My Family Court Story: Marlana Christopher
A riveting and heartbreaking family court story has been circulating online and in advocacy communities for the past few weeks. Marlana Christopher resides in Oklahoma but has a child custody case in Texas and despite following orders to take her daughter to a child advocacy center on November 6, she was arrested for Texas Penal Code § 25.03: Interference with Child Custody.
Marlana has made allegations of abuse against the father of her child and describes being in a no-win situation. It is a situation that many protective parents find themselves in. If a parent suspects that their child is being abused and doesn't protect them, they could be charged with “failure to protect” which carries a lengthy prison sentence. The case of Tondalao Hall is a prime example, Hall received a 30-year sentence for failing to protect her children from child abuse at the hands of her partner and served 15-years of that sentence. The perpetrator was sentenced to 10-years in prison and only served two-years.
After reading countless social media posts about Marlane's arrest and incarceration for custodial interference, I invited her to sit down to share her story.
This is #MyFamilyCourtStory with Marlana Christopher.
We have several calls to action:
1. DONATE: If you are financially able, please donate to Marlana’s GoFund Me Account which will help her to retain counsel for her upcoming legal proceedings.
2. SHARE her story - and use the hashtag #GetMoriahSafeWithMomMarlana and #MarlanaChristopher. Send her story to media outlets in Texas and when sharing online, be sure to tag Governor Greg Abbott.
3. COURT WATCH: If you are in or near Texas, please attend her upcoming court date - this is in person only, no option of online viewing.
Date and time: December 5 at 9 AM
Location: Russell A. Steindam Courts Building (3rd floor of the Collin County Courthouse), 2100 Bloomdale Rd., McKinney, Texas, 75071
Additional Information:
Judge Kathryn L. Pruitt is newly appointed (September 2024) by Governor Greg Abbott
Hearing: Father’s Permanent (Temporary) Restraining Order and Temporary Orders Hearing
