AS AN ATTORNEY who has participated in over forty appeals in the State of Tennessee, I am saddened at the state of law in protecting families and their constitutional right to family integrity.  – CONNIE REGULI

Here are some oral arguments in the Court of Appeals for you to ponder.

COURT RECORDINGS AND VIDEOS CONTROLLED BY THE JUVENILE COURT JUDGE.

IN 2014, Connie Reguli challenged the Williamson County Juvenile Court Local Rule which allowed Juvenile Court Judge Sharon Guffee to veto any request for courtroom videos.  This went to the Court of Appeals who upheld the Judge’s ability to deprive parents and their attorneys of the videos.  Here is the Argument before the Court of Appeals.  You can see how circular it is.  Question:  Why NOT give the parents and their attorneys the videos?

TERMINATING PARENTING RIGHTS OVER POVERTY

IN 2015, Connie Reguli argued before the Tennessee Court of Appeals on a termination of parental rights case in which the Father had NEVER harmed his child.  The Department of Children’s Services terminated his parental rights because he did not pay child support, in spite of many limitations that prevented him from working.  The result,  his rights were terminated anyway.  This system is a disaster and parents are being stripped of their rights.   As an attorney I have stood up for many parents arguing that poverty is NOT a reason to terminate parental rights.

WHEN FAMILY STEALS YOUR CHILDREN

When a family gets caught up in juvenile court, it seems that they can never get out of court.  I argued at the Court of Appeals for this family that when parents are expending thousands of dollars to get their kids back and enforce orders for reunification, they should not be required to pay child support.  Guess what?  NOPE……even when strapped with attorney’s fees and your kidnappers refuse to obey court order….even when they go behind your back and get ex parte orders to cut you off from visiting your kids….YA STILL GOTTA PAY THEM CHILD SUPPORT.  

WHEN YOUR ATTORNEY THROWS YOU UNDER THE JAIL AND WALKS AWAY, HERE IS WHAT YOU GET. 

I represent a Mother who went through a divorce in 2006.  Her attorney had her file a sworn answer to a criminal contempt petition (WRONG) and failed to deliver the Mother’s discovery to opposing counsel which was required by a Court order.  In one pendente lite hearing, the Mother went to jail, was kicked out of her house, and lost her children.  The attorney was dishonest with the Court about the discovery and Mother’s pleadings were stricken.  The attorney THEN failed to follow through with the appeal.  She finally had to settled just to see her kids.  We sued her attorney in 2007 and the case is still pending.   The trial Court dismissed her case saying oh well, you settled your divorce case so you have no damages.  The appeal is pending.

May 6, 2018