Federal Lawsuit against Illinois Family Court
The state of Illinois is notorious for corruption, dirty politics and backdoor dealings and while the Illinois family court system has never been formally investigated, it is high on the radar of advocates who desire family court reform.
A 2023 report from the University of Illinois at Chicago lists Chicago as America's most corrupt city for the fourth year in a row while Illinois holds the spot for the third most corrupt state in the country.
“Political and government-related bribery, extortion, fraud, conflicts of interest, theft of campaign funds, and tax cheating continue to undermine the public’s trust in government,” said Marco Rosaire Rossi, who authored the report with Thomas J. Gradel.
Speaking out about what is transpiring in the Illinois family court system are 16-year old twins, Gwen and Grace Girard. In July 2023, they started sharing their story through an Instagram account which has garnered a following of 6,000 people. Their bio reads, "We are children who are struggling under the Cook County (Chicago) family court system and we are seeking support from others. This is a plea for help.”
This is the first video posted by Gwen and Grace in July 2023:
The girls have lodged strong abuse allegations against their mother and claim that various professionals in the Illinois family court system have failed to protect them. The girls openly and consistently share their desire to reside with their father and their stepmother, yet their wishes seem to fall on deaf ears.
To someone unfamiliar with the family court system, there may be confusion and curiosity about why a 16-year old would be ignored. Shouldn’t they have a voice at their age, is the obvious question? For those of us who advocate for family court reform, the story of Gwen and Grace is an all too familiar story that is playing out in court rooms across the country.
The bottom line in many of these cases: family court is a very lucrative business. Professionals who work in the family court system are financially incentivized to force children into relationships with parents they've rejected. These professionals are often referred to as reunification profiteers and families with financial resources are the ones most often targeted. There is no money in believing allegations of abuse and we often see substantiated findings of abuse ignored and dismissed.
In a recent turn of events, a federal lawsuit has been filed on behalf of Gwen and Grace Girard which names the defendants as Village of Glencoe, Illinois, Detective Ryan McEnerney, Maria Paredes, Vanessa Hammer, Hammer Serna & Quinn LLC, Gwenn Waldman, Breanna Traub, Phyllis Amabile, MD, Beerman LLP, John M. D'Arco, James M. Quigley, Enrico J. Mirabelli, Judge William S. Boyd, Judge Renee G. Goldfarb and Kathryn Ciesla.
The lawsuit alleges racketeering and can be viewed in its entirety here:
If professionals appointed to act in the best interest of your children have failed, please tell us about your experience by going to www.intheirbestinterest.com
