After Scathing Report, Officials Deny Problems in Marin's Family Court

By: Shoshana Walter

Court officials in Marin County are apparently still denying there are any problems following the release yesterday of a state audit highly critical of Marin’s family court, reports Gary Klien in the Marin Independent Journal.

Residents have long bemoaned problems in court and even urged a criminal probe. The legislative audit confirmed many of their concerns. The 113-page report, which also describes problems in Sacramento, found, among other issues, that the Marin court could not show that all of its child-custody mediators met minimum qualifications of training and continuing education, including basic training. The audit also said the court was not following established processes for logging and responding to complaints.

Here is the response from Presiding Judge Terrence Boren and Director Kim Turner, according to the Independent Journal article: “On February 25, 2009, Senator (Mark) Leno told the IJ, 'If there's no problem, there's no problem. … Well, Senator Leno, there's no problem. This independent audit proves that point beyond any doubt.”

Leno responded, according to the paper, that court officials are in denial: “Clearly they have not read the many, many pages of recommendations from the auditor, and they’ve got their heads in the sand.”

Auditors presented 13 recommendations, including ensuring that mediators meet minimum qualifications and training. Court officials said they would make the changes, but questioned the necessity and value of some of the recommendations. Auditors plan to meet with court officials three times over the next year to ensure progress.

Read the full report here.