Judge John V Doyle - Volusia County Florida

It has come as something of a surprise to me the number of hits to this blog I am getting with people searching on Judge Doyle in Family Court, Volusia County down in Florida.

I've had a couple of parents come forward to share their negative experiences of Judge Doyle who has recently been removed from family court and is now dealing with people arguing over money and not children.

One wag pointed out that at least he couldn't do so much damage there.

My recent dealings with Left Behind Parents whose children have been abducted overseas has rubbed in the ire some feel, particularly with Judge Doyle's comment,

"We're provincials in this county, we don't do the Hague Convention."

That has certainly gone down like the proverbial lead balloon, however, criticism of Judge Doyle seems to be not limited to parents dealing with international child abduction as others, who have had His Honor deal with their purely domestic cases have been coming forward.

A serving US Navy officer recounts Judge Doyle stating in his case dealing with two children,

"I can go down to the County jail and pick two inmates at random who would make better parents than you two!"

Praise indeed for someone in the military defending the country while his ex-wife is arrested for domestic battery upon her current (or not so current partner), loses the home to foreclosure while receiving $2,000 a month in child support and has a problem with drug abuse.

I had a response to my complaint regarding Judge Doyle from the Judicial Qualifications Commission - they want the transcripts of Judge Doyle's comments during trial.  

Hmmmm.

Is it worth spending another $100 on this guy?

Given the current focus on the Hague Convention and compliance with it by the likes of Brazil (see the recent article published here by Tim Weinstein), I believe it certainly is.

Lack of compliance with the law by family court judges is rife and when the Hague Convention is involved and one country (Brazil) is being asked to step up to the plate and comply with its obligations it is fair and reasonable that the other country (the United States) should be doing the same thing also.

Tim Weinstein is busy preparing his second article on the Hague Convention and his experiences with Brazil which I'm looking forward to and gauging the reaction to that, quite a few of you reading this are as well.  Another father, Carlos Bermudez from North Carolina and whose son, Sage, was abducted to Mexico is also preparing a piece on the subject which we shall be publishing shortly.

At the same time, I have written on Robert Skelton, whose daughter Marissa Joy Kvistad was abducted from Volusia County FL to Spain and thence to Switzerland while Ariel Ayubo whose son, Lorenzo, has also been abducted to Brazil has also deserved mention - both of these parents reside in Volusia County and both are relying on the Hague Convention to get their children back home to the United States.

Irresponsible comments and poor standards of judicial behaviour such as that displayed by Judge Doyle regarding Emily Rose do little to help the cause of any parent with a child taken overseas nevermind the two fathers with children directly from his own jurisdiction.  

It is obvious His Honor Judge Doyle has a set of domestic detractors but after he commented in trial,

"At my age all you I look forward to is a good nights sleep and a decent bowel movement."

I can only hope His Honor has that "decent bowel movement" before too long - judicial constipation is one reason why these cases drag on for far too long.