Dr. Lee, thank you for stating the truth so clearly and unapologetically. Your article is one of the most well-written I've read in a long time. The corruption in family courts has gone on for decades. Survivors have spoken out. Articles have been written. Court houses have been picketed. Laws have been passed. Yet nothing has made a dent. Yes, the system needs to be dismantled. How?
I, too, was naïve when I filed for divorce. I believed the judge would protect my seven children. Instead, I entered a 16-year nightmare. As a homemaker and homeschooling mother, I was labeled “dangerous” for baking our own bread and feeding my children organic food. Meanwhile, their father—an abuser and pedophile—was granted custody.
Two court-appointed psychologists submitted reports filled with lies and distortions. My son was forced into an unnecessary surgery, seemingly to spite me for being a naturopathic doctor. My part-time practice was destroyed four times. And when my teenage children ran away—twice—to escape their abuser, the court came after me, arresting me and my oldest daughter.
At age 23, she was arrested and jailed for three days. She had to pay her father’s attorney fees to be released. I was charged with kidnapping, sentenced to six months in jail (maximum security), and placed on five years’ probation. That felony charge still haunts me today. Ironically, the judge who oversaw our case was later arrested for domestic violence and imprisoned for real estate fraud. But his legacy of destruction lives on in our lives.
My children still carry the scars. I know what “broken heart syndrome” feels like. I worked alongside the late Dr. Karin Huffer, author of the book "Legal Abuse Syndrome" and "Unlocking Justice". We ran a support group for survivors and I became an ADAAA advocate to stand beside others in court. But eventually, I gave up. There’s no justice in a system that profits from prolonged litigation and punishes those who protect children.
My last client spent a year in jail for speaking out about the sexual abuse her daughters were enduring. She lost her parental rights while hospitalized—recovering from the trauma of a courtroom experience that felt more like the Inquisition than justice.
You are right, Dr. Lee: this is a national emergency. And it is time we stop trying to “reform” a system designed to destroy families.
Presently, I am working on removing the felony charge from my record, as it is still impacting my life.
Let me know if there is anything I can do to be of assistance.
I cannot say “unbelievable” because every one of us who has been through family court has witnessed legal abuse with our own eyes and experienced it firsthand - we all know better than to not believe - I believe you. Legal abuse is real - I'm at a loss for words at what you’ve endured.
So glad I came across your comment. I’ve just subscribed to your Substack - your strength and endurance are truly an inspiration.
Thank you for your kind words, Nonya. I've stayed away from the family court drama for a few years. Reading Dr. Lee's article stirred something in me. Lay people who have not gone through the madness tend to say, "Parents should get along for the good of their children." They don't realize it's not possible when an abuser is present. As for people who have gone through it, they often join either a Fathers Movement or a Mothers Movement, fighting each other, which is not a solution. Others become activists, picketing, changing laws, writing letters to legislators, etc. In my case, I've seen this done for the past 27 years, with NO success. The bad judges and court actors are still there. Dr. Lee's suggestion to abolish family courts resonates with me. Sorry you had to go through the wringer, yet you are now more knowledgeable and wise. Nice meeting you and thank you for joining my newsletter.
Dr. Duperret, I am in the same camp as you and Dr. Lee.
Abolishing Family Court is, in fact, the right solution. I have gone through all the mental gymnastics I could, trying to come up with better alternatives, but after seeing the patterns and the full picture from every angle, I have reached the same conclusion: Family Courts must be abolished. They are beyond reform and completely redundant. Everything they currently handle can be resolved either through private mediation (in no-conflict divorces) or through civil courts (in contested ones), where due process and jury trials are, at least, still accessible.
I believe much of peoples' ignorance regarding Family Court stems from their lack of understanding of personality disorders. If we look closely enough, we are likely to find a narcissist behind almost every divorce. They may not all be full-blown psychopaths, but that does not mean their abuse is not significant. People who say, “Why can’t these parents just get along for the kids?”, as you mentioned, are clueless and deeply callous. They have never dealt with Cluster B personality disorders in close relationships, definitely not within their marriage, and so they have no idea what is really happening (unless they go through such abuse themselves), and because of their collective ignorance, they actually end up enabling the very abuse mothers and children need protection from.
For me, the most egregious crime, however, is not even the violation of 'parental rights' (around which most family law discussions today are framed), but rather the complete absence of Children's rights.
Children in Family Court do NOT have any rights whatsoever. Period. The so-called “best interest of the child” is the biggest lie told in Family Court. It is just a smokescreen that allows these judges to do whatever it is they want because children's rights simply do not exist in the written law.
To this day, there is no codified, enforceable law in the U.S. that recognizes children as anything more than appendages of their parents - and, more often than not, they are also treated as the sole property of the father (even when that is not said out loud). They have no voice. No legal standing. No guaranteed protections. And because of this absence of codified law guaranteeing the rights of children, Family Court judges can hide behind judicial discretion and judicial immunity and get away with what would be considered criminal in any other setting.
It is THIS combination - a lack of legal protections for children and a lack of judicial accountability - that makes Family Courts not only a complete farce but a dangerous one, and that is why they MUST be abolished.
I appreciate your thoughtful insights, Dr Duperret, and I will see you on your side of Substack as well.
Thank you Dr. Lee, for bravely describing the unconscionable, willful actions and draconian orders which torture our children and loving parents.
Your fearlessness and voice give hope to all of us.
Thanks as well to the journalists who cover the family court crisis - which has been a silent epidemic allowed to flourish for decades. Forever grateful and believe change is coming.
Dr. Lee, I’m a former nurse anesthetist and a long-time victim of judicial abuse in Michigan family court (1995–2009). My case began with a non-consented or signed settlement agreement and two amendments that was entered as court judgments —legally VOID from day one.
A void judgment has no legal foundation. It cannot be enforced, or appealed, legally it never should have existed. Yet I was trapped in a system that ignored due process and violated my rights.
Learn more about my story and the broader issue of judicial misconduct: 🌐 www.judicialcriminal.com
Dr. Lee, thank you for stating the truth so clearly and unapologetically. Your article is one of the most well-written I've read in a long time. The corruption in family courts has gone on for decades. Survivors have spoken out. Articles have been written. Court houses have been picketed. Laws have been passed. Yet nothing has made a dent. Yes, the system needs to be dismantled. How?
I, too, was naïve when I filed for divorce. I believed the judge would protect my seven children. Instead, I entered a 16-year nightmare. As a homemaker and homeschooling mother, I was labeled “dangerous” for baking our own bread and feeding my children organic food. Meanwhile, their father—an abuser and pedophile—was granted custody.
Two court-appointed psychologists submitted reports filled with lies and distortions. My son was forced into an unnecessary surgery, seemingly to spite me for being a naturopathic doctor. My part-time practice was destroyed four times. And when my teenage children ran away—twice—to escape their abuser, the court came after me, arresting me and my oldest daughter.
At age 23, she was arrested and jailed for three days. She had to pay her father’s attorney fees to be released. I was charged with kidnapping, sentenced to six months in jail (maximum security), and placed on five years’ probation. That felony charge still haunts me today. Ironically, the judge who oversaw our case was later arrested for domestic violence and imprisoned for real estate fraud. But his legacy of destruction lives on in our lives.
My children still carry the scars. I know what “broken heart syndrome” feels like. I worked alongside the late Dr. Karin Huffer, author of the book "Legal Abuse Syndrome" and "Unlocking Justice". We ran a support group for survivors and I became an ADAAA advocate to stand beside others in court. But eventually, I gave up. There’s no justice in a system that profits from prolonged litigation and punishes those who protect children.
My last client spent a year in jail for speaking out about the sexual abuse her daughters were enduring. She lost her parental rights while hospitalized—recovering from the trauma of a courtroom experience that felt more like the Inquisition than justice.
You are right, Dr. Lee: this is a national emergency. And it is time we stop trying to “reform” a system designed to destroy families.
Presently, I am working on removing the felony charge from my record, as it is still impacting my life.
Let me know if there is anything I can do to be of assistance.
Dr. Danielle J. Duperret, ND/PhD - https://5keystowholeness.com/phoenixpower
families.
Dr. Duperret - Wow. Just wow.
I cannot say “unbelievable” because every one of us who has been through family court has witnessed legal abuse with our own eyes and experienced it firsthand - we all know better than to not believe - I believe you. Legal abuse is real - I'm at a loss for words at what you’ve endured.
So glad I came across your comment. I’ve just subscribed to your Substack - your strength and endurance are truly an inspiration.
God bless.
Thank you for your kind words, Nonya. I've stayed away from the family court drama for a few years. Reading Dr. Lee's article stirred something in me. Lay people who have not gone through the madness tend to say, "Parents should get along for the good of their children." They don't realize it's not possible when an abuser is present. As for people who have gone through it, they often join either a Fathers Movement or a Mothers Movement, fighting each other, which is not a solution. Others become activists, picketing, changing laws, writing letters to legislators, etc. In my case, I've seen this done for the past 27 years, with NO success. The bad judges and court actors are still there. Dr. Lee's suggestion to abolish family courts resonates with me. Sorry you had to go through the wringer, yet you are now more knowledgeable and wise. Nice meeting you and thank you for joining my newsletter.
Dr. Duperret, I am in the same camp as you and Dr. Lee.
Abolishing Family Court is, in fact, the right solution. I have gone through all the mental gymnastics I could, trying to come up with better alternatives, but after seeing the patterns and the full picture from every angle, I have reached the same conclusion: Family Courts must be abolished. They are beyond reform and completely redundant. Everything they currently handle can be resolved either through private mediation (in no-conflict divorces) or through civil courts (in contested ones), where due process and jury trials are, at least, still accessible.
I believe much of peoples' ignorance regarding Family Court stems from their lack of understanding of personality disorders. If we look closely enough, we are likely to find a narcissist behind almost every divorce. They may not all be full-blown psychopaths, but that does not mean their abuse is not significant. People who say, “Why can’t these parents just get along for the kids?”, as you mentioned, are clueless and deeply callous. They have never dealt with Cluster B personality disorders in close relationships, definitely not within their marriage, and so they have no idea what is really happening (unless they go through such abuse themselves), and because of their collective ignorance, they actually end up enabling the very abuse mothers and children need protection from.
For me, the most egregious crime, however, is not even the violation of 'parental rights' (around which most family law discussions today are framed), but rather the complete absence of Children's rights.
Children in Family Court do NOT have any rights whatsoever. Period. The so-called “best interest of the child” is the biggest lie told in Family Court. It is just a smokescreen that allows these judges to do whatever it is they want because children's rights simply do not exist in the written law.
To this day, there is no codified, enforceable law in the U.S. that recognizes children as anything more than appendages of their parents - and, more often than not, they are also treated as the sole property of the father (even when that is not said out loud). They have no voice. No legal standing. No guaranteed protections. And because of this absence of codified law guaranteeing the rights of children, Family Court judges can hide behind judicial discretion and judicial immunity and get away with what would be considered criminal in any other setting.
It is THIS combination - a lack of legal protections for children and a lack of judicial accountability - that makes Family Courts not only a complete farce but a dangerous one, and that is why they MUST be abolished.
I appreciate your thoughtful insights, Dr Duperret, and I will see you on your side of Substack as well.
Thank you Dr. Lee, for bravely describing the unconscionable, willful actions and draconian orders which torture our children and loving parents.
Your fearlessness and voice give hope to all of us.
Thanks as well to the journalists who cover the family court crisis - which has been a silent epidemic allowed to flourish for decades. Forever grateful and believe change is coming.
I watched your testimony, Dr. Lee. It was very moving. I sincerely pray something meaningful comes out of this and leads to real change.
Dr. Lee, I’m a former nurse anesthetist and a long-time victim of judicial abuse in Michigan family court (1995–2009). My case began with a non-consented or signed settlement agreement and two amendments that was entered as court judgments —legally VOID from day one.
A void judgment has no legal foundation. It cannot be enforced, or appealed, legally it never should have existed. Yet I was trapped in a system that ignored due process and violated my rights.
Learn more about my story and the broader issue of judicial misconduct: 🌐 www.judicialcriminal.com