Again and again, Ana Estevez warned officials that the man she was divorcing, Aramazd Andressian, was abusive and dangerous. Nevertheless, a Los Angeles County family court judge granted him shared custody of their 5-year-old son, Piqui. One week later, on April 21, 2017, Andressian smothered the boy to death. Engulfed by grief, Estevez, a former elementary-school principal, teamed up with … [Read more...]
A child dies every 6 days amid custody fights, family court lapses. Advocates want change.
In 2021, Rashawd Hines knew he had to act when his son cried each time before returning to his mother’s house. So the Lakeland, Florida, man wrote a letter to a Polk County clerk’s office in Florida requesting a family court hearing to gain full custody of Jayden, just 2. In the letter, Hines wrote he feared for the safety of his boy, but the court did not immediately act on his … [Read more...]
Is the Legal System Failing Our Children? Then There’s California Podcast – SB 616 “Piqui’s Law”
CA State Senator Susan Rubio, a domestic violence survivor, is joined by Ana Estevez, whose 5-year-old son 'Piqui' was murdered by his abusive father - and by Kathleen Russell, Executive Director of the Center for Judicial Excellence - to discuss her legislative efforts to further protect victims of child abuse and domestic violence, in our family courts. New episode streaming now on Audible, … [Read more...]
A Holiday Message from CJE
Children worldwide are being court-ordered to suffer by living with an abusive parent, while their protective parent is told they have no rights and are not able to be with their children during the holidays. It is more important than ever for CJE to have consistent support to help build our capacity to fight for judicial accountability and to be a catalyst for child … [Read more...]
CJE Research Partner Awarded Center for Institutional Courage Grant for “The Deadly Consequences of DARVO (Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender) Tactics in Family Court”
The Center for Judicial Excellence is thrilled to announce that our U.S. Divorce Child Homicide research partner, Elizabeth Tomsich, Ph.D. from the UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program, was recently awarded a grant for our collaborative project "The Deadly Consequences of DARVO (Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender) Tactics in Family Court." Center for Institutional Courage's … [Read more...]