Beverly Hills Harvard-Trained Doctor Sues County of Los Angeles and Social Workers $750 Million in Whistleblower Lawsuit

In 2015 Health Impact News first reported on the case of Dr. Susan Spell (formerly Evans) whose 4 children were allegedly kidnapped by the LA County Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS). Her oldest child has since turned 18 and aged out of the system. This week, Dr. Spell and her son filed a $750 million lawsuit against LA County and some social workers. The Epoch Times has published an article about her case: Dr. Susan Spell, alongside her 18-year old son Nicholas, filed a $750 million lawsuit July 30 against the County of Los Angeles and individual social workers. “I want to bring awareness. This is the epitome of corruption and abuse of power. I have to pay to see my children,” Spell told The Epoch Times. “Susan is a physician in L.A. County. She went to pick her kids up from school one day, only to find that DCFS removed them,” Spell’s lawyer Stephen Lamont told The Epoch Times. “DCFS convinced the school they had a warrant. They did not have a warrant. They tried to get a warrant but it was denied. They said there was a restraining order against Dr. Spell, but that never existed.” Melinda Murphy, a former DCFS social worker who became a whistleblower, has supplied an affidavit in Dr. Spell's lawsuit stating that DCFS falsifies evidence to justify taking children from their parents. Murphy said in her affidavit that her trainer told her and others on their first day of training, “We should be ashamed of what we have done to some of the families that we have sworn to serve.” “During my training, my observations, and in my work experiences, I learned that the DCFS does not have a mechanism for backing down and, has a tendency, even if the parent is innocent, to make them appear guilty in some way, and that includes perjuring testimony, falsifying reports, and fabricating evidence to justify taking children,” Murphy said in the affidavit.

Grandmother Wrongly Accused of Shaken Baby Syndrome is Freed from Prison After 11 Years

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that a grandmother was freed from prison this month after Loyola Law School's Project for the Innocent became involved. Maria Mendez spent the last 11 years of her life, serving a 25-year sentence for the death of her 9-month-old grandson. She had been convicted of Shaken Baby Syndrome, but attorneys and law students who fight for people who are wrongfully convicted took up her case, pointing out medical evidence that was not considered by the court. Mendez was originally convicted based on the testimony of a Child Abuse Specialist. Dr. Carol Berkowitz is the Director of the Child Abuse Fellowship at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. At one time she served as the President of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She is part of the Helfer Society – an elite group of doctors involved with Child Abuse, and in 2014, she won the society's highest award. Despite her many accolades, Dr. Berkowitz failed to consider alternative explanations for the injuries sustained by the grandson of Ms. Mendez. The testimony that she gave reflects the junk science beliefs involved in Shaken Baby Syndrome. Other doctors disagree with her diagnosis, but she was the only doctor to testify 11 years ago.

Los Angeles Father Loses Daughter to Corrupt Court – Thousands Petition to Remove Rocky Crabb from the Bench

Thousands of people in Los Angeles have petitioned to have Commissioner Rocky Crabb removed from the bench in Family Court in Pomona, California. Commissioner Crabb first came to the attention of Health Impact News because California father Joshua James approached us with his story of fighting to protect his 3 year old daughter, Journey. His story suggests that there is much wrong in Commissioner Crabb's courtroom. Parents like Joshua are left wondering how justice can be served, when there appear to be so many abuses of power and signs of corruption when facing Commissioner Crabb. Joshua has hired attorneys who say they cannot go up against Crabb and have given him his money back. Joshua has tried to get Crabb to recuse himself after making prejudiced comments. Attorneys have told Joshua that his civil rights are being denied and that this commissioner has it in for him. Unless Crabb steps down, they tell him that he will not have a chance of getting custody back. Joshua has not seen his daughter for almost a year now.

Medical Director of LA Child Welfare Testifies Under Oath That He Does Not Know the Law Regarding Seizure of Children

Dr. Charles Sophy is the Medical Director for Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Los Angeles County DCFS reportedly has the largest amount of children taken away from their families and put into foster homes of any other agency in the United States. When California attorney Shawn McMillan uploaded a video of a deposition of Dr. Charles Sophy, the Medical Director for Los Angeles County DCFS, whom he deposed in a case he is currently litigating to his YouTube account, I took special interest to listen to the video and learn more about this medical director who is responsible for the lives of so many children in LA County. In addition to his role as Medical Director for Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, Dr. Sophy also maintains a private practice as a Hollywood doctor and has appeared in reality TV shows such as "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." In this video deposition, however, it would appear that Dr. Sophy is not well versed in the Constitutional laws regarding when a child can be taken out of their home and away from their parents, and he states that he has never supplied such training to his social workers.

Former LA County Social Worker Reveals Corruption in Child “Protection” Services

Tammi Stefano of the National Safe Child Show interviewed Melinda Murphy regarding the abuses of the LA County Department of Children and Family Services. Melinda Murphy has worked in Child Welfare for over 20 years. She has a master's degree in counseling and educational psychology. She is co-author of the book A Culture of Fear: An Inside Look at Los Angeles County’s Department of Children & Family Services. She worked for DCFS (Department of Children and Family Services) in LA County for 10 years in various capacities, including: social worker, supervisor, investigator, and court officer. She was known for handling tough cases that other social workers could not handle, and when she left the agency, she left on good terms. So why did she leave after working there for nearly 10 years? "Because I had a conscience. I wanted to be able to sleep at night. I wanted to be able to look at myself in the mirror. When I went to work for them, I thought I'd be working for the children, I'd be working for the families, building on their strengths. I discovered no, what I am doing is I am working for the Department of Children and Family Services. I am a PR agent. I'm not protecting the children and the families. I am protecting the Department of Children and Family Services. And I couldn't live with that."

California Mother Fights Corrupt System in LA to Get Daughter Back

Not being informed of court hearings. Falsified drug tests. Threats and accusations to intimidate and coerce. Social workers, her state representative and even the attorney assigned to her case ignoring emails, not returning calls. Her daughter ripped from a happy home and placed in a non-English speaking foster home without critical, life-saving medications. A system that seems to have already decided her family’s fate, without even the most cursory attempt at justice. Mayan Hewes describes these events and wonders what happened to her rights, and the rights of her six-year-old daughter Layla, in L.A. County, California.