I'm a mother who reported a corrupt guardian ad litem and judge for federal crimes. They retaliated by taking my children away. There was no evidence given as a basis to deprive my boys of all contact with their mother. But what's happening to me is not unique, which is why I reported them to the FBI and why I need you to stand up to The Circuit Court of Cook County to #stopabusebycourt.

  In The Domestic Relations Division of The Circuit Court of Cook County, the most desirable appointment is as a Guardian Ad Litem or GAL. GALs not only decide what happens to children during a divorce, they decide which attorneys and judges get lucrative appointments, such as to be GALs themselves. They decide who gets political patronage, such as a Democratic Party Nomination for circuit court judge. In fact my former attorney, Bradley Trowbridge, orchestrated a contempt finding against me (committing multiple acts of wire fraud and identity theft in the process) at the instruction of GAL Michael Bender, in order to get a nomination to be Circuit Court Judge. It worked. Bradley Trowbridge is now a judge.

 Most notably, in 2017 prominent GAL David Pasulka told a mother to "be smart" and have sex with him if she ever wanted to see her children again. She denied him and lost her children. It wasn't until three year later, once Pasulka was indicted, that then Presiding Judge Grace Dickler finally fired him and The Illinois Bar finally disbarred him.

  But David Pasulka wasn't just a bad apple, he ran the committee that selects GALs, including my boys' GAL Michael Bender, for twenty years.  Grace Dickler did nothing to investigate his crimes or to repair what he had done to the mothers of Chicago. Do you believe that the brave woman who reported him was the first victim? Of course not. And do you believe that David Pasulka is the only monster to use his outsized power to exploit mothers and children? Of course not. I know because it's happening to me.

  A lot of people know what's happening to mothers like me. In 2020 Dickler was also begged by the female attorneys in her division  to investigate ongoing sexual harassment, including rape, by judges and appointees under her supervision. They wrote her an open letter asking her to clean up the division. She did nothing.

  In September of this year, Presiding Judge Dickler abruptly and very quietly retired. This is not enough. Chief Judge Timothy Evans and the rest of The Executive Committee of The Circuit Court of Cook County must put a stop to abusive GALs by suspending and removing all current GALs in Cook County. The Circuit Court of Cook County must hire an independent third party to conduct a serious investigation into the conduct of all sitting GALs and to require anyone wishing to be a court appointee to re-apply to do so.

  These men act like they can get away with anything because in The Circuit Court of Cook County under the leadership of Chief Judge Timothy Evans they can get away with anything. Please sign on and share to #stopabusebycourt.