Judge's Misconduct Results in Man's Death

Here's a tragic story that I wanted to pass along with the hope of raising awareness to just how old and antiquated and in many, many cases simply unfair (to the father) custody (divorce) cases are. There NEEDS to be a better process and solution for maintaining equal parental rights, as well as time each parent has with their children - NO one parent (in most cases) should have the majority of time with the kids over the other, NONE!

JUDGE’S MISCONDUCT RESULTS IN MAN’S DEATH
Fulton Superior Court Judge Bensonnetta Tipton Lane ’s
Pre-Thanksgiving Ruling Results In Father’s Suicide

(Atlanta , Georgia December 3, 2008) On Sunday, November 30th, following a three-year divorce and custody battle played out in a Fulton County Superior Court, Alpharetta, Georgia resident Gregory Eisenhauer committed suicide after he received a ruling from family court judge Bensonnetta Tipton Lane one day before Thanksgiving essentially stripping Eisenhauer of any decision-making authority for his three young children.

The case of Gregory Eisenhauer v. Anne Marie R. Eisenhauer was filed in February 2006. When Eisenhauer informed his wife of his plans to file divorce litigation, Anne Marie Eisenhauer filed ex parte charges against her husband for family violence and had him removed from the home, beginning the long and tedious road facing many parents who are victimized by their spouses and subjected to Parent Alienation Syndrome, or P.A.S. After being removed from his home, Eisenhauer's contact with his children was substantially reduced. Though Eisenhauer suffered diminishing relationships with his children, he faithfully pursued an amicable resolution through litigation before Judge Lane . Despite his efforts, Judge Lane taxed Eisenhauer with the substantial costs of litigation and incredulous hurdles to satisfy the court’s examination of his qualification to serve as the children's father. Only one day before the Thanksgiving holiday, Judge Lane essentially ultimately stripped Eisenhauer of his role as the father of his children. Sadly, Eisenhauer committed suicide days later.

The least seasoned human resource managers are taught to never terminate an employee’s employment during the holidays, such as Thanksgiving or Christmas, or on an individual’s birthday. While Judge Lane ’s authority as a superior court judge is not in question, her inconsiderate and unconscionable misconduct by issuing a ruling disassembling a family the day before Thanksgiving is. Despite her 22 years of judicial service, serving as a Fulton County Superior Court judge for 13 of those years, Judge Lane's conduct was, at most, wanton and intentional, or in the very least, an example of extremely poor judgment. Judge Lane’s misconduct undoubtedly contributed to the stress Eisenhauer faced while watching his family be torn apart by an unjust judicial system.

Mr. Eisenhauer was an educated man and seasoned business professional, employed in the pharmaceutical industry and rising to the level of Chief Financial Officer. His three small children have now lost a father due to the miscarriage of justice suffered behind the closed doors of Georgia ’s family courts. Judicial and Child Welfare Reform activists, many of whom have suffered similar miscarriages of justice in Georgian courtrooms, understood Eisenhauer's plight and offered him their support.

A memorial protest rally in tribute to Gregory Eisehhauer has been organized by a group of Judicial and Child Welfare Reform activists to raise public awareness concerning tragedies, such as Eisenhauer's death, and the unbalanced judicial system many parents have or will face in divorce and custody disputes.