From Family Court to Conservatorship
Long time activist and Family Court Reform Specialist, Elizabeth Peterson, is paying a heavy price for whistleblowing on the dysfunction of Montana’s family courts and for exposing certain Montana judges’ allegiance to the pedophilia-friendly ideology of “parental alienation.”
All eyes are now on Judge Peter Ohman(#AllEyesonJudgePeterOhman) of the Eighteenth District Court to see if he will begin to correct the court-created trauma of the Family Bridges’ modeled parenting plan which was implemented five years ago by Bozeman Montana’s notorious Standing Master Bowen. Bowen has been heavily scrutinized for her “cozy, relationship” with the Family Bridges organization.
Five years ago, Elizabeth lost two of her children when her domestically violent ex-husband deployed the legal tactic of “parental alienation” to counter the findings of abuse. Now, as their oldest child in the father’s custody is nearing her 18th birthday and can legally break free, the father has made a desperate attempt to keep her silenced by petitioning the court for a full guardian conservatorship.
Abigail Eyre, one of Montana‘s leading experts on Post Separation Abuse states,
“When there's a history of abuse, especially if accusations of the pseudo-diagnosis of parental alienation are involved, the parent seeking a full guardianship over a child transitioning into adulthood is considered a hallmark sign of a truly dangerous abuser.”
Cross claims of alienation are a common tactic utilized by abusers to divert the attention of the court away from their own abusive behaviors. For the last several years, One Mom’s Battle (OMB) has followed this case as Ms. Peterson began a commendable and aggressive campaign of exposing the well-documented corruption existing within her local District Court, originating from Standing Master Bowen.
Despite exposure of several dozen cases originating in Standing Master Bowen’s court (containing almost identical details to Ms. Peterson’s case), the District Court judges who are supposed to oversee this standing master, appear to be participating in retaliation directed towards Ms. Peterson. In addition to Ms. Peterson, there are several other parents and attorneys who feel as though they have been targeted and retaliated against for shining a spotlight on the corruption.
Ms. Peterson’s case has been one of the most heavily vetted cases in Montana and has received state and national media attention over the last three years. Her case is a “bellwether case”, meaning attorneys across Montana are paying particularly close attention to how this case is handled, because it could set new precedent for how future parental alienation cases are addressed in family court.
In an effort to reign in the corruption in Montana, and stop the bleeding inflicted by abusers utilizing the legal strategy of "alienation" claims, Ms. Peterson was the key stakeholder in drafting the Standing Master Reform Bill (HB 322), in the recent 2023 legislative session. OMB fully supported this bill with active testimony and resources. HB 322 was drafted as a direct response to a Legislative report generated as a collective effort by three Montana non-profit organizations. This report was in response to Bozeman being identified as a “sanctuary city for domestic abusers” due to the amount of judicial trafficking of children forced into reunification with abusers (ordered primarily by SM Bowen). As a result of Ms. Peterson‘s efforts to organize dozens of parents who testified about their own dangerous parenting plans (ordered by SM Bowen), and the passionate support of the bill's sponsor, Representative Caleb Hinkle, the bill passed unanimously in the Montana House. The passage of this bill took Herculean efforts, as it was presented in one of the most hostile and divided legislative sessions in Montana’s history.
“Clearly the evidence of judicial corruption emanating from this particular Standing Master bridged the divide between Republicans and Democrats, even if only for a moment, and provided a much needed steppingstone for continued judicial education and reform in Montana’s Family courts.” -Elizabeth Peterson (media interview May 2023)
Upon further investigation, it was discovered that even the judicial lobbyist, hired by the Montana Judges Association to oppose the Standing Master Reform bill, eventually shifted their position and acknowledged the need for this particular bill due to the overwhelming evidence of misconduct by Standing Master Bowen.
After five years of battling and proving the corruption within her own District Court, Ms. Peterson still does not have any parenting rights to her own two daughters. They were forced to reunify with their court-documented abusive father who maintains full custody of the children. After HB 322 was signed by the Governor, SM Bowen was removed from Ms. Peterson’s case and District Court Judge John Brown assumed jurisdiction. However, in what appears to be a passive aggressive form of retaliation after the huge success of HB 322, Judge Brown has refused to hold a hearing re-addressing the parenting plan. Instead he has allowed Ms. Peterson’s parenting rights to be ignored and continued to uphold the recommendations of the original (contaminated) guardian ad litem, Jennifer Bjelland. Unsurprising, Bjelland works directly with Family Bridges as a “Team Leader” recruiting other mental health professionals into their pipeline as seen in this YouTube video. In the video, we see Bjelland with her Family Bridges cohorts, Kathleen Rock and Kellie Voyich, mocking the State of Montana for it’s poorly worded legislation that allows them to work in Family Court as “neutral GALs.” It is concerning that many children in their "care," have been funneled directly into reunification camps and programs.
Ms. Peterson shed light on Bjelland’s financial motivation to support the children's father. Bjelland reported to the court that it was “not the history of abuse” the children endured that caused them to distrust their father but instead their mother “alienating them from their father”. Bjelland literally requested the court to “ignore the bruises, police reports of violence, and the older children’s affidavits” of psychological abuse. Standing Master Bowen eagerly abandoned common sense, due process, and factual information and recommended the children for the Family Bridges Reunification Camp Program.
After working on dozens of “alienation” cases, Ms. Peterson is all too aware of the fact that occasionally, when judicial officials refuse to acknowledge their mistakes and prioritize their egos over the health and safety of children, the only thing the safe parent can do is wait until their child ages out of the system on their 18th birthday. Unfortunately, it is playbook and predictable that many abusers will seek full guardian conservatorship over the child who is about to age out of the system.
In Ms. Peterson‘s case, the father, has actually called his almost-adult daughter, “retarded” in court documents. Without properly notifying the current judge, the father filed for a full guardianship of their child in another court, without disclosing that the matter is already part of an ongoing custody case with another judge. Unfortunately, these types of legal manipulations are typical during post separation abuse.
Currently a new case number has been assigned to Ms. Peterson’s daughter (DG-23-58B) and the case is being heard in Judge Peter Ohman‘s court scheduled for January 22, 2024. This is just five days before this young woman turns 18 years old. The father has requested the hearing be restricted from public access and that Ms. Peterson’s witnesses be limited in their testimony.
When I asked how people can get involved and help, Ms. Peterson replied:
“I didn't think this nightmare could get any worse until I received the paperwork for a hearing that could potentially leave my child held hostage in her biological father’s house for the rest of her life. Abusers prefer to operate in the shadows but sunlight is a great disinfectant. I truly believe in the power of prayer. Everybody wants to help, but nobody knows what to do. Pray! Still your mind and your heart. Imagine what this might feel like. Take a few seconds right now and pray for our family to be reunited so we can heal together.”
Court documents in 2018 show medical records stating that Ms. Peterson is clearly “the patient’s primary attachment figure” and “necessary for healthy development”. Within months of Ms. Peterson‘s two youngest children being forced into reunification, school records show both children demonstrating depression and anxiety from the loss of their mother, siblings, and extended family. Adding to the already dangerous parenting plan ordered by SM Bowen, the child in question began to have “unexplained non-epileptic seizures” most likely from the stress the child was under from living in her father’s home without the protection of her mother.
Julie Wulfekuhle MSW, LCSW, GAL, Neurotherapist states,
“Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures may look like a typical seizure however they are not caused by irregular brain wave patterns or electrical discharges. They are caused by psychological distress or psychosomatic symptoms induced from trauma. When the trauma is prolonged the nervous system may become fear-driven. Since the brain and body are so connected, a traumatized brain will manifest symptoms of suffering through the body. These symptoms can range from headaches, catalonia and psychogenic seizures. The only real way to determine a psychogenic seizure is through a quantitative EEG. Then the seizures need to be treated through psychiatry, or psychotherapy, not necessarily neurology. Once the traumatic memories and emotions can be identified and processed the brain will heal and the seizures will subside. "
Due to the fact Ms. Peterson‘s daughter has diminished so extensively while in the exclusive care of her father should pose concern for the court. A permanent conservatorship will definitely prevent potentially incriminating information from being exposed but this conservatorship is not in the best interest of this young woman. Ms. Peterson’s only hope for her daughter is that Judge Peter Ohman will abandon the previous retaliatory actions imposed by other judges in his district, and defer to common sense and the medical recommendations being presented at the upcoming hearing.
Hearing details:
We invite media and citizens of Montana to the hearing which is on January 22, 2024 at 1:30 PM at the Law and Justice Center, 615 S. 26th Ave, Bozeman, Montana. There is discussion of a protest being organized on the day of the hearing, if the judge closes access to the public.
I'll leave you with two videos, testimony from Elizabeth Peterson and her son, Pahl Johnson from the Montana legislative hearings. I invite you to join us in making noise, and raising awareness of what is happening. We need all eyes are on this case. As Elizabeth Peterson begs in the video below, "please don't sing louder.”
