When state and local agencies and officials become involved in child custody cases in Clarksville, the expectation from both sides of a custody arrangement is that those parties will remain fair and impartial in their work. Given the weight that the courts may place on their reports, it is also expected that such workers will be truthful and not allow bias or personal feelings to influence how they portray a parent’s actions. If that is believed to be otherwise, then the parent affected by their claims (as well as anyone else that they may impact) may feel rightly justified in taking legal action against them.
Such was the case of a California woman, who in 2011 filed a lawsuit against a local county alleging that two of its social workers gave false testimonies and fabricated evidence that resulted in her losing custody of her kids for over six years. She won the lawsuit, whose ruling was upheld through appeals that went as far as the U.S. Supreme Court (which ultimately refused to hear the case). In the end, she ended being awarded over $9 million, which remains the largest settlement the county has yet had to pay out.
Now, her daughter is also bringing a lawsuit against the county over the same incident. A federal appellate court just recently reaffirmed her right to do so.
Bringing action against a government entity or a municipality can be difficult, as such parties typically have significant resources at their disposal to defend themselves. One may be wise to retain the services of an attorney when pursuing such a course, as such a professional’s knowledge may prove to be beneficial.
Source: The Orange County Register “Daughter sues Orange County after being taken from mom, who got $9.6M in same case” Graham, Jordan, Jan. 09, 2017