More Moms Speak Out About Custody Judges Retaliating Against Them For No Masks
Mothers are speaking out about getting their children taken away from them by judges if the mothers choose not to wear a mask or object to masking their children. (READ: Judge Who Ripped Children From No-Mask Mothers Recuses Himself After National File Report).
Physician Dr. Micheline Epstein recently said that when she dropped her daughter off at the Birch Wathen Lenox School on New York City’s Upper East Side she was confronted by school staff trying to force her to wear a mask on the sidewalk — even though her daughter had already entered the school with a mask on her face. The school’s vindictive note trying to ban Epstein from dropping off or picking up her daughter led her ex-husband to successfully press for full custody of the girl before Justice Matthew F. Cooper. Epstein now has to wear a mask when she is inside her home in order to get a pair of supervised visits with the girl per week. “The only thing I want is for people to stand up already and stop with this nonsense,” Dr. Epstein told Cassandra Fairbanks of the Gateway Pundit.
A mother named Sara of Florida told NATIONAL FILE that her opposition to masks contributed to a decision that her son be primarily relocated to Virginia to live with his father.
“In the trial the mask issue was brought up. The only thing his attorney asked me was did you take your child out without a mask in October or November of last year? I said there was no mask mandate at the time. Our county mandate in Palm Beach County had religious and medical exemptions in it. I don’t even think I mentioned the exemption part. That trial took all day long, we had a trial continuation in December and the mask issue was brought up again and also the vaccination issue. Both of my children have a legal religious exemption from the health department,” Sara told NATIONAL FILE. Sara’s GoFundMe Is Live.
“The judge made the decision on my younger son and the mask thing was an issue in the judgment and the vaccination issue was an issue in the judgment…We haven’t gone to trial yet on my older son but I’m sure that judgment will be used against me in that trial in May. In the judgment paperwork, the judge ordered for my youngest son to be relocated to Virginia, he’s lived with me his whole life, until he starts kindergarten in August of next yea. He’s going to be going back and forth from here to Virginia 9 weeks at a time which I feel is completely unstable,” Sara said. “The judge said that I’m putting the child at risk by taking him out without a mask, and that I put him in harm’s way by not vaccinating him even though earlier in the document it says the child is healthy and has no special needs,” Sara said, noting that “the nails in the coffin were my choice to home-educate, not vaccinate and the mask thing.” Here are documents from her case:
Mask Issue Comes Up In The Case
Vaccine Issue Comes Up In The Case
NATIONAL FILE REPORTED:
Broward County, Florida Circuit Court Judge Dale Cohen recused himself from a child custody case Thursday after NATIONAL FILE published audio of Cohen railing against “anti-mask people” and suspending a mother’s parental timesharing agreement for not wearing a mask in a photo posted to Facebook.
Melanie Joseph, the mother who had her timesharing with her 14-year old son suspended by Cohen, told NATIONAL FILE that she is determined to fight for a second chance to get her son back with a different judge presiding over the case. Joseph previously gave up her fight for custody of the boy after Judge Cohen made it clear that he hated her for the maskless photo. MELANIE JOSEPH’S GOFUNDME IS CURRENTLY LIVE.
“There is no reason for my son to be in this position that he is in right now,” Melanie Joseph told NATIONAL FILE. “I have not had hope for many years. The judge put the nail in the coffin of my effort to get my son back because he was carrying out a vendetta against me over one photograph in which I did not wear a mask. Now, I have hope. This is new hope. If it wasn’t for you and your team, this would not have happened,” Melanie Joseph told NATIONAL FILE.
NATIONAL FILE REPORTED WEDNESDAY:
Broward County Circuit Court Judge Dale Cohen has repeatedly suspended parental timesharing arrangements for mothers who have been caught not wearing masks, according to interviews with parents and stunning audio and court documents obtained by NATIONAL FILE.
Cohen, who was originally appointed by Jeb Bush, indefinitely suspended parental timesharing for Melanie Joseph when he heard that she was seen in a photograph on social media not wearing a mask. Joseph said that she was merely trying to take a break from the mask. Joseph later made an agreement with heavy restrictions (including mandatory vaccinations and a mandate that her asthmatic 14-year old son must wear a mask) to get limited timesharing back. Judge Cohen also completely cut off timesharing for a mother of a less than 2-year old child when a court filing accused the mom of consistently not wearing a mask and photo evidence showed her not social distancing at the beach. NATIONAL FILE PRESENTS AUDIO OF JUDGE DALE COHEN AND AN INTERVIEW WITH MELANIE JOSEPH:
“My attorney said the judge already made it clear to my friend you will not see your son, just to stick it to me even more” Melanie Joseph told NATIONAL FILE after she finally signed an agreement to get limited time with her 14-year old son who has asthma but still must wear a mask during visits.
“The judge hates me. He feels that I am a COVID denier, and an anti-masker,” Joseph said. “My four other children have been suffering from not being able to see their brother,” Joseph added. “They’ve been mourning him all year.”
Judge Dale Cohen also completely cut off parental timesharing for another mother who was accused in court of consistently not wearing a mask, and photographed not social distancing at the beach. That mother eventually made an agreement that came with a gag order.
READ: LAWYER: CPS TRIED TO TAKE MY CLIENT’S CHILD BECAUSE THE PARENT TESTED POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS
READ: DISABLED TEEN ARRESTED AT SCHOOL FOR NOT WEARING MASK DURING ANXIETY ATTACK
A man identifying himself as Joseph’s ex-husband has denied that the custody agreement was impacted by Joseph’s decision not to wear a mask for a photo posted to social media, and claimed that she has made unsubstantiated allegations regarding their relationship.
This article was modified on April 26, 2021 to reflect a statement from a man identifying himself as Joseph’s ex-husband.
