Federal Judge Issues Landmark Decision in Call for Family Court Reform

Mikaela Haynes, 14, killed herself after a family court judge ruled she had to live with her father who had already admitted to molesting his oldest sister. Mikaela was a high honor student who adored animals, studied sign language so she could communicate with two elderly deaf neighbors and dreamed of becoming a pediatric surgeon specializing in facial deformities of children, hung herself from a tree. Courtesy of Cynthia Hayens

In a landmark decision, a federal judge this week denied a court-appointed child advocate’s motion to dismiss a wrongful death lawsuit against her. The lawsuit asks the court to hold her accountable for the suicide of 14-year-old Mikaela Haynes.

Family court reform advocates say they are nearly in disbelief at the ruling.