by Victims of Judge Gardner
KENT COUNT, Michigan - Deanna Kloostra started receiving
a bill from the financial department of the 17th Circuit Court last
year for a bill from 2004. It has been discovered that others in Kent County
have received such notices form 2004. What makes Deanna’s case a little
different from most is that, Deanna has been in the 17th Circuit
Court for 15 years and is working on exposing Judge Patricia Gardner for her
harming of families and most of all Children.
The bill was from 2004 for $277.50 and sent from the
Kent County finance department. Imagine her surprise after nine years receiving
a bill she never knew she owed. At first she thought it was a mistake and the
courts would figure things out, but in 2014, she was still receiving the bill. The
bill states the amount owed and the year the bill was from. In January Deanna
wrote a letter to the court clerk, asking for a contact person’s information
who could help with the issues, a copy of the judge’s order, and that she would
not accept responsibility of the bill.
Deanna has been dealing with the 17th
Circuit Court since 1999 when her divorce was started. Her former spouse ended
up with custody of her children and her children being concealed from her.
Deanna started a website to educate women across the United States about what
is going on in the family courts. She also used the website as a safety measure.
Several times Judge Patricia Gardner had threatened to send this mother to
jail. Deanna has met over 80 other mothers who have Gardner on their case and
have lost custody of their children. Deanna has fought in the courts for
visitation to be able to see her children for the last six years. Deanna’s
youngest daughter is the only child under the age of 18 and just turned 15 on
July 9th.
Deanna
ran for Kent County Commissioner in 2012 so she could get more exposure, not
only for her case, but for what families that are going through the same kind
of situation in Kent County. Deanna believes that in order to stop abusive of
families in her county, you have to go to the source of the money. Deanna has met
hundreds of other mothers in Kent County without custody of their children by other
judges in the 17th Circuit Court. She advocates for mothers, but has
also been known to advocate for fathers also. Deanna is known all over the
United States by mothers who have been through her situation and for her
creative approaches to reach mothers and educate the public on families being
harmed. Deanna is also friends with Brian Downs who is running for the 73rd
district House of Representatives in Michigan this year. Judge Daniel Zemaitis,
Deanna’s current judge, refused to take Brian off his case load, even though
Brian ran against him in 2006. Judge Zemaitis took Brian’s law license away so
Brian could not run against Judge Zemaitis this year in the elections for judge.
Judge Gardner has placed Brian in jail, just days after Brian signed up to run
in the 2014 elections.
Deanna canceled her website and Facebook page in
2013 and decided she was burnt out. She does have the blog Abused Swan that you
can check out to keep up to date on Deanna’s case. http://abusedswanblogger.blogspot.com/ Deanna says she has her website available and
ready to go if she is threatened with jail or feels the need for safety once
again. Deanna says, “Who knows, maybe in a few months I will put the website
back up, but for now, I am working on different angels to stop families from
being hurt.” Deanna would not elaborate on what she is doing, but we are sure
it will be interesting.
After sending a letter requesting to communicate
with someone at the finance department of the court, Deanna was served with an
order to appear in court by Judge Gardner. In 2005 Gardner removed herself from
Deanna’s case and another mother’s case, stating she was being harassed. When Deanna
started her website AbusedSwan.com, the step father to the other mother’s case started
a website about Judge Gardner at GardDog.org. Judge Daniel Zemaitis became both
of these mother’s new judge. Judge Gardner has no jurisdiction over Deanna’s
case. Now that Gardner signed this order, Deanna states Gardner has put herself
back on the case. Deanna says, “You can’t take yourself off a case claiming you
are being harassed and then sign orders when you feel like it.” Deanna believes
Gardner was given a stack of papers to sign by staff and she just, “signed
away.” Deanna believes the judge is robo-signing papers and has no clue what
she is signing.
When Deanna showed up for her hearing, she met with
the Friend of The Court finance personal Kerri. She did not have the letter
Deanna sent in requesting contact information, or the motion Deanna filed, but
was waiting to notice out once she knew for sure Gardner was back on the case. Keri
could not answer any of Deanna’s questions so she requested a public defender.
At that point the finance manager became involved. What is interesting is the
manager would not give Deanna her name when asked. Deanna asked the same questions
to the manager that she asked Kerri, her answers were, “I don’t know, I don’t know,
I don’t know.” Once again Deanna asked for a public defender and then the
manager got very aggressive and rude. The public defender was not available, so
the manager decided Deanna could come back to court in a month and talk with
the public defender, since he had already left the building. The presiding
judge could not tell Deanna if Judge Gardner was back on the case or not. Deanna
states, “It was amazing, no one knew nothing. No one knew what was going on. No
one could give me an answer about anything.”
The day before Deanna was to appear back in court,
she called to make sure she was still on the schedule for court. She was on the
docket for the following month, June, and was told to call another number.
Wouldn’t you know, they were on vacation and another number was left for her to
call. Deanna left a message with a Ms.
Irwin. The next day a message was received that court was still on and that she
could come that day or the following month for the hearing. Deanna returned a message
that she went to work since no one had returned her call and would be at the
June hearing. You see, Deanna pays child support on a child she cannot visit or
speak with over the phone. Deanna states she has been ordered for supervised
visits, but the law states that there has to be clear and convincing evidence
on the record that a child was harmed, in order to give supervised visitations.
Deanna states that there was nothing placed on the record of such things. We find it interesting that Deanna had a
Personal Protection Order (PPO) against her former spouse, and he was never
given supervised visitations. Deanna states, “According to the law, if a father
had a PPO, he is not to have unsupervised visitations, let alone custody.”
Deanna stats the Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) that Gardner placed on her case,
Attorney Donna Mobilia, used to be on the State Bar of Michigan Domestic
Violence Committee and well aware of the domestic violence laws. Deanna has
filed numerous motions etc… in order to see her daughter.
At the June hearing, a public defender from Cooley
Law did show up. In 2012, Deanna put together a small protest outside of the
Grand Rapids, Cooley Law School during their open house? Mother’s brought dolls
to represent their children and talked about the conflict of interest between
the courts and Cooley Law. The Dean and several teachers came out and spoke to
the protesters and state they would meet with the moms. Deanna states that mothers
have gone to the Access to Justice Clinic, run by Cooley Law School, and have
been turned down for services. Deanna says, “Judge Gardner donated money to
help get the clinic built. She is also part of the Inns of Court that takes law
students and grooms them to be attorneys.” Judge Zemaitis was also an
instructor at the school until the protest. Deanna says, “You cannot have
students represent mothers whose teachers are their judge. Not only is this a
conflict of interest, but students would see the discrepancies from what they
were taught by the instructor (judge) and what they are really doing in our
courts.”
After speaking to her public defender, he spoke with
the manager of the Friend of The Court finance department. Deanna was told that
Gardner was going to serve a PPO against her and that Judge Zemaitis is on her
case. The following Wednesday Deanna called the PPO office and they had no clue
what Deanna was talking about. Deanna called the judges secretary and they were
not aware of a PPO order either. Deanna
called the PPO office the following week and still no PPO. Deanna called on
July 16th and still no order. “In 2004 Gardner was on my case and she would
have been the judge to order me to pay any fines. Since Gardner signed an order
for me to appear in court, she has put herself back on my case.” Deanna made
sure Gardner would be hearing her case by noticing her motion to vacate the
judgment with Gardner. Deanna received a letter from Judge Gardner stating her
motion would be heard on July 18, 2014 at 8:30am with Judge Zemaitis. Deanna stated,
“I wanted to go and sit in her court room anyways, but I know she would call a
recess and ask the Sheriff to escort me out of her court room. When you stand
up to bullies and confront them, they tend to coward.”
As of today there is no PPO order against Deanna and
an order has not been produced that shows Deanna was ordered to pay $277.50 in
2004. When we asked Deanna why she thinks Gardner did not file that PPO, Deanna
replied, “First I have not violated any laws or threatened Judge Gardner.
Second, I let it be known that I would fight the PPO and invite her victims to
the hearing. I guess Gardner does not want to walk into a court room filled
with her victims, not to mention the conflict of issues it will create in the
court system of Kent County!”
More details of the case will be available on the
Facebook page, Victims of Judge Gardner. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Victims-of-Judge-Gardner/149550385144002?ref=hl
You can read current press release on our blog at http://victimsofjudgegardner.blogspot.com/
If you have any questions or information please
email us at VictimsofJudgeGardner@gmail.com.
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