This fundraiser stems from the child custody case, Rowles v. Rowles, in which I, Robyn Rowles (Thompson), lost full custody of my children to their father, who is not even an American citizen. Both minor children, aged 5 and 7 at the time, accused their father of sexual assault. What ensued was a harrowing ordeal for my children and me. Despite suffering from PTSD due to the physical abuse I suffered at the hands of my ex-husband, I have never been diagnosed with any other mental health issues, nor have I had any issues with drugs or alcohol, unlike my ex-husband.

 

I won a unanimous decision in the State Supreme Court, which should have resulted in my children being returned to my SOLE CUSTODY. However, due to numerous flaws in the US Family Court System, not only was my custody not restored, because our current system allows the case to be remanded back to the same judge who made the flawed decision with no oversight from anyone to ensure they hold a fair re-trial and correct the mistakes they made the first time. Through this painful journey, I discovered a troubling bias in US Family Courts that often favors fathers in custody cases involving allegations of sexual abuse, making it exceedingly difficult for mothers to protect their children.

 

You can view the entire document by following the link

https://scholarship.law.gwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2712&context=faculty_publications.

Here is a small excerpt to help give some context about what I, and other mom's are going through.

 

Family court and abuse professionals have long been polarized over the use of parental alienation claims to discredit a mother alleging that the father has been abusive or is unsafe for the children. This paper reports the findings from an empirical study of ten years of U.S. cases involving abuse and alienation claims. The findings confirm that mothers’ claims of abuse, especially child physical or sexual abuse, increase their risk of losing custody, and that fathers’ cross-claims of alienation virtually double that risk. Alienation’s impact is gender-specific; fathers alleging mothers are abusive are not similarly undermined when mothers cross-claim alienation. In non-abuse cases, however, the data suggest that alienation has a more gender-neutral impact. These nuanced findings may help abuse and alienation professionals find some common ground. A deeper examination reveals that many involved in these cases, including Guardians Ad Litem, Custody Evaluators, and even Judges, make false allegations and statements about mothers with little to no recourse, as has happened to an alarming extent in my case. I am appalled by what is happening in American courts and am determined to fight back and advocate for meaningful Family Court reform.

 

***Please take a moment to really absorb these numbers.

When courts credit the alienation claim, rates of maternal custody losses increase more drastically:

DV: 60% (15/25)

CPA: 59% (10/17)

CSA: 68% (13/19)

DVCh: 79% (19/24)

CACSA: 100% (6/6)

Any: 73% (60/82)

 

Donating to The Broken Bench will support my efforts to create a podcast, continue to allow me to collaborate with filmmakers interested in telling this story, help bring others going through this together, and cover the legal costs associated with my fight. I am determined to bring my children home, despite the falsehoods they have been told by those who should be trustworthy. As I am not even allowed to speak to them on the phone, I cannot set the record straight directly to them.

 

I hope my efforts will not only reunite me with my children but also garner the attention of politicians, the press, and attorneys to help change laws and establish a system of checks and balances that requires accountability. Despite having substantial evidence, I have been disregarded by law enforcement. Your support will help me continue this critical fight for justice and reform.

 

If you have information that would be helpful to my case, or others involved in these case, or if you would like to join the fight, please email me through this fundraiser. If you don't hear back from me within 72 hours, please send a follow up email.

 

I can't begin to tell you how heartbreaking it is to be living through the nightmare my children and I have been thrust into. For seven years now, I have had little to no contact with my youngest two children. They were ages six and nine when they were taken from me. From my vantage point, they were trafficked through the US Family Court System. I have missed out on everything. I haven't been able to take care of them when they are sick, watch them participate in school or sporting events, take them trick or treating, bake cookies, tell them how much I love them and how proud I am of them everyday. I have missed almost every holiday or life event. My two oldest son's have only seen them a few times in the seven years since they were taken. I can't begin to explain their pain at losing this time with their brother and sister. I have nightmares regularly. Ones where I get them home and can't stop crying and telling them I'm sorry, or ones where I am panicking wondering what is happening to them. I avoid the back to school, valentines, halloween, etc areas of stores like Target so that I don't break down in tears. I liken all of this to having my children kidnapped, the emotions feel the same and these is absolutely no consolation to them being with their father. I know who he is and I live in fear everyday as to what they are going through. Thank you in advance for any help you can give. I can't wait to have a happy ending to my story and to being the wrong mom they messed with who brought about reform to the US Family Court system. I apologize for not being able to tell the whole story here but please keep checking back to The Broken Bench website for updates on the podcast which will do a very deep dive into all of my case.