Guest View
Constitutional and Civil Rights activist Peter Szymonik had some comments on the jailing of a mother for not paying legal fees of her ex husband, which he argues is nothing short of debtor’s prison. See Mom Jailed for Not Paying Ex’s Lawyer in CT Family Court
By Peter Szymonik
Attorney’s Fees:
Our state’s broken and corrupt “family” courts routinely order that an “unfavored parent” pay the other parent’s attorney’s fees. This is often ordered after a parent is already financially drained of everything they have, leaving them unable to pay. But there is no legal basis for this.
Our country’s legal system is based on the “American Rule” in which both sides or solely responsible for their own legal fees. It is extremely rare for American courts to order the payment of the other side’s legal fees. This is often only awarded in cases where one party makes a claim that is clearly frivolous and/or designed to legally harass. It’s a very high bar and even our state’s Appellate Court has stated this repeatedly.
The sole statutory intent of the payment of attorney’s fees from one parent to another is to ensure both parents can engage adequate legal counsel – at the start of the divorce. The history of this is in the past, most cases involved stay-at-home mothers. The intent of paying the other parent’s attorney fees was solely ensure the mother could afford an attorney when she was otherwise not be able to do so.
In the case in question, both mother and father were clearly able to pay for their own attorneys. So there is no legal or any other basis for the award or payment of attorney’s fees of any kind. ($37,000!!)
Yet well connected divorce attorneys have (mis)used and manipulated claims for attorney’s fees to fleece already suffering parents and their families for millions and millions of dollars. They often file claims for attorney’s fees with nearly every motion they file – and use this to threaten and harass parents into not filing their own motions. Especially Pro Se parents. “Don’t file your motion or I will seek attorney’s fees.”
Debtor’s Prisons:
Debtor’s Prisons are unlawful and were abolished in this country in 1862. Yet they are alive and well in our broken and corrupt “family” courts. What ‘crime’ did the mother commit that would cause her to be incarcerated? At taxpayer expense. Who exactly was harmed by her nonpayment? Gary Cohen?
The father wasn’t complaining and didn’t want the mother jailed. He specifically asked Judge Tindill NOT to jail his former wife.
But because of nothing more than Judge Tindill’s ego being ruffled and Gary Cohen wanted to line his bank account – a mother is now sitting in jail for two weeks at taxpayer expense. She also lost her six-figure job.
A highly educated woman is now sitting in the general prison population after being strip and cavity searched.
With her kids wondering what happened to their mother and why their mother is in jail (the father didn’t want them.)
Despicable. And Intolerable.
The argument that she is not in jail for the debt but “for contempt” rings hollow when the one and only “harm” caused by the contempt is a multi-millionaire attorney not further enriching himself at a parent’s expense. What harm was caused to the father or children?
Regional Trial Family Docket:
The RFTD is supposed to be a court which resolves difficult cases in a creative manner which reduces stress and conflict. Instead, it has turned into one of the most abusive courts in our state and become home to some of the very worst and most sociopathic “family” court judges in our state.
Please leave a comment: Your opinion is important to us!
Jailing of CT Mom Sparks Debate on Family Court’s Use of Debtors’ Prisons: – Frank Report:
Shouldn’t this say “proof of sex discrimination against mothers, Connecticut has shown with a pattern that they’ll jail mothers not fathers for similar allegations”?
You have proof of a pattern that Connecticut is following where they will not even enforce child support orders upon fathers they are assisting fathers to hide their income they are assisting fathers to pretend to be disabled in the system when they’re not they are Assisting fathers in not supporting their children meanwhile when a wage is holding order or a support enforcement order is placed upon a mother and she doesn’t pay she’s jailed…..
Connecticut child support in forstmann tells mothers that they will not jail fathers this is specifically also in their CFI guidelines..
Proof of bias favoring fathers, discriminating against mothers, that’s what the story line should read.
The system is bias. There is absolutely favoritism and there are billions of dollars to explain why.
Not biased by gender. She just did the same thing to a father. This judge is a collection agency probably benefitting somehow. My friend sits in jail right now for not paying his ex’s lawyer fees while he couldn’t afford to pay for a lawyer. The fees he owes make this $37k look like pocket change
I have evidence that Connecticut child support enforcement is “erroneously applying the Family Violence Indicator” on entire court cases managed by child support enforcement, when they are flagged for domestic violence. This is a huge error and creates false information in both the federal case registry (FCR) and the state case registry (SCR), where it labels both parents as “perpetrators of domestic violence”.
The ACF, has provided extensive onsite trainings, along with written guidelines and policies for the state child support enforcement services to follow. This is a violation of domestic violence victims and survivors due process rights, a violation of multiple social security laws and guidelines, a violation of IRS laws and guidelines.
This also has assisted in the false evidence of women being equally violent as men.
Moms, if you have a child support enforcement case please contact your local office and ask if they have applied the family violence indicator upon the whole entire case (meaning both parties), or just upon yourselves and your children, if you are the victim of domestic violence.
This is NOT supposed to happen.
When the FVI is placed upon the violent parent it protects them as if they are a victim. It also implies that both parents are “equal in their abuse” against each other. In legal language that means that both are family violence perpetrators upon each h other, and therefore one does not owe the other to become equal in their circumstances, situations.
What I have uncovered is a loophole that abusive fathers utilize and get protection and assistance to commit fraud by child support enforcement. The enforcement does NOTHING to correct the harmful error. In fact what I have uncovered is a father, perfectly physically healthy, capable of employment, but incapable of coparenting because it’s not 100% his way. This father committed fraud by stating to be disabled to a family court Judge, that he’s incapable of working, doesn’t forsee any employment in his future, and the judge granted a zero child support obligation the last 11 years, because child support enforcement in court omitted the fact that they have a 18 year old wage withholding order upon the father and are applying all large payments to the state, not the child.
I am not afforded any review and adjust, no modifications, and no updates on employment status recorded by child support enforcement with the FVI on the abusive parent, so enforcing, protecting the fraud= oh it says in the database he’s unemployed lol.
Then how do you have a wage withholding order upon his employer’s?
Employer=Employment.
This is part of the Connecticut CFI, Connecticut fatherhood initiative.
Protect the dads, especially the abusive dads, anx harm the children with financial abuse; what happened to the best interest of the child?
I guess domestic violence and best interest standards only apply to fathers now, not children.
It’s VERY apparent in the actions and inactions of department of social services, OCCSEA, DOC, AG, DOL, etc.
The CFI program is bias, and it’s harming women abd children.
Since it’s implementation more children and women have been harmed or murdered.
It’s not working, only for the states best interests, which is protecting fathers, and making sure they are involved in the children’s lives; dangerous or not.
In fact you can go onto the ACF website here and see that there is no ability to even ask a question on how child support enforcement handles domestic violence. Nada, nothing.
You add the money that was intended for victims of violence, now redirected to assist these violent manipulative fathers to teach them the loopholes.
Perps don’t just know the loopholes, they’re taught them, by other abusive men/fathers and now taught by state agencies.
Anyone ever hear of such an egregious disgusting act to favor men?
Connecticut has multiple systems and they all work against each other, and that benefits no child.
There is absolutely a total bunch of bullshit going on in Connecticut. Parental alienation is also at the very heart of it. When the don’t allow evidence and call the safe parent an alienator. It is being used to alter statistics on who is more often the abuser. Perhaps this is why John Hammel has been brought to the Connecticut family court system market place? Child support filings often bring the alienation claims to the family court system. Blumenthal and Tong are a deeply entrenched in running the organizations that would investigate.
I’m a trans girl. Family court saved me. My dad did not want me to change and the judge gave custody to my mom
[…] Broken Courts: The Return of Debtor’s Prison in Family Law! […]
Peter is reasonable, measured, and articulate. Curious why people need to attack him void of specific evidence of any claim of wrong doing.
Peter has appointment himself a spoke person for family court in Connecticut. Many have tried to discuss with mitigating factors. He becomes hostile and ends conversation that are not from his view point or advantage. People have the right to access family court. People have the right to present best interest arguments. Emotional abuse and financial abuse are a thing. Couresive control has been a long time problem for people. The use of parental alienation in family court is a couresive control go to in family court here in Connecticut. It’s not criminalizing parenting. The controlling of finances in the family is different than controlling someone with the finances. Peter Syzmonick should have to answer for himself since he is chasing after the Connecticut state legislators. Anyone involved with promotion of ” parental alienation” can be criticized. Just as the people who don’t support it. Peter has not been helpful for 100s of women going to family court system with concerns. The police department and criminal courts are not handling domestic violence. Look at what happened to Julie Monique. Peter is well aware of criminal justice reform and the role it plays in dismissal of DV cases. As well as plea bargaing lesser charges. Promoting parental alienation expert who says 99 percent of domestic violence claims are false. Parental alienation expert who is bringing “experts” into the Connecticut arena who promotes women as abusers more often than men. Attempting to stop women speaking out. . It’s not just attorneys promoting conflict in some cases. People have the right to criticize him and question his motives.
50/50 legislation. Settle or die mentality running after legislators
Peter Szymonik runs after state legislators with statistics that are not broken down. Yet, expects the state to give him statistics that are broken down. He has climbed on the trail of blaming school shootings on single mother households. The last two school shootings the father’s bought guns that were not properly stored. The latest school shooting in Atlanta reports of allegations the mother had substance abuse issues and had been arrested for domestic incident. The father never attempted to go to court for custody.
Peter and his parental alienation theorist have contributed to the stigma of domestic violence victims beyond Connecticut. Increased the stigma surrounding single parent households. Including ones whose fathers are incarcerated.
It is unclear as to all of the problems in his original divorce. Experienced injustice and lost a significant amount of money trying to defend himself. Just like everyone else. It appears to have clouded his judgement. He has become hostel especially towards anyone who doesn’t support 50/50 legislation. Continues to try silence anyone that doesn’t support parental alienation. Has created fear of retaliation for people speaking out, supporting legislation he is opposed to. Continues to dominate discussion with state legislators and attempts to discredit anyone else that doesn’t go along with his agenda. This is not reform; this is an attempt to dominate the family court system.
Whatever media coverage has been given in and out of Connecticut in regard to family court has been attempted to be controlled by the “reform group”. The people he and his group have tried to silence are women and women discussing domestic violence. Liars and malicious alienators, because they don’t support 50/50 custody in all cases.
Peter may want to take a step back allow people the right to freedom of speech. Stop trying to use dominance and use fear to fix the family court system. At risked being plastered all over the internet, because Peter is not getting what he wants. Encouraging others to harass individuals, instead of focusing on the actions and conduct of the family law industry. His organization has openly promoted and recommended AFCC members.
I’m sure Peter will do what he does best and pay for an all-out assault and attack on the frank report, just because I exercise my freedom of speech. Don’t support the things he wants me to. I’m sure he will paint me as some sort of toxic feminist for supporting women suffering in the court system. Despite men’s rights group being able to support men in their movement, who are also suffering through the court system. I guess he feels women are not allowed to do the same. Last time I checked, I was allowed to identify as a woman and be able to identify with other women.
Everyone wants something done about family court it’s not serving the public efficiently or with transparency. Unfortunately, Peter Szymonik has become part of the problem. Freedom of speech is not just for Peter Szymonik.
The judge used a child support enforcement order to jail the mother. The mother is the sole provider for her kids! This money she is being jailed for was for the support of Gary Cohen!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14CBB0k8SNvAPBW2o4dUwxWF6obvam7Am/view?usp=drivesdk
Judge Tindill gave my kids father school year parenting because I have a regular 40 hr per week job. At no point was he asked to prove he cannot work. Judge Tindill is quoted as stating a change in custody is not in the children’s best interest nor was there a significant change to even warrant a modification. She allowed his girlfriend at the attorney table and she assisted his defense because “he’s a mess”. She then congratulated the girlfriend on a fantastic job. This was a trial to remove 50/50 custody.
This is direct result from the effects of equal and shared parenting and the alienaton crew. Coaching for step mothers. “Father’s and Families” the sexiest and gender bias court system in Connecticut attached to federal funding. Third party litigators.
She’s a sick woman
Yes, the alienation lady is. She seems to have a deep seeded hatred for women. I wonder if it was from the influence of Richard Gardner?
If what you are saying is true. You were punished for working and had custody time taken away? Welfare reform punished for working. Connecticut has to stop encouraging third party involvement in custody dispute. # Michelle Traconis. When you decide to have children it’s between the two parties. The addition of another advoseral party should not be allowed in custody dispute.
[…] Broken Courts: The Return of Debtor’s Prison in Family Law! […]
What else are you going to do when you have to deal with cavity searches and similar experiences?
For a Judge to overrule 2 consenting parties is abuse
The Judge needs to be reported to the Judicial ethics committee
Glen,
Well over 99.999% of complaints in the judicial ethics committee get dismissed.
This is not just monitized cases . The entire family cou judicial branch is a mess. If anyone here believe Peter Syzmonick gives two shits about families, children think again. This is a media campaign for himself. Peter has been running around the state of Connecticut for years. Peter has taken the opportunity to to place himself in the spot light again. Just like he always does. Peter is no better than the shitty attorneys running around the state of Connecticut.
Do you have evidence to prove that — or, did you simply decide to type and send random insults?
@8:18pm I agree. When did Peter become a civil rights activist????
Doesn’t frank mean a father’s rights activist?
Peter is a civil rights advocate and has helped countless mothers as well as fathers to advocate for themselves based on constitutional principles and ct statutes.
The corruption of family court is not based solely on gender- it’s all about money and connections. That’s it.
Watch the divorce corp. Racketeering of family courts via gals is well known to those in the industry. The public needs to be warned.
The targeted parent is brutalized as the vultures align against the innocent party. By the time the parent sees the corruption their kids and any financial stability has been stolen.
These are serious crimes hidden behind a playbook of “high conflict divorce” and parental alienation
Please go onto utube and look at Peter Syzmonick father’s rights advocate defends the murder of Jennifer Dulos. Please listen to the entire recording. The defense of fatherhood funding. The devaluation of domestic violence victims in Connecticut. Obviously, Peter never heard the Nancy Grace show and the nanny who lived daily and watched it. It’s an eye opener. It’s part of why many believe the continued coverage of Antar is in revenge for the putting it on the Internet. Antar is no saint and probably not well. How much of the coverage is adding to her mental instability. Look how many times has equal and shared parenting gone after Ann Marie DiRubba. A woman who reposted domestic violence and 6 children. Accused of parental alienation. 3 of the children were adults. The alienation expert tried to stop women from contacting the inside investigator through email she answered for John Hammel. John Hammel from the alienation industry is trying to get women declared more dangerous than men to children. There is so much more to Peter Syzmonick then ” family court reform”. Is Peter really a friend of women in Connecticut family court? Does Connecticut post funding they are not collecting? Something does not add up. Peter doesn’t seem to like women who do their research. He doesn’t like women who don’t support 50/50. Blames it on Connecticut protective mothers. Thinks domestic violence victims hate men and don’t believe they can be good parents. Please listen for yourself. He is a parental alienation industry pusher. The entire family court system needs fixing.
Plenty of women file false DV allegations to gain a litigation advantage. The burden of proof in a civil TRO is virtually nothing compared to the burden of proof for a criminal one.
The family courts should not be deciding constitutional deprivations associated with TROs.
The money Connecticut is making on child support is a drop in the bucket. Over 113 million dollars in arrearage in the US. Restraining order are a joke. Ok over 200 text message. ” We need more proof” axed to death in front of children. Syzmonick and the alienation crew is using constitutional rights over best interest standards. According to the parental alienation crew,short of murder everyone is fit. Anyone daring to go to the court house and say otherwise is a liar and malicious alienator. 99 percent of domestic violence is false reporting. Women are more dangerous than men. Center for policy management paying for self reported studies. Gender profiling of women in high conflict cases. ” There was nothing wrong in that marriage until the family court attorneys got involved” . He was a cheater, took money from her parents. Jennifer had to move out of the house. Fotis moved Michelle Traconis right in. Engaged her in the custody battle. The battle for assets like the house. Bogus custody evaluation. Two people are dead and others in jail. Cause Fotis wanted to keep money and assets that didn’t belong to him. Moved Michelle into the family mess. She got pissed because she present herself to the children as the better mother. Alienation industry mommy replacement program. The second wives club. Do your homework. Settle or die mentality in Connecticut.
Not true go on utube and listen to the conversation between Antar and Peter Syzmonick. Syzmonick becomes enraged when confronted with fatherhood funding to the state of Connecticut. Antar suit was based on the HHS funding fueling family law. The fathers rights advocate as she calls him appears to fight to hide it. Antar article were sponsored by someone. Some believe they are sponsored by equal and shared parenting. The article are riddled with comments with false information. Her home was not in deplorable, condemnable condition. Her discrimination was gender based on the MOU and the financial insensitive to the state of Connecticut to promote fatherhood over motherhood. Syzmonick doesn’t appear to believe domestic violence exists. Doesn’t understand or care to understand battered womans syndrome. 18,000 members is worldwide. 400 is a Connecticut numbers. His insists in not breaking down statistics for custody and domestic violence won’t support the objective of the mens/father’s rights groups. Parents poisoning their children exist and so does domestic violence. The poisoning of children’s minds happens significantly less often than domestic violence. The statistics broken down support that. He doesn’t acknowledge the fact that incarceration of father’s much more often effects the number of single motther households. Peter refuses to acknowledge the facts. Fotis Dolus was not a victim. He’s a man who committed suicide rather than face a jury. Which was more than what Jennifer Dulos was ever going to be given in a family court. Bogus custody evaluation/ junk science parental alienation. Peter Syzmonick doesn’t appear to have any interest in fixing family court, but keep fatherhood funding and parental alienation in play. # clean up the state of the # abolish the memorandum of understanding for fatherhood. # financial insensitive to favor fathers and ignore domestic violence.
I think what she meant was because Margaret Sullivan wasn’t rich no article was written.
The ERA was never archived. Women are not protected by the Constitution! It’s a mens/father’s rights objective to use constitutional rights as well as parental alienation. Every time women are taught to use constitutional rights and parental alienation you are further pushing mens/father’s rights objective. If your children have been poisoned against you present the information to the family court. The use of the non recognized hypothesis parental alienation is couresive control in several family court custody battles. The use of parental alienation in Connecticut family court and court houses through out the United States is nothing more than a defense and an excuse to get appointments for financial lucrative services . Used as a means just like false alligations of domestic violence to financially ambush someone. There is effort put in to finding out if it’s estrangement for a probible cause. Many children have anxiety and depression for the abuse they have witnessed and endured. It is used against them. Used as an excuse for gaidium ad lithiums and court appointed psychologist to continue their financial gains in a high conflict cases. The state is making millions of dollars for the department of human services and passing the money around. Including non profit organization. These gender wars are fueling the fire. Protecting of federal funding for the fatherhood initiative/ welfare reform act is a big problem. It’s not just a man behind a desk. It’s several branches in hospitals, schools, the department of labor, domestic violence and the Universities. Including Yale. These studies are self reported. Heavily funded while the men’s rights groups run after gender bias tasks forces and studies demonstrating reporting domestic violence is punished in family court.
Chief counsel for the department of justice. The United States attorney generals. William Tong the vice president of the association. 2020. Start over. Congress has the constitutional authority to impose deadlines, because 3/4 of the state legislators did not ratify before the deadline that congress imposed. So, we can thank our congress people and our state legislators. Giving themselves raises, securing benefits and retirement through federal funding and cost savings in the criminal justice system. Failed to archive the ERA. # The mou for fatherhood a statewide collaborative. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Mawhinney is not behind bars to cover up family court lawyers. He’s is behind bars for his role in the Dulos murder. His former wife reported rape and concerns about her own life being in danger. Unsubstantiated/not credible. She is lucky to be alive. Some of us recognize gaslighting and narrastic rage when someone is being called out. Luthmann/Frank Antar is just as damaged as Paul Boyne by the state of Connecticut. The cast of characters that say they want to “fix it”.
1003 18 USC 666. 500 million to university. The use of federal grant money to gain leverage in family law and criminal courts? Cost savings for raises, benefits and retirement? Gender bias legislation and funding.
I think a lot of people are missing the point of six-figure income of not being enough income for lawyers to do anything.
You probably have to make seven-figures for any lawyer to not throw you under the bus in today’s world or to do the bare minimum.
And doesn’t take very long for $37,000 in fees to rake up if those attorneys are charging $500 to $600 per hour.
Gary Cohen normally charges $850 and up per hour.
American is a capitalist country based on the free market. Attorneys can charge what they want and the market will bear that fee for the services they offer or they won’t.
If you don’t like America and our system of free enterprise, move to North Korea.
Stop bitching about people who are more financially and professionally successful than you.
America has a free enterprise system? What have you been smoking?
$850 an hour and up for what, exactly?
How does taking $850 and up an hour from children help Connecticut families?
$850 for child trafficking.
Child sex trafficking is legal in Connecticut.
Poor Pilgrim is triggered.
🤡
If you read some of the filings in the Naidoo case, Gary Cohen now actually charges $950 per hour. However, his associate, Vicki Law (yes that’s her actual last name) charges $425 an hour. A real bargain!
$900,000 a year has been a lot of money for the past 40 years for some of those scoundrels who show no remorse while destroying hundreds and thousands of children and families for profit.
What’s messed up is any private attorney who doesn’t represent you doesn’t give a hoot about your side ….. but they accuse you of being frivolous and that you’re harassing them …. when in fact that you have a legitimate claims.
In fact…. they might accuse you of being frivolous and that you’re harassing them… when in fact they are making those claims against you to cover up and conceal their own crimes, lies, and or professional negligence.
What would Calvin Cooladge do or say if he was still alive today?
Naidoo has waaaaay more than $30K in cash available to pay her debts. She has more than that in available credit on her cards as well.
Anyone who believes that this corporate attorney’s poverty/cash flow sob story is a moron.
I believe her completely. She is getting divorced in Connecticut.
Exactly.
Don’t hire these pieces of shit. You may think you want to hire these people when you are getting divorced. Most attorneys would eat their own young. They will turn on you in a heartbeat. Put these people out of business. Stop hiring them. They will take all of your money. DON’T DO IT. No judge will protect you. ABSOLUTELY none of them!
Well the good news is that over 85% of all divorce cases in CT now have at least 1 pro she party. So, hopefully these low feeding bastards will one day be put out of business
1. Insults don’t prove points.
2. How do you know so much about her personal life and finances?
3. How do your comments support jailing her to undermine her family’s wishes and best interests?
How does your post reduce the number of Naidoo’s cavity searches?
RFTD’s “creative way” of resolving family issues is illegally kidnapping children against their best interest and cutting off all contact with the targeted parent.
These parents have no criminal history and no history of child neglect or abuse. Dcf is not involved in these barbaric decisions for family court judges.
This has been going on for decades and family courts collect more money than any other court in CT.
How is one able to contact Peter? I want to tell him about another corrupt family case in Stamford.
Gary Cohen is known to drive very expensive and exotic luxury vehicles to Stamford court. He needs the money so he can maintain his vehicles in order for him to get to Court and fight for his clients rights and the best interests of their children!
Six figure mama is cuckoo For not taking the money out of her 401(k).
I thought she had full custody? How does that make her the non-favored parent?
This Story sounds like a pack of lies. I bet there’s big pieces missing from this story.
The mother could’ve taken money out of her retirement. Sounds like she decided to show her narc card, Thinking the law doesn’t apply to her, Deciding to be willingly noncompliant and playing victim when she faces consequences for her actions.
She made her bed, now she needs to lie in it.
Such mean comments. Have you ever met her?
The docket shows the father filed a motion to vacate following Tindalls order of incarceration and sanctions of $15,000.
No the father filed to vacate an order requiring him to pay the mother for the expenses he caused in delaying the transfer of an asset to her