My name has long faded from the court’s memory. As has the little girl who’s life they’ve damaged forever: my daughter.
I’ve not seen my daughter for many years now. By the simplest psychological standard, she will carry the damage incurred at the hands of the Contra Costa County Family Court Services, James Paulsen, and theatre lighting major-turned-therapist, Sue Mayo, for the rest of her life.
I have moved on. Remarried. Happily ever after as are my sons (who have also not seen nor heard from their sister in years). The nieces and nephews who have come along since that dark moment in time don’t even know they have an aunt. Her name is not spoken.
My ex remains in Las Vegas where his lifelong child pornography addiction can be fueled and his narcissistic supply regularly re-charged.
There are times that something reminds me of my daughter and for a moment, I am sad. Then I take a deep breath and remember I’ve moved forward. I’m actually the lucky one. I’m an adult who can process injustice and injury, and move through it. She was just a kid who wanted to “live with her mother and visit her father.”
For the record, I did not get counseling as Sue Mayo recommended (since I was psychotic enough to object to child pornography in my home). Since I actually have a psychology degree which is more than Sue Mayo, I’ve come to believe that she was the psychotic one. It’s just one opinion. Just like Sue Mayo’s. Except that Sue Mayo some how, some way, holds a position of power that allows her to destroy the lives of children who are already traumatized by their parents’ divorce.
And James Paulsen? Five years later, I’m still waiting for a response to my letter of complaint about Sue Mayo.
I’m so sorry you have experienced this horrific injustice as well… Sue Mayo was my mediator in 2011 and would not grant supervised visits to the father whom was on probation for child abuse at the time.. as a result, more irreparable harm has been causeto my children.
I had Sue Mayo, too, in the Family Court Services unit of Contra Costa County Court. Sue Mayo and her boss Jim Paulsen work closely together. Sue Mayo, to my knowledge, also works closely with Dept. of Child Support Services. Based on everything I’ve learned about Sue Mayo, she subscribes to all kinds of unproven, whacko psychology that she implements in her custody recommendations in Court.
The biggest problem with Sue Mayo, in my opinion, is that she is dishonest and conveniently omits information to suit her agenda.
I am collecting Sue Mayo complaints, because there is a trend amongst parents who have had her for a mediation that Sue Mayo lies about what parents say in mediation. That’s the culture at Family Court Services – can you blame Mayo? She also uses the court to help funnel business to her private practice. Yes, Sue Mayo needs extensive retraining. She should also be removed from her post at the County if she is going to continue in private practice. She should not be using her network at the County to generate business for her private practice. It just seems wrong, if not illegal.
I’m sorry to hear that you came under the shadow known as Sue Mayo.
Yes. She funnels case work directly to her practice. As a test of this my son contacted her office under the guise that she was assigned to his incoming case. He asked if he could also come in to meet or of that precluded her from seeing him… Well, guess what her response was… no problem, just call back to set an appointment at her practice when he decides if wants to meet her. No conflict of interest here.
Add to that — she recommended that I get therapy to learn how to be a friend to my daughter in lieu of a mother (documented in my papers somewhere on this site). Gosh. I wonder who she thought I might contact for such therapy. Sorry. I didn’t have the stomach to attempt to set an appointment with her to test my theory. I was too livid that she had such an impact in ruining my daughter’s life.
There is no end in sight to the little empire that Sue Mayo, theatre-lighting guru and self-annointed child savior, and Jim-boy Paulson have been allowed to craft there in Martinez. If justice is not found in this world, then the next.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST…..
and she’s not the only mediator with multiple AGENDAS…. try the DIOCESE of Oakland….she lives in ORINDA….near my kid’s relatives!
Quite convenient since my daughter’s father has NOT followed his COURT ORDER with OUR child yet has custody of her half sisters. Yep, CONvicted Judge CRAM used my testimony to place the girls with their abusive father EVEN THOUGH HE WAS ON PROBATION FOR ABUSING MY DAUGHTER AT THE AGE OF 5 BY WHIPPING HER WITH A METAL BEARING BEOR THAT WELTED HER THIGH AND SLAPPING HER FACE SO HARD THAT HIS HANDPRINT WAS ON HER CHEEK….oh, YEAH, and when I asked what happened (since it was an early bright sunny mornung) he said he didn’t know and that the dog must have jumped on her and done it!
Can you tell us what judge you had? All of the judges at Contra Costa County will defer to the “expertise” of Family Court Services, but it would still be nice to know.
Trevor White (who has since moved on).
Ah OK. well, it doesn’t really matter since the judges stamp + adopt those reports. It makes sense why it’s an issue….Fcs mediators can say whatever they want, regardless of basis in fact and truth, and the judge says ‘ok’
THERE HAS NEVER BEEN ANY EXPERTISE AT CONRRA COSTA FAMILY COURT.
ANY DECENT AND EDUCATED PERSOM WOULD DELIVER ALL HIGH CONFLICT CASES OVER TO CRIMINAL COURT AND INVESTIGATIONS WOULD SHOW THE REALITY OF THE CORRUPTION IN A MONEY DRIVEN COUNTY EHERE KIDS ARE CONSISTENTLY ABUSED THROIGH THEIR PROCESS…. IT HAS NEVER SJPWM ME OR ANY PERSON I KNOW ANY DUE PROCESS OF LAW, CIVIL RIGHTS, ADA DISMISSAL, AND CONTINUED COURT ORDERED ABUSE FOR AS LONG AS YOUR CHILD IS UNDER 12!!!!!!
James Paulsen epitomizes the term,
“Misery Loves Company”
He will listen to the facts you present to him and then cover his ASS as well as his department….THEN LIE ON THE STAND!
I welcome Mr. Paulsen to confront me again ANY TIME and ANY PLACE and EXPLAIN to my daughter, her sisters, the mother of my daughter’s sisters and MYSELF …EXACTLY WHY HE FEELS WHAT HE DID WAS IN THE BEST INTEREST IF 5 WOMEN AND CHILDREN….VERSES A NARCISSISTIC ABUSIVE AND VIOLENT FATHER!!!!
I’m sure he’s tell us to go see his LAME MEDIATOR at COCO FAMILY COURT as well as in the DIOCESE of Oakland ….SHE’S truly EVIL and told my daughter that she WASN’T going to see her sisters ever again UNLESS SHE SAW HER ABUSIVE FATHER….oh, yeah, that is SO SPIRITUALLY FIT!