In the News « Fathers & Families

Archive for the ‘In the News’ Category

Update: Kathleen Dorsett to Serve at Least 51 Years in Murder of Ex-Husband

Wednesday, May 15th, 2013 by Robert Franklin, Esq.

Kathleen, Thomas and Lesley Dorsett all pleaded guilty last week in connection with the murder of Kathleen Dorsett’s ex-husband, Stephen Moore. Read the latest here (Asbury Park Press, 5/10/3). Prosecutors recommended sentences of

• Fifty-eight years, with

… Read the rest

Richmond Virginia Child Welfare Agency in Chaos

Sunday, May 12th, 2013 by Robert Franklin, Esq.

A newly released audit of the Richmond, Virginia Department of Social Services (the city’s child welfare agency) reveals an astonishing pattern of incompetence and dysfunctional management/employee relations resulting in danger to children. Read about it here (Richmond Times Dispatch… Read the rest

Idaho Child Protective Services Take Children from Medical Pot Advocates

Saturday, May 11th, 2013 by Robert Franklin, Esq.

I’ve often pointed out that the behavior of Child Protective Services employees often resembles an exercise of state power for its own sake. It’s as if child welfare agencies want to make it clear that they can act any … Read the rest

Florida Governor Rick Scott Vetoes Alimony Reform/Equal Parenting Bill

Wednesday, May 8th, 2013 by Robert Franklin, Esq.

Chan Lowe

For the second time in a year, a governor has vetoed an equal parenting bill. Last year it was Governor Mark Dayton of Minnesota who vetoed a bill that was 13 years in the making and that had … Read the rest

Walter Sharpe Strikes Out; Wrongly Tagged with Child Support, Court Rules He Has No Recourse

Wednesday, May 8th, 2013 by Robert Franklin, Esq.

Here’s the law on child support in Pennsylvania as I understand it: the agency charged with establishing paternity can act negligently and even maliciously and pay no penalty for it; but if a father misses a court date, he … Read the rest

Catherine Kieu Becker Guilty of Aggravated Mayhem and Torture

Thursday, May 2nd, 2013 by Robert Franklin, Esq.

Almost unnoticed this past Tuesday, a jury in Santa Ana, California found Catherine Kieu Becker guilty of torture and aggravated mayhem in the sexual mutilation of her husband two years ago. Becker’s husband had recently filed for divorce but … Read the rest

What Happens When a Feminist’s Son is Accused of Rape

Wednesday, April 24th, 2013 by Robert Franklin, Esq.

There used to be a saying, a joke really, with a point to make. My memory of it isn’t perfect, but it went something like this: a conservative is a liberal who’s just been mugged; a liberal is a … Read the rest

Social Worker: British Children’s Services ‘Stalinist’

Monday, April 22nd, 2013 by Robert Franklin, Esq.

Not long ago I did a couple of pieces on a particularly silly and out-of-touch article in Salon.com by Mary Elizabeth Williams. In her article Williams cited with approval an MSNBC talking head, Melissa Harris-Perry, who had recently unburdened herself of … Read the rest

Wisconsin Governor Wants to Cut Interest Rate on Child Support Arrears

Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013 by Robert Franklin, Esq.

Some things just boggle the mind. Even after years of fighting the countless battles for common sense and fairness in family courts, years in which I often feel like I’ve seen it all – some things still simply amaze. Here’s… Read the rest

Report to Canadian Chief Justice on Family Court Reform: No Change in Custody, Parenting Time

Thursday, March 28th, 2013 by Robert Franklin, Esq.

Canada’s Globe and Mail has obtained an as-yet-unpublished copy of a report by a special committee to the country’s Chief Justice of the Supreme Court calling for a radical overhaul of the family law system. Read about it here… Read the rest