CPS Ordered to Pay Family $127,000 for Wrongfully Taking Children and Lying to Court

in #familyprotection6 years ago (edited)

A huge win has been struck for family justice, contrary to the almost universal injustice imposed on families who are targeted by the Child Procurement Syndicate and have their children taken from them. CPS has taken children based on false allegation, incorrect or falsified medical records, and social workers who don't follow the law, their own policies, the evidence or even outright lie just to take children and break families apart.

This year as seen the tide break more, with a judge who order CPS to no longer have contact with two children, to a judge who ruled that parents were "unfairly stripped of their parental rights". While the judges lambasted the social workers for lying, those cases didn't really hold CPS accountable for their wrong doings. Consequences for social workers, their kidnapping agency or doctors who aid in taking children from innocent parents, is rare to see.


Bright family reunited - Source

Judge Mike Schneider, the same judge who ordered CPS to stay away from the two children of the Bright family, has stepped up on November 8. He ordered CPS to come up with new training for their social workers, and "pay more than $127,000 for wrongfully removing a couple’s children and allegedly lying to the court about it." The Houston Chronicle reports this sanction as possibly "the largest-ever". Reporter Keri Blakinger adds:

"It’s an unusual case that offers repeated examples of CPS missteps, but the Brights’ attorneys say it’s also a sign of a “broken system” and the need for more accountability from the agency tasked with making decisions as to whether parents are fit to keep their own children."

Lawyers for the Bright families are asking for the CPS workers involved in this injustice to be fired, and for prosecutors to move forward with "possible criminal charges". Family lawyer Dennis Slate said:

"They lied in their affidavit, they lied in their sworn removal testimony and they have — when questioned about those lies — taken the Fifth."

"When the Harris County District Attorney ran for office said that she would investigate perjury claims within the Harris County courts. She needs to live up to that campaign promise and look into this case and bring the appropriate action."

The Houston Chronicle reporter seems to think this abuse by CPS and social workers is an "unusual case" of "CPS missteps", but this is an ongoing problem in the broken system which takes children from loving parents and destroys families.

In this case, it was just a simple accident that led to weeks of torment from the legal system. Melissa Bright's baby fell off a lawn chair, and called 911 to take the child to the hospital. That's a caring mother. She was first told her account of the incident was likely by the hospital's child abuse prevention team. But the next day after an MRI found bleeding in his brain from a second fracture they missed, they changed their tune and decided the injury was "consistent with child abuse".

Paying hospital bills was enough of a burden, and now they have to deal with false allegation of child abuse and battle that burden as well. CPS eventually took their two children away with an "emergency removal", with the social worker lying in his reports to justify such an action. The parents were never given the change to speak and defend themselves against the claims. Judge Schneider previously mentioned the lack of any real evidence to warrant an "emergency removal" in October:

"It is not possible to look at the facts and imagine that the agency actually felt there was any sort of urgent need for protection to remove the children."

The recent Sanctions hearing in November had family attorneys Dennis Slate and Stephanie Proffitt argued that the CPS agency used groundless arguments to take (essentially steal) the children, and that it should pay the family for legal fees and other costs, with a final sanction of more than $127,000.

This CPS agency seems to be run by unqualified social workers, including the program director and supervisor as the Houston Chronicle reported:

Over the course of five days, the court heard testimony from the Brights, a program director and supervisor Edwards,who claimed so frequently that she didn't know, couldn't answer or didn't understand the questions that Slate eventually asked whether she had any knowledge that made her qualified to make decisions.

CPS lawyers seem to be just as despicable in defending their client's actions claiming they had immunity:

"Stephen Dieu with the Harris County Attorney's Office, which represented CPS in the hearing, accused the family's attorneys of "cherry-picking" text messages and records, and argued repeatedly that the agency was protected by sovereign immunity."

He said "There are legal remedies but this is not the one. The department cannot be sanctioned. Yet, in 2011 the families lawyers had won a $32,000 sanction against CPS as well. Proffitt spoke of the rarity of sanctions being filed by lawyers:

"When we got the sanctions in 2011, we really thought that would open somebody's eyes. There are only a handful of cases in Harris County that have even filed for sanctions. There's no repercussions."

Repercussions are rare, but this is another case that brings justice to a least one family. Judge Schneider said the agency was "dishonest", and possibly "malicious ". Those who know about the actions of CPS social workers and medical kidnapping demonstrating malicious behavior. The judge could order new training and $127,000 payment to the family, but he couldn't order CPS or social workers to give the family an apology.

While it's good news for CPS to face some consequences, the Texas Children’s Hospital or the Child Abuse team of pediatricians that instantiated the false allegations and subsequent trauma to the family are going to face no repercussions for their medical kidnapping. CPS wouldn't have done anything if it were not for these "experts" who "determined" child abuse as taking place. When these false "diagnoses" happen routinely, it doesn't seem like they are experts in helping stop child abuse, but rather experts in medically kidnapping children and destroying families.


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Thank-you @krnel for submitting this post with the #familyprotection tag. It has been UPVOTED by @familyprotection and RESTEEMED TO OUR Community Supporters.

"Child Protection Agencies" are taking children away from their loving families.
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I was just about to write about this because it's in the town my parents live in in Texas! TOMBALL!! I have heard time and again that they will have these court meetings and not tell the family. It's insane the power they have. All this because a baby fell out of a chair and hit his head. Be careful, people, if you take your kid to the doctor. You know, you're guilty even if you can prove yourself innocent. You're guilty and a bad parent who shouldn't be allowed to raise their own children. Horrible. I'm glad the judge could see through it all.

Yeah, shit like this makes people trust doctors even less. Fear of those that are supposed to help you, doctors, CPS, police... great system... :/

It is really good to hear that the truth is getting heard and that a least one family has won their fight against the CPS. I imagine that family must feel so much relief, I really hope that this starts to change things.
It does not surprise me one bit that the the professionals in the hospital who made the allegations are not being charged, but still we must focus on the positive side of this, the truth is getting out, finally.

Yup, it's a good step forward :)

Glad that we are beginning to read of more repercussions for CPS, and hope they are able to hold the liars personally liable.

This CPS agency seems to be run by unqualified social workers

I suspect for the job they were ordered to do by those running it, they were more than qualified to spread the heartache as they did.

Hehe, could be, but probably just incompetent state workers :P

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Very good news! At least one family is reunited....:)...

Yup. I hope more in the future with this as a precedent.

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CPS is a legalized child kidnaping ring and should be shut down.

This just proves the government sees the children as nothing more than their property and that the parents are nothing but glorified babysitters

You are exactly right.