woman said a previous GAL had already been threatened by another GAL that any more disclosures could lead to her losing custody. Full interview below.
"She hired a custody evaluator for the case. She gave this custody evaluator all the information on the parties. She picked and chose what she decided to hand to him. There was a CAC that was taking place with my child in a DSS investigation." This woman said. "She watched a video of my son disclose in full detail because he was a lot older at the time, about what was happening to him, and she turned around in the courtroom and stated her opinion rather than the professional who does this for a living."
The Lawsuit
Pudlowski is also a defendant in a recently filed lawsuit.
I received a fair amount of communication about this lawsuit; this included a press release from a group calling itself Daily Docket News which stated in part,
It has been a national scandal for decades in which family courts systematically failed to protect our minor children from physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse by predatory parents. What is equally scandalous is the silence on the coverage of this unimaginable issue. Daily Docket News is dedicated to shine light on the grave injustices taking place in the family court “Swamp”, in the State of Missouri.
Daily Docket News is investigating the allegations raised by Tolu vs. James D. Reid, Ph.D., Elaine Pudlowski, Esq. & Jennifer Webbe Van Luven, LCSW, et al., Case No. 20SL-CC04680 filed in the Saint Louis County Circuit Court. A scandal appears to be brewing in this case, where Tolu, a former child custody litigant, is suing the court appointed forensic evaluator, James D. Reid, Ph.D. with the firm of James D. Reid, Ph.D., LLC, the court appointed guardian ad litem, Elaine Pudlowski, Esq. with the law firm of Frankel, Rubin, Klein, Siegel, Payne & Pudlowski, P.C. and the court appointed therapist, Jennifer Webbe Van Luven, LCSW with West County Psychological Associates. It is alleged that all three are involved in a horrific scheme, “Kids for Cash”, that benefited a predatory parent and exploited vulnerable minor children.
The full lawsuit is below.
Tolu v. Reid et al by mikekvolpe
Pudlowski is accused of not following proper protocols, not completing her work, and other malfeasance.
As with other cases, abuse was allegedly covered up in this case.
I reached out to the attorney representing the plaintiff and he provided a statement. Part of it is below.
When we hear horrific stories of children being separated from their parents at the border, my heart bleeds. We commend people for trying to feed and find relatives and family members for the children in distress at our borders. We hear these stories every day. There is a lot of attention given to the social injustice surrounding the children separated from their parents.
These heart-breaking stories immediately take me to my personal story. My children were not taken away from me at the border. My children were taken away from me by the Saint Louis Family Court and with absolutely no factual basis. I do not drink and am not an alcoholic. I do not do drugs and am not a drug addict. I do not have a criminal record. I work seven days a week. I pay my taxes. I volunteer at church. I donate to the food pantry. I help elderly who are frail or who have no family members around to help them with daily necessities like translating their letters from Russian to English, writing letters for them in English, taking them to a doctor, calling a nurse for them, taking them to a grocery store, running to a pharmacy, or helping to fix their internet or telephone issues. I volunteer for two nonprofits.
Find the full statement below.
Tolu Personal Statement 10-... by mikekvolpe
I interviewed several other people, some of who also had Pudlowski, but they did not name her.
50/50
One other theme I heard was that St. Louis courts adhered to the 50/50 dogma. 50/50 or shared parenting argues that the best custody arrangement is for parents who split to share custody equally. With that, child support is often not required.
This dogma often ignores abuse. It was something I described in my 2015 article Making Divorce Pay.
All proponents of equal parenting always make a caveat for cases of abuse, but the climate created by other AFCC-supported theories makes proving abuse nearly impossible.
Take Charles Paclik’s divorce, which started in Illinois in 2006. After his ex-wife moved to California, the jurisdiction for the divorce moved with her. He didn’t see his two children for more than three years from 2007-2010 at the behest of the court, and four AFCC-trained social workers: Lucinda Beall, Laura Wittenberg, Stuart Lord, and Mary Jo Dierickx. Then his 14-year-old son from a previous marriage testified in court that his stepmother was physically abusing him and his two half-brothers. After that testimony, the court ruled Paclik and his ex-wife should have shared parenting. He lost primary contact with his children again after his wife’s move to an adjacent county in 2013 triggered another custody fight. Paclik’s custody continues to be litigated nine years after it began.
Below, listen to one St. Louis County woman describe how her ex-husband was convicted of a crime similar to child endangerment but then she was forced into a 50/50 arrangement.
I asked Ms. Bertelson about this tendency on settling on 50/50 and she replied, "I cannot comment on blanket assertions about the court."
Other Victims
I spoke with several other victims as well. Below is a two part interview with another St. Louis County woman who lost custody after bringing forward child molestation allegations.
Hazardous Drugs
In this story, a St. Louis County woman describes how she was possibly exposed to hazardous chemicals and this was covered up.
"My case was turned around based on a psychological evaluation that was done and everything was focused on mental health and all of the facts were completely dismissed. The psychological evaluation was fabricated, not based on the actual evaluation data, but based on my exes hearsay. I was then diagnosed with a mental disorder, which became the focus of the case."
She was diagnosed with delusional disorder, arguing that she was making up the allegations that she was exposed to hazardous chemicals.
Find the whole interview below.
More Child Molestation Disclosures Covered Up
In this interview, another St. Louis woman describes how she brought forward child molestation allegations only to have the courts cover them up.
A Man Speaks
I also spoke with a man who described how the court catered to his ex-wife and ignored how his child began to devolve after being forced to move schools.
Post Script
This is the second of four articles I'm doing in conjunction with a new organization entitled FIRST4. FIRST4 hopes to build software which would make activists aware whenever a child is taken by CPS anywhere in the US because the first four hours in the system are the most critical. The first article is here; the second article is here.
UPDATE
Please check out the article I did which followed up this one on St. Louis County courts: Elaine Pudlowski, their Kids for Cash scheme, and more players are mentioned.
Monday, November 2, 2020
New Book on AFCC: Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
A link to buy the book can be found here.
I wrote about the same group- AFCC- in 2015. That article is here.