Timothy Vale
WASHINGTON — They came in from different states. Lawmakers, doctors, lawyers, reporters, and the young people who had once been dragged through the courts that they now condemn. They met at the National Press Club.
The conference lasted four hours. The speakers said that family courts worked in secret, and that the secrecy had bred mistakes, abuses, and the kind of harm that expands when no one is watching.
Lawmakers from Arizona, Idaho, Oregon, and New Hampshire, medical experts, lawyers, investigative reporters, and the now-grown children who had once been the silent subjects of custody battles were there to speak and to witness.
By 1 p.m. on Nov. 11, speaker after speaker stepped to the microphone and described a family court system hidden behind closed doors — a system where judicial misconduct can survive, where oversight is thin, and where decisions affecting a child’s safety are made without accountability.
“For an institution meant to protect children, the family court system has become a profound source of harm,”
Dr. Bandy Lee laid out the risks — the medical toll, the public health costs, the damage from reunification camps, and uneven court rules.
Lee had taught at Yale. She said the courts needed the same things any honest legal system needs: the US Constitution and science that can stand on its own.
As the opening speaker, she mapped out the public-health consequences of high-conflict and lucrative-for-lawyers custody battles — the stress injuries, the psychological fallout, the coercive reunification programs that often resemble prisons forcing children to accept their abuser-parent.
Bruce Fein gave the keynote. He is a constitutional lawyer who has worked across the government. He said the closed doors of family court and the uneven rulings inside them were not just dangers to families, but to democracy itself.
Survivors and Avocates Describe Lasting Harm
There were young people there, too. Mia Ambrose, eighteen, stepped forward and told the audience she had been forced to spend six years living under a custody order that placed her with her father. She described the fear she felt, the sexual abuse she says she endured, and the isolation that followed: no lifelong friends, no extended family, no gymnastics, and no contact with her mother, her primary caregiver. She said she had tried to speak up. The court kept her where she was.
She told Child Protective Services, police, and medical experts what her father had done. The court kept her with him anyway. The room listened. It was quiet. You could feel the truth of it.
Her father, Christopher Ambrose, is no stranger to readers. His method is to silence critics.
He is suing Dr. Bandy Lee for publicly warning that he showed the clinical signs of a psychopath. He is suing blogger Tina Swithin for writing about the alleged abuse. He has sued the publisher of the Frank Report twice for reporting what his children and others said they witnessed.
Ambrose has denied the allegations.
Ambrose has also sued the children’s godmother for talking about his anger and the children’s despair. That case was dismissed. And he sued the children’s mother a dozen times, trying to have her imprisoned for talking to her own children. In short, exhibiting all the signs of a psychopath.
“When you’re a child in family court, you don’t get to speak,” Mia Ambrose said.
Now she is speaking.
It remains to be seen if Ambrose will try to sue her as well.
Another family court survivor, Ally Toyos, a student at New York University, said she had been sent to a reunification camp. She called it coercive. She said children needed safety and due process, not camps.
Speakers Issue a Message of Widespread Consensus
Other speakers followed: Dr. Joyanna Silberg, who has spent her life studying child trauma; Karen Winner, who has taken on abusive practices in family law; and Rory Doyle, who runs the Institute of Forensic Science and wants real medical standards brought into custody cases.
The message was the same: the courts work in secret, and there is little to stop mistakes or hold anyone accountable.
Rep. Rachel Keshel spoke about their joint committee on family court orders. Oregon’s Sen. Suzanne Weber spoke of reforms in her state. New Hampshire’s Rep. J.D. Bernardy talked about the need for justice for families. Veronica Baiz, a veteran and HealthTech executive, spoke of her fight for reform.
“People assume courts protect families,” Idaho Sen. Tammy Nichols said. “But the public has no idea what happens behind those closed doors.”
Organizers said they plan to release a summary report and legislative recommendations in early 2026.
“This is not an isolated problem,” Dr. Lee said. “It is a nationwide public-health concern that requires transparency, oversight and reform.”
When the panels ended, people drifted to the buffet. The talk grew somber and heavy. In every corner, someone asked the same thing: How could a court meant to protect families end up hurting them?
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This was reported today on Tina Swithin’s blog today:
It is with a very heavy heart that I share news that we have lost OMB mom, Tracy Hermes. 💔 I have been informed that she took her own life… but I would argue that the family court system took her life.
This was a public comment she made in August, in which she lodged allegations of post separation abuse and professional misconduct in South Carolina.
“I am a survivor (so far, but I fear not for much longer) of long-term coercive control, psychological abuse, digital identity theft, family court weaponization, and law enforcement betrayal in Horry County, South Carolina—one of the most corrupt counties in the nation, with nationally known misconduct cases like Mica (Miller) Francis and Scott Spivey.
After multiple failed attempts to safely separate, I finally left my abuser 18 months ago. That is when the extreme escalation began. Because I did not submit and agree to stay, a campaign of retaliation, erasure, and destruction was launched against me. My children and I have been subjected to unrelenting trauma—emotional, physical, neurological—ever since. My husband is (removed place of employment) and works closely with Horry County Police and Judicial staff.
What makes this even more horrifying is that law enforcement, court officers, and professionals have not simply been manipulated—they have been willing participants. They have dismissed evidence of heinous abuse, ignored expert warnings, threatened retaliation, and actively covered it up.
The most unbearable part is this: I cannot protect my daughter. I have submitted sworn affidavits, police complaints, medical documentation, and audio recordings. I’ve begged officials to listen. Instead, they erased me from her life while allowing the abuse to continue unchecked.
This is not PTSD from the past. This is complex compounding trauma happening in real time. I live in constant fear. I’ve reported everything to the DOJ, SLED, ADA offices, the Governor’s office, and others. I’ve been diagnosed with Complex PTSD, and my physical health is deteriorating—nerve damage, chest tightness, numbness, and constant pain. My nervous system is shutting down. I am breaking down because the trauma continues and no one will stop it.
I do NOT want to die. But I am dying from the effects of relentless, untreated trauma. I have not given up—my body is giving out. There is no recovery without safety. That is a clinical fact. Victims don’t give up; they die because the abuse is allowed to continue.
I am not the only one.
My situation isn’t isolated, Dozens of others here are just as silenced and desperate for someone to listen. Our children are being held hostage.
There are many others in Horry County— and throughout South Carolina — parents, survivors, even professionals—desperate to speak out about this corruption. But like me, they can’t find anyone willing to listen. Doors keep closing. We need someone to help break the silence.
We have already reached out to investigative outlets like FITSNews, WMBF, True Sunlight with Mandy Matney & Liz Farrell, and others. Their response was consistent: they will not report on “ongoing” corruption, no matter how well-documented, unless someone is already dead, indicted, or publicly outraged. I’ve been told, specifically in an email from an investigative reporter at FITS News that it would be “unethical” to report what they already know is happening during “ongoing cases”. That is not journalism—it’s complicity. How many people must die before it’s considered safe to tell the truth?
As highlighted in recent Wall Street Journal investigative coverage, the local law enforcement in Horry County has been implicated in protecting and colluding with perpetrators, selectively erasing or suppressing evidence, and dismissing pleas for accountability. My situation mirrors that pattern—officials have not only failed to help but actively participated in silencing me and permitting ongoing abuse.
I need someone to expose the truth about coercive control, institutional betrayal, and what is happening in Horry County—because it is happening elsewhere too. I want to tell my story not just to survive, but to protect my daughter, and to show how unchecked corruption destroys lives. Please help me be heard—before it’s too late.”..
In The Unknown special report: an interview with Congressional candidate Terri LaPoint, do Michael Volpe and Richard Luthmann know about certain facts openly shared in a May 2025 conversation with Kathy Hall and Terri La Point?
Where’s the data noting whistleblowers who have been tracked, punished and/or killed?
What did Rob Kane know?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Kane
Published May 27, 2025:
https://tsradionetwork.buzzsprout.com/2434918/episodes/17222418-corruption-and-murder-in-the-arkansas-judicial-and-cps
We will start reunification with all ESP members, worldwide, starting with our dear friend, Lauren Salzman.
I will gather Adrianna, Monkee, Bobi, Fluffie, Kemarr and Virgin Camilla, along with ALL THREE Salzman women and we will reform Executive Success Programs! We will have Mark Elliot, Suneal Chakravorrti and Eddie Spaghetti Insusullo impregnate our three daughters for super ESP avatar children.
A serious question for Hector,
Which modern state or federal office is good enough to collect data showing who designed which cults, projects (and world wars) over the past few hundred years to purposely destroy all families and all culture?
This post demonstrates how storytelling can bridge gaps between different perspectives
Civil conspiracy with immunity slapped on top. Fraud with frosting. Until the bar association changes it stance on the behavior of attorneys and the judicial branch and extended limited capacity employees are held to the standards we can’t fix the system .
In Fairfield county CT, so called family lawyers charge anywhere from $500 to $950 per hour for Gary Cohen. Why do they charge more than top doctors and scientists for their so called ‘work’? Most of these lawyers attended lower ranked law schools, meaning they had low LSAT scores and likely had to take the Bar more than once yet they charge more than top doctors, scientists, airline pilots,and AI programmers.
They are able to do so because in CT the judiciary committee of the state legislature is controlled by family attorneys and their relatives who block all reform efforts. The end result is corruption, the fleecing of family finances, psychological harm to parents and children, all for the benefit of idiot family attorneys who, in all honesty, were too dumb to get into law schools with actual admission standards.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Kane
We got serious problems in Connecticut
Still using and abusing special needs Mia, I see. Did Bandi Lee pay for Mia’s transportation and lodging? Nice chess move to try to win her defamation case.
Does Mia still believe that her dad allegedly “accidentally bumping into her boob one time” constitutes sexual abuse?
It’s become common place in the United States to turn a blind eye to sexual abuse of children. There is no cure for this type of behavior. The industry is well aware of it. Inappropriate sexual conduct like rape, minor attraction and incest have been around for years. I don’t think Chris would be going to lengths he is if Linda wasn’t encouraging it. Brushing up against boobs or sexual intentional encounter? Most fathers avoid contact after their daughters start developing. Those of us who have through the reunification therapy are aware of the piggish behavior the industry continues to normalize. I wonder if Chris was sexually violated himself. Hypersexual men exist. Despite the legal systems inability to deal with it or except it’s a problem.
According to reports, Chris is into young latino male youth.
Victim preference. In general most predictor have a ” type”. According to literature severely mentally ill preditors will victimize both genders. Does or has the state of Connecticut have someone qualified? It would appear Dr. Lee would be more qualified then the appointment given by the judicial branch. Connecticut appears to be determined to normalize sexually inappropriate behavior. The real question is does the state of Connecticut have someone qualified to make determination? The industry appointment are to disprove. Not prove. There is a growing concern that despite that mental health workers are afraid to come forward. As well as backing way off when chosen court appointments are placed . The department of child and family services seems to be struggling. As well as bonded to government projects. The growing concern with the government involvement in the hospital and the affiliation of funding streams. Partnerships are alliances. Even when abuses are proven in the state the court orders are given to perseverance relationship that outside the court house would be significantly advised against. Under reporting has been a consequence. We have yet to see anyone in the Alienation profession to come forward and raise a real case of abuse. Even the FBI was convinced in the Wilkinson case. Richard Blumenthal the acting attorney general appeared more concerned with protecting the state. William Tong is not any better. William Tong is ignoring the significant issues in the state of Connecticut. Stepping all over it for future political purposes. Both William Tong and Richard Blumenthal are deeply enbeded in the department of justice. Including the funding streams. The problem is not just with the judges and attorneys. That’s a distraction from the bigger national problems with family law. The financial resources surrounding it. Don’t know all the facts. Following along with my eye brow raised. With some knowledge of the working of the family court system.
He is indeed But Mia gave a heartfelt and inspirational presentation and received a standing ovation We were able to speak with Mia and her mother afterwards and it was encouraging for many of us to see them reunited after six painful years of separation The love and connection and love they share made so many of us hopeful Thank you Mia!
Why Chris the barber – fathers don’t bump boobs and tickle penis’s and you’ve done far more than that. Dcf’s training even gives an example of grooming and excuse making where they state that abusers will use the excuse of “tickling” private parts to avoid accountability for sexual abuse.
And you’re no father – that title is earned and you’ve failed miserably in every aspect of your life – fatherhood among them
Your punishment is looking at yourself in the mirror everyday -,NOT looking at the hair follicles you perv, but who you are It’s not pretty
What source are you quoting from?
Is that how Chris Ambrose defended his sexual acts and perversions?
Calling a child/teen, “special needs Mia” reveals your ignorance and hostility.
Where are you getting this information from? Who made any determination of being “special needs” ?