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Success - 2nd Judge Rules in Favor of Solomon Metalwala, Clears Way for Reunion with Daughter Maile!
Fathers and Families launched our Campaign to Reunite Solomon Metalwala with His Daughter Maile two weeks ago. Our goal has been to push Washington Department of Social and Health Services and King County Superior Court to reunite Maile and Solomon as soon as possible. Many of our members and supporters wrote and/or called the relevant authorities, our campaign has been covered by much of the Seattle media, and DSHS issued a statement in response to our campaign.
Last week, in part because Washington Department of Social and Health Services is now supportive of Solomon's custody bid, Solomon won custody of Maile. Better yet, now, in a second, separate hearing, a judge lifted the protection order against Solomon Metalwala, clearing the way for him to regain custody of Maile.
We thank all of the Fathers and Families members and supporters who wrote and called DSHS and the relevant court officials. We'll never know to what degree your actions and the widespread media coverage our protest garnered impacted the authorities. What we do know is that, within a week of your calls and letters to DSHS and the King County court, both agreed that Solomon should have custody of Maile.
We will continue to monitor the situation and keep our members informed of new developments.
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New F & F Column in OC Register: Rein in Child Support Services
Fathers and Families Board Chairman Ned Holstein, MD, MS, and Executive Director Glenn Sacks have co-authored Rein in Orange County Department of Child Support Services (12/10/11) for the Orange County Register, a 300,000 circulation newspaper in the greater Los Angeles area. To comment on the piece, click here.
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| Angels' third baseman Alberto Callaspo was unjustly targeted by OC DCSS |
The piece discusses two recent abuses committed by Orange County Department of Child Support Services and lays out the case for Senator Rod Wright's (D-Los Angeles) SB 375, a paternity fraud bill Fathers and Families is working to pass. We wrote:
The paternity case involving Angels' third baseman Alberto Callaspo is the second instance in the past month where Orange County Department of Child Support Services unjustly intervened in a paternity case. Fortunately, a bill currently before the California Senate Judiciary Committee will curb these types of abuses.
In the Callaspo case, the ballplayer was skeptical of ex-girlfriend Mariangely Santana Perez's claims that her son Ian was his. Nevertheless, he paid her $4,000 a month and paid for the hearing-impaired boy's hearing aids.
Enter OC DCSS. Perez previously told the Orange County Register she was satisfied with the amount she had agreed to with Callaspo, but had contacted OC DCSS because she sought a written agreement and to ensure Callaspo made the payments each month.
The federal government reimburses states for every dollar they collect in child support. However, there is no reimbursement when the father pays the money directly to the mother, as Callaspo did.
OC DCSS, eyeing a potential windfall award going through their office to Perez, intervened, seeking to almost triple Callapso's monthly obligation. Faced with paying nearly $2 million over the life of the child support order, Callaspo contested paternity, and DNA tests showed that the boy is not his.
Callaspo's escape was narrow. Many men receiving such petitions fail to respond in time because they don't understand the legalese, don't have legal representation, or do not receive the petition at their current address. In such cases, default judgments can be entered against them. Moreover, had Callaspo been married to Perez, or had he signed a paternity declaration at the hospital based on the mother's false representations, the time period for him to have challenged paternity would have already run out.
OC DCSS' actions in the recent Pedro Soto paternity fraud case are particularly egregious.
Read more here.
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Give to Fathers and Families
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It is often said that 80% of success is showing up. For four decades our political opponents have employed full-time staff inside state capitols to pass legislation and mold the family court system their way. By contrast, our side has been absent or manned by part-time volunteers.
Given this huge imbalance of forces, it's not surprising that our side lost, just as any political or business entity without legislative representation inevitably loses. These losses are losses for our children.
Fathers and Families is changing this by engaging in the political process on a professional level. Our successes clearly demonstrate that our model works. However, professionals and professionalism cost money, and we depend on YOU to fund us---please visit www.fathersandfamilies.org/give to make your contribution today!
Your contribution is tax-deductible, and can be made via the Internet, check or PayPal at www.fathersandfamilies.org/give--please give generously.
Together with you in the love of our children,
Glenn Sacks, MA
Executive Director
Ned Holstein, M.D., M.S.
Founder and Chair of the Board
P.S. If money is tight now, please consider making a small monthly gift.
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