Dinwiddie Lawsuit in Virginia

Discuss all aspects of suing CPS and its affiliates for the injustice done to your family.

Moderators: family_man, LindaJM

User avatar
Daruma
Posts: 677
Joined: Sat Aug 28, 2010 12:34 pm

Dinwiddie Lawsuit in Virginia

Postby Daruma » Wed May 11, 2011 12:22 pm

Has anyone else heard of the Fred and Michelle Dinwiddie lawsuit in Virginia? I learned about this case on Monday, while listening to an interview with their lawyer, family law attorney Pat MacGraw, on a show called In the Market.

The storyline will sound familiar to many people on this forum: kids were removed on an anonymous allegation, split up and placed into various foster homes (some at a great distance from the parents), and then finally returned after eight months of "all kinds of inhumane treatment," according to their attorney. The parents are now filing suit in federal court. The basis of the lawsuit is violation of their constitutional rights under color of law, with no violation of the law on the part of the parents. The suit alleges fraud, defamation, and tortious interference with parental custody.

I hope the Dinwiddies prevail in court. I also hope their experiences will help bring the whole topic of CPS abuse to light. I'd actually been thinking of contacting this particular radio show to ask if they would consider doing a program on CPS abuse, so you can imagine how pleased and encouraged I was to tune in and hear them talking about this very topic!

The lawyer says something else that will sound familiar to many of you: "Had I been involved at the initial stage, we probably could have avoided a removal." But, he says, most parents have no idea what's happening when CPS first gets involved. "To make it worse, [CPS] will tell the parents that they have nothing to worry about that, they don't need a lawyer... and then of course you're in a ten foot hole and it's up to someone like me to dig them out." Unfortunately, he admits, there simply aren't many lawyers who do this sort of work or who will (in his words) "hold the state to its legal burden."

The audio is available at http://podcasts.moodyradio.org/IntheMar ... our_01.mp3 . The interview starts about 11 minutes into the file, and picks up again at about 22 minutes in. According to several websites, the contact info for their attorney is Patrick Michael McGraw, 540-904-5704, [email protected] .

DISCLAIMER: "In the Market" is a program about politics and religion, hosted by a conservative Christian moderator. There is a fair amount of religious material included in this audio. Since we have forum members from many different backgrounds and ideologies, this particular program will not be everyone's cup of tea. It's posted here because I thought it had value as an actual interview with the attorney in the case, not just a short news article with a few cherry-picked quotations. Hope it'll be helpful to someone.
These are my personal opinions only. They are not legal, medical, or financial advice.

User avatar
LindaJM
Posts: 3171
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2004 7:16 pm
Location: Northern California
Contact:

Re: Dinwiddie Lawsuit in Virginia

Postby LindaJM » Thu May 12, 2011 5:10 pm

Great news, Daruma!! Thanks so much for letting us know. I'll go listen..
Sample Document Library

Please keep in mind that none of us are lawyers and we can't give legal advice. We are simply telling you what we would do in a similar situation. It is to your advantage to get a lawyer.

"Evil flourishes when good men do nothing." - Edmund Burke ... so try to do something to change the system ...

annakenc
Posts: 163
Joined: Fri Aug 26, 2011 12:57 pm

Re: Dinwiddie Lawsuit in Virginia

Postby annakenc » Fri Dec 23, 2011 12:52 pm

second-thanks much daruma-extremely excellent discovery!
does anyone have any suggestions on how to go about revealing that the missing component of the "work" cps is doing is a PROFESSIONAL Inquiry by these people with some standards as to their qualifications to do INVESTIGATIONS or for the REPORTERS?
I believe this is the missing "PROFESSIONAL" link to this "industry" and if those responsible really took their "work" so seriously I wonder why they don't seem to have any credentials.

I'll admit I was intimidated when I learned that my caseworker had a masters degree, but now that the state of MD is paying 2 women a fulltime salary to do MY job (Momm) I have found all over the internet the many solicitors there are for ONLINE social work degrees!
OOO, yeah- who can tell these people need a real LECTURE?
And what's with the deadbeat JUDGES? Do they have a pulse?
How could they not learn that to deprive someone who is accused of something (which in many cases they suffer the punishment for before they even get a hearing)
that the information is PRIVILEGED? WHAT? It's a RIGHT! You can't defend yourself against an allegation unless you know who what when and where!

But true as day the said "I DON'T WANT TO hear the Constitution in MY COURTROOM!"
No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person life, liberty or property without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

nunnally
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2012 5:32 pm
Location: DINWIDDIE,VA

Re: Dinwiddie Lawsuit in Virginia

Postby nunnally » Thu Jan 19, 2012 1:18 pm

so it can be done..i'm also in dinwiddie,va fighting for my twins girls..the 1st thg i said was "how many families &" little" children have they done this too.Who will protect more to come..from cps/dss...SO sad,so damaging,so painful in every way.I pray to get great news like u & return of "YOUR" children
love,
A FIGHTING MOMMA
renee


Return to “Sue Them!”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 10 guests