Orange County Judge Admits Domestic Violence Laws Misused

In a recent Judicial Council publication, an Orange County judge inadvertently acknowledged that domestic violence laws are misued.

New Report from the Judicial Council of California

Domestic violence laws serve an important function, but here at the Family Court Accountability Coalition we are contacted regularly by self-represented family court litigants who have provided us with court records and other conclusive evidence that they have been falsely accused of domestic violence - almost always in cases where the opposing party is represented by an attorney.

FCAC has documented that to gain a tactical advantage in a divorce, many attorneys encourage their clients to make false spousal abuse accusations. An accusation of domestic violence can result in the reduction or elimination of temporary and post-judgment support obligations, one-sided child custody and visitation orders, and an inequitable division of community property.

Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye to Speak in Riverside for Law Day USA

Chief Justice To Discuss Importance of Judicial Branch

California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye will speak at a luncheon at the Riverside Mission Inn in Riverside on May 9. The occasion is “Law Day USA” a day of national dedication to the principles of the “rule of law” and our democratic form of government.  The event is sponsored by the Riverside and San Bernardino County Bar Associations and will be held at the Riverside Mission Inn in Riverside. 

In attendance will be more than 200 jurists and attorneys, according to the Judicial Council. The master of ceremonies will be retired U.S. District Court Judge Stephen G. Larson, and the Chief Justice will be introduced by Court of Appeal Presiding Judge Manual A. Ramirez. Indigent family court litigants without lawyers - who make up 75 percent of family court users - apparently are not invited to the affair. 

Mendocino County Announces Court Closures

Effective April 1, 2011 the Covelo and Point Arena Courts in Mendocino County  will hear criminal, traffic, infraction, limited civil and small claims cases every other month. 

The Covelo Court will hear cases on the fourth Friday of each odd numbered monty, while the Point Arena Court will hear cases only on the third Thursday of each odd numbered month.

The "calendaring changes" are necessary due to the Superior Court's current financial crises and a decline in hearings for the Covelo and Point Arena Courts, according to a county press release.    

Systemic Judicial Branch Medi-Cal Billing Fraud Alleged Throughout California

Rehab Racket: The Sequel

California's County Level Judicial Branch Medicaid Oligarchy

A Family Court Accountability Coalition Special Investigative Report

By Ron Pierce

The California Medical Assistance Program known as “Medi‑Cal” is the California Medicaid welfare program serving low‑income individuals, including families, seniors, persons with disabilities, children in foster care, pregnant women, and childless adults with incomes below 138% of federal poverty level.

Jointly administered by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), its many services are implemented at local level by California counties. Approximately 12.5 million Californians are enrolled in Medi‑Cal as of May 2015, about 32.4% of the state’s population.

One Party Self-Represented In More Than 75 Percent of Family Law Cases

Key Statistic Omitted from Elkins Task Force Final Report



Task Force Whitewashes Critical Statistic

In many California communities, more than 75 percent of family court cases have at least one self-represented party, according to the Elkins Task Force Final Report and Recommendations [pdf], released this month by the Judicial Council.

"Given the complexity of family law issues, why do people represent themselves? All too often they have no choice...What is at stake in the family court process are long lasting decisions that affect people's most fundamental and important aspects of their lives."

What the report conveniently doesn't mention, and apparently whitewashes is the number of family court cases in which one side has an attorney and the other doesn't. Based on our research and anecdotal evidence, that is the critical statistic.