For many years Santa Clara County Family Court has enjoyed a successful collaborative relationship among the Bench, the Bar and the mental health community.  As a result of our jointly designed cutting-edge innovations, the Family Court has received numerous national awards for their alternative dispute resolution programs.  Some of these programs have resulted in the dramatic reduction of damage to children in even the worst high conflict cases and have sharply reduced the overload on the Court's resources.

Unfortunately, over the past two years, the mental health professionals and attorneys who represent children have fallen under increasingly unethical and malevolent attack.  Many of these professionals have been publicly humiliated and personally and professionally threatened.  Recently, the hysteria and degree of deliberate and purposeful threats has reached an intolerable and potentially dangerous level.  Upon reflection, perhaps should have been written sooner.

Materials continue to be disseminated that are threatening, malicious and patently false.

1.  A respected psychologist was removed from Family Court Services' panel of evaluators following the mailing of a letter containing false allegations of misconduct and copies and descriptions of documents which had been stolen from his locked office.  (See attachment A)

2.  A week later, a local attorney declared, under penalty of perjury, that a respected therapist/special master shoved her and verbally abused her in the courthouse.  (See attachment B)

3.  A respected local attorney was accused of allowing a child she represented to be continuously sexually molested.  (See attachment C)

4.  Numerous libelous, often threatening pamphlets have been publicly disseminated and mailed in a targeted manner.  (See Attachment D)

In light of the above, we are respectfully urging you and your committee to consider carefully the gravity of the situation.  We sincerely hope that the committee and the Court will take corrective action and stop these vicious and escalating attacks designed to threaten and discredit our colleagues and the collaborative system we've strived to create.

Signatures

James Towery
Bonnie Sorensen
Elizabeth Goodley
Elizabeth Mulford
Martha Parker
Robert H. Morgan
Nancie Yomtov
Lynne Yates-Carter
Barbara J. Brock
Lawrence J. Perrine
Susan Benett