Maya and Sebastian Laing: 90-Day Review Hearing
Two protests in California kicked off our latest campaign, “50 Protests 50 States” which was inspired largely in part by the bravery of 15-year-old Maya Laing from Santa Cruz County, California. In October 2022, Laing, began speaking out from her Instagram account about her personal family court experience. During a series of Instagram videos, Laing made allegations of abuse against her mother and made claims that court appointed professionals were failing to act in her best interest. Laing went on to discuss her concerns that she and her brother, Sebastian, were going to be sent into a very controversial reunification camp owned by Lynn Steinberg.
On the night of October 20, 2022, Laing’s concerns came to fruition as transport agents arrived at her grandmother’s house with court orders to retrieve the children. Laing’s desperate pleas were captured in a series of Instagram videos, and she reached out to friends and neighbors to gather at her grandmother’s home for support and to bear witness to the events transpiring. A video taken that night show transport agents from Assisted Interventions, Inc., violently removing the minor children. The video has gone viral, reaching over 20 million people around the world.
When a judge orders children like Maya and Sebastian Laing into a reunification camp, it is common that there are orders for a “90-day black out period,” where children are prohibited from contacting their preferred parent however, it is rarely just 90 days. Some parents report going years without seeing their children once they are sent in to the unsound, unregulated industry of reunification camps. These court orders are typically ambiguous, and the preferred parent is often unable to meet the requirements because the requirements are unclear and vague. The preferred parent is unable to jump through the necessary hoops to reunite with the children because the hoops are hidden, invisible or non-existent. The reunification professionals assert that the preferred parent remains a risk and that they could potentially still “alienate” the children - this assertion is based purely on speculation yet, the court often allows it.
On Friday, January 20, 2023, a protest was organized by friends of Maya and Sebastian Laing in front of the courthouse in Watsonville, California. The goal was to show support for Maya and Sebastian Laing while ensuring that Judge Rebecca Connolly and other family court professionals assigned to the case were aware that these orders were not in the children’s best interest. January 20 was the three-month review hearing and, marked 90-days since the children were forcibly removed from their preferred parent (their father) and sent into this reunification camp. Friends, family, community members and advocates joined together inside and outside the court room yet left feeling disappointed by yet another set of delays.
Those in the court room we’re disheartened and felt that Judge Rebecca Connolly did everything in her power to extend the 90-day blackout period of no contact between the children and their father. Judge Connolly also expressed concern that this matter had garnered the attention of the public and made it clear that she preferred the proceedings to be a private matter. We challenge her position and feel that this case should have the attention of everyone across the country. This case is representative of the many shortcomings and failures in the family court system, along with the overreach and possible collusion of judicial officers and other family court professionals.
The Laing children’s court appointed minor’s counsel, Bryan Myers, asked to be removed from the case due to a conflict and now the children will be appointed new attorneys. Many in the courtroom were holding out hope that they would be able to reconnect with the children and that Maya and Sebastian would be able to return to their schools, their community, and their loved ones yet instead, they left feeling hopeless and further frustrated. The case will not be back in front of the court until February.
