CourtWatch Wine & Cheese Event 

From October 2009 - September 2010, there were 31 domestic violence related fatalities in Orange & Seminole Counties. Additionally, ten perpetrators committed suicide.

The CourtWatch Board of Directors invites you to attend our 2nd Annual Wine & Cheese Event on Friday, November 5th from 6:00pm until 8:00pm.

We hope you'll join us for an evening of food, wine and new friends. Come hear about how the court system handles family violence, sexual assault and child abuse cases. Learn about the impact that CourtWatch volunteers are having on the justice system.

Click on the link below and register today.

Within six months of our inception, CourtWatch was monitoring injunction hearings and witnessed a petitioner request that her toddler have only supervised visits with his father.  The father, in addition to being physically violent with her, abused alcohol and drugs in front of their child.  The judge glared at the Petitioner and told her "You should have thought about that before you chose him to be the father of your child."
 
Upon observing this demeanor, CourtWatch compiled a report detailing 37 hearings that had been monitored with this particular judge. The judge was overwhelmingly described as "rude" and "condescending" to the people in her courtroom. She consistently spoke in "legalese" and did not explain the process to the parties involved. In another case, she permitted child visitation by the Respondent (abuser) in the Petitioner's (victim's) home!  CourtWatch met with the Administrative Judge for the Division to share our findings and concerns. Within two months, the judge in question was reassigned.

  

We hope that you will join with us to have an impact on the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse in our community.