Thank you for signing our Petition

Dear Everyone,  Thank you for reading and signing my petition.

You should know why it exists. Several years ago, I believed my children and I were in danger and sought help from the family court system. I requested a move-away. It was denied. Our Minors’ Counsel did not believe my safety concerns.  In her August 8, 2023 report to the court, she wrote: “I believe Ms. Wadhwani just wants to run away from her ex-husband, but it’s a beautiful oceanfront community so the children should stay.” At the time, I had a job opportunity approximately two hours away. I was effectively left with two choices: remain in the area or move and leave my children behind. I stayed. What followed were years of domestic violence, harassment, stalking, legal abuse, financial abuse, and other conduct that caused significant harm to my family.  In 2025, I obtained evidence of the domestic violence, returned to court, and removed my sons from that household entirely.   There were 9 police reports, ER visits, property damage, a woman sustained a rib fracture, and significant alcohol use was reported by the police.  DCFS filings were made as well. And that is only one thin layer of what my sons experienced over the next 2 years after my concerns were squashed. 

The same Minors’ Counsel involved in the 2023 decision was reassigned to our case. Ms. Bennett placed a breathalyzer requirement on the children’s father and recommended visitation resume immediately.  She ordered therapy for my son.  My son has since refused visitation.    Rather than addressing his concerns and experiences, Ms. Bennett assigned him a new therapist located one block from where the domestic violence incidents occurred. She threatened consequences for noncompliance with visitation orders, jail time and sanctions against me, and removal of my sons.

My son was told that his mother could “get in trouble” if he did not "comply with" the courts visitation mandate as recommended by Ms Bennett.  He still refused and I (promptly) notified her that it is inappropriate to place such a demand on a child.  They have attempted to sanction me (fines and jail time), but have not succeeded, yet.  However, in my research, I have experienced the system do this to other moms, successfully.  Mothers are being sent to jail for protecting their children from DV. 

At the same time, the therapist reports containing concerns similar to those I had raised were withheld, under claims of HIPAA and therapeutic privilege, by Minors Counsel.

🤦🏻‍♀️ Someone who has had no training in HIPAA and the implications of therapeutic privilege now using it to conceal safety concerns.  

What troubled me most was is  watching decisions being made about a child affected by domestic violence and trauma while the effects of that trauma appeared to be minimized, ignored, and even concealed.  As I navigated the family court system, I began speaking with other mothers. Many described the same experience. The phrase “they punish mothers for reporting abuse” sounded dramatic to me when I first heard it.   It does not sound dramatic to me anymore. I have spoken with women who lost custody after reporting abuse.   

And I believe that if I had not fought as hard as I did over the past three years, I would have lost my sons as well.  My children would have been returned to an environment where police were being called, alcohol abuse was present, and a woman sustained a physical injuries, resulting in ER Visits, due to domestic violence.

As I try to understand how decisions with such profound consequences can be made, I started examining the qualifications and training requirements for Minors’ Counsel.

What I found surprised me.  Minors’ Counsel can make recommendations involving domestic violence, coercive control, trauma, child abuse, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and substance use disorders, yet there are no specialized competency requirements in many of those subjects.

Many of these areas have evolved significantly over the last decade. Definitions have changed. Research has advanced. Training standards have been updated across numerous professions. Yet Minors’ Counsel are not required to receive specialized education in many of the very issues they are expected to evaluate.

In our case, I do not view this as an academic concern.  I believe the lack of competency has contributed to harmful decisions, ongoing safety concerns, and continued trauma for many families. 

I would love to tell you this petition will change the system. I doubt it.

The system is deeply entrenched.  Minors’ Counsel have broad immunity and very limited accountability.  But as a nurse, I responded the way I know how. I researched the issue.  I documented it.  And yes, I probably over-documented it. Our judge is likely exhausted by my persistence at this point.  :) Then I built a competency framework.

Competency requirements exist in virtually every other discipline that interviews children or evaluates allegations involving abuse, trauma, domestic violence, and child safety.

I believe Minors’ Counsel should be held to similar standards.

On July 10, 2026, I intend to present this petition to our court and formally request that our Minors’ Counsel obtain education in domestic violence before conducting additional interviews of my children or making further recommendations in our case.

It may be denied.   It is certainly a long shot.   But the last three years have consisted of one long shot after another.

I am still here. My sons are still here, showing up everyday. And despite everything, we are healing. I have kept most of our family’s experiences private because discussing it publicly has been difficult.   But if you are going to sign this petition, I believe you deserve to understand why it exists.

Even my now 18-year-old son, Krishan, signed this petition. He signed a petition asking for additional domestic violence education for the attorney who was appointed to represent him.  I find that significant.   

In our case, I have asked Ms. Bennett to recuse herself, or obtain additional education.

Most parents do not make that request.   Perhaps it is unconventional.   But as a healthcare professional, I cannot ignore what I view as a significant gap in training and competency.

My sons and I will continue healing from our experiences, for the rest of our lives.

What I hope people take from our story is this:

The family court system is not always experienced as a place of protection by the families who enter it. And when professionals are given extraordinary influence over children’s lives, training matters.

Thank you for reading our story. And thank you for supporting this petition. Rita Wadhwani