Case study reports

Corruption, bias, and outcomes that don't survive daylight.

Each report below is drawn from public filings, docket sheets, and firsthand observation of hearings in North Texas family courts. Identifying details are altered to protect children; procedural facts are not. Reports cover both CPS-involved cases and private custody battles between parents.

County

CPS

6 reports

Report No. NTX-2026-014Tarrant County · Family District CourtNo CPS involvement

The amicus who never met the child

A modification suit affecting the parent-child relationship in which the court-appointed amicus attorney billed for 22 hours of work yet, by their own testimony, never conducted a home visit or spoke with the six-year-old at issue.

What the record shows

Amicus recommendation adopted verbatim into the order within 48 hours of filing.
No independent interview of the child documented in the file.
Fee award of $6,400 assessed entirely against the parent who objected.

Outcome

Standard possession reduced to supervised visitation. Appeal abandoned after the family exhausted funds.

Patterns flagged

Rubber-stamped recommendationsFee-shifting as leverage

Published May 18, 2026

Report No. NTX-2026-009Dallas County · Family District CourtCPS involved

Emergency removal on a two-paragraph affidavit

Children were removed following an ex parte order supported by an affidavit that contained no first-hand observation and repeated a single anonymous hotline call.

What the record shows

Adversary hearing held 13 days after removal, exceeding the statutory 14-day window only by a docket continuance the parents did not request.
Service plan issued before any assessment was completed.
Two of three alleged safety concerns were withdrawn at the status hearing without correction to the record.

Outcome

Children returned after 118 days. No findings entered regarding the accuracy of the original affidavit.

Patterns flagged

Thin ex parte affidavitsDelay as de facto custody

Published April 2, 2026

Report No. NTX-2026-021Collin County · Family District CourtNo CPS involvement

A gag provision that swallowed the record

A temporary order barred both parents from discussing the case 'with any third party,' a term the court later read to include a licensed therapist and a state complaint office.

What the record shows

Enforcement motion filed against a parent for reporting to a licensing board.
Order signed without any evidentiary hearing on the need for restraint.
Record sealed on the movant's oral request.

Outcome

Contempt threatened but not entered. Provision remained in force for eleven months.

Patterns flagged

Sealed recordsSpeech restrictions

Published June 11, 2026

Report No. NTX-2026-005Denton County · Family District CourtNo CPS involvement

One evaluator, forty appointments, one conclusion

A single custody evaluator received the overwhelming majority of appointments from one court over three years and recommended primary conservatorship to the higher-earning parent in nearly every reviewed file.

What the record shows

40 appointments identified from public dockets between 2023 and 2026.
Evaluation reports averaged nine pages with substantial repeated language across unrelated families.
No documented instance of an evaluator recommendation being rejected.

Outcome

Pattern reported to the presiding judge of the administrative region. No response on record.

Patterns flagged

Repeat-player expertsIncome-correlated outcomes

Published February 27, 2026

Report No. NTX-2026-018Rockwall County · Family District CourtCPS involved

Eleven minutes to change a childhood

Courtroom observers timed a permanency hearing at eleven minutes, including docket call, with no testimony from the caseworker who prepared the report.

What the record shows

Parent's counsel appointed the morning of the hearing.
Report entered by agreement of counsel over the parent's stated objection.
Goal changed to termination without a stated evidentiary basis on the record.

Outcome

Goal change stood. Case set for trial nine months out.

Patterns flagged

Assembly-line docketsLate-appointed counsel

Published July 9, 2026

Report No. NTX-2026-023Ellis County · County Court at LawCPS involved

Counsel for eighteen families in one morning

A single appointed attorney appeared for eighteen respondent parents on one docket, with observed client conferences averaging under four minutes in the hallway.

What the record shows

No motions filed in fifteen of the eighteen matters.
Continuance requests denied where the parent appeared without transportation.
Interpreter requested and not provided in two matters observed.

Outcome

Twelve default or agreed orders entered the same morning.

Patterns flagged

Overloaded appointed counselLanguage access failures

Published July 30, 2026

Reporting note: these summaries describe conduct observed in the record and are not allegations of criminal wrongdoing by any named individual. Nothing here is legal advice.