Justice for Melissa Goff-Williams and Her Children - Demand Due Process Reform in Livingston County Family Court

This petition is on behalf of my friend, Melissa Goff-Williams, a devoted mother from McCracken County, Kentucky, whose children were removed from her care through an emergency custody process that denied her basic due process.

Melissa's Story

In December 2025, an emergency custody order was issued against Melissa in Livingston County, Kentucky. The order was sought by her children's estranged biological father - a man who had been absent from their lives for nearly 6 years - and an estranged family member.

According to Melissa, there are open investigations with Kentucky State Police regarding physical and sexual assault against her in the presence of her children, and physical assault against the children themselves by the biological father. 

The claim used to obtain the emergency order was that Melissa was homeless while she was hospitalized and recovering from surgery. Melissa states she has medical records, text messages, and proof of residency showing she had a stable home in McCracken County at the time. Her child was being cared for by family while she recovered, and she was later accused of abandonment.

For nearly nine months, Melissa says she has been unable to see her children.

Melissa alleges the following due process violations:

•  The emergency order was granted without a proper investigation and without prior notice allowing her to respond.

•  At her adjudication hearing, she was given only the last 20 minutes to speak and was not permitted to call witnesses or present her full evidence and case.

•  Despite presenting evidence she says discredits the allegations against her, she has been jailed, charged, denied supervised visitation, and denied all contact with her children - including a breastfeeding infant.

•  She alleges opposing parties have presented falsified texts and social media posts as evidence that she was never shown or allowed to address in court, while failing drug tests with no consequences.

•  The Guardian ad Litem has refused to interview Melissa while interviewing opposing parties and presenting their statements as fact, recommending no contact with her children.

•  She has been ordered to undergo mental health evaluations - she has completed 4 and passed - yet the GAL is requesting opposing parties be allowed to speak to her evaluators based on new allegations about her mental health.

Her children were raised for nearly 6 years by Melissa and her ex-partner, who is not their biological father but was their primary father figure. He has not been permitted to join the case as a party to advocate for the children he helped raise, and the children have been placed with strangers.

Melissa has filed motions in good faith to transfer jurisdiction to McCracken County, where the family resides and where juvenile cases should properly be heard. She states all motions have been denied.

Melissa believes this is retaliatory due to family conflict and a pattern of false, constantly shifting allegations from opposing parties.

This Is Not An Isolated Case

Many parents in Livingston County report similar experiences: emergency orders granted without thorough examination, followed by months of delay without a full evidentiary hearing. When binding decisions are made without fair process, it is not only unjust for parents, but traumatic for the children the system is meant to protect.

We Are Demanding Reform

We call on the Kentucky Family Court Administration, the Judges of Livingston County Family Court, and our state legislators to restore due process and transparency:

1. Mandatory independent review of all emergency custody orders by a panel of impartial experts within 7 days.

2. A guaranteed full evidentiary hearing, where both parents can present witnesses and evidence, within 21 days of an emergency order.

These common-sense safeguards would ensure that no parent loses their children for months based on unverified claims, and that every family has a fair chance to be heard.

Please sign this petition to demand change and justice for Melissa Goff-Williams, her children, and all families fighting for due process in family court.