Accountability Survey Project

Who Presides Over Your Case

A Documented History

Marin County family court has a documented history that is more thoroughly investigated than almost any other county in California.

Evidence Destroyed During an Active Investigation

In 2009, following complaints from litigants and attorneys, state legislators including Marin Senator Marc Leno called for an audit of the Marin County family court. The audit was conducted by the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Before the audit was complete, Marin County Court Administrator Kim Turner ordered the destruction of Family Court Services mediator working files. These files contained photographs of children's injuries, statements from witnesses, police reports, and drawings made by children. The destruction was acknowledged publicly by court officials, who argued the files were not official court records and were not required to be retained.

When the audit was eventually completed, it found that Marin County Family Court Services mediators were not reading court files before making custody recommendations, were not checking for prior restraining orders or emergency protective orders, had never been questioned about their training in domestic violence or child abuse before being hired, and were not following mandatory standards for handling domestic violence cases as required by California Rules of Court.

Backdated Records and a Formal Complaint to Law Enforcement

In June 2014, California family law attorney Barbara Kauffman filed a formal complaint with law enforcement and judicial oversight officials alleging that Marin County Superior Court Family Law Judge Beverly Wood and Court Administrator Kim Turner participated in backdating official court records. The complaint requested a criminal investigation and, if appropriate, indictment for evidence tampering and obstruction of justice.

The complaint alleged that the backdated records included the official Marin Superior Court register of actions and a minute order relating to a judicial disqualification request that had been filed against Judge Wood in a child custody case. The disqualification request had been based on claims that Wood gave special treatment to and engaged in communications outside the presence of both parties with one side's attorney in an active custody matter.

Judge Wood had been previously reported to the California Commission on Judicial Performance in connection with record-tampering concerns. Kim Turner was the same court administrator who had ordered the destruction of mediator files during the state audit.

What Families Actually Experience

Marin County operates a program called the Interdisciplinary Settlement Conference, which pairs a volunteer mental health professional and a volunteer family law attorney with a judicial officer to help resolve contested custody disputes. While this program was designed to be innovative, it means that attorneys and mental health professionals with existing relationships to the court are regularly brought into closed proceedings with a judge to influence outcomes in your case.

Family Court Services mediators make custody recommendations that carry significant weight with the judge. The state audit documented that these recommendations were being made after meetings of only one to two hours with parents, without reading the court file, and without reviewing prior protective orders.

Minor's counsel is drawn from a small local pool. The Marin County Bar Association, whose membership includes both practicing family law attorneys and the court's judicial officers, plays a central role in the professional development and networking of everyone who participates in your case.

Labels Used to Silence Safety Concerns

One of the most documented patterns in California family courts is the use of labels such as "parental alienator," "high-conflict parent," and "enmeshed parent" to reframe a parent's legitimate safety concerns as manipulation or mental instability.

Parental Alienation Syndrome was created by a single psychiatrist in the 1980s and has been formally rejected as junk science by mainstream mental health organizations. It does not appear in any clinical diagnostic manual. Research published in peer-reviewed journals documents that parental alienation claims are disproportionately used against mothers raising domestic violence allegations, and that labeling cases "high conflict" can obscure underlying abuse.

No Record, No Recourse

In Marin County, obtaining an official written transcript of your hearing requires hiring a private court reporter at your own expense. Without a transcript, appealing a decision is functionally impossible for most litigants.

The evidence destruction in 2009 demonstrated what happens to records in this court when oversight arrives. Mediator files containing children's drawings, injury photographs, and witness statements were shredded during an active state investigation.

What the Data Can Do That Individual Complaints Cannot

One parent's account can be dismissed. One bar complaint can sit uninvestigated for years. A criminal complaint filed with law enforcement can go unacted upon. A state audit can be resisted, delayed, and met with evidence destruction.

When 50, 80, or 100 people document the same patterns - the same custody recommendations made without reading their files, the same safety concerns dismissed, the same labels applied - that is no longer a complaint.

That is a documented systemic failure.

This survey data will be used for public reporting, media investigations, legislative advocacy, regulatory complaints to the California Commission on Judicial Performance and the State Bar, and as supporting documentation in legal proceedings.

Every response matters. Your experience, even described briefly, adds to a record that cannot be dismissed.