Dad and mom name household courtroom that led to Catherine Kassenoff suicide ‘hell’

When mother-of-three Catherine Kassenoff introduced on social media in Could that she planned to undergo assisted suicide in Switzerland quite than proceed with a bitter divorce battle in Westchester County, many litigants who discovered themselves mired in what they are saying is a “corrupt” state courtroom system sympathized with the previous particular counsel to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

“It’s hell,” one mom, who has spent years battling her ex-husband in Westchester State Supreme Court docket, instructed The Publish. “It’s nearly as if they need you to kill your self.”

“Everybody in Westchester is speaking about Kassenoff, ” stated a White Plains-based legal professional. “We’re all in shock.”

The Publish spoke to a number of defendants in custody battles taking part in out within the Westchester courtroom system, which one mom, at the moment mired in a protracted divorce, referred to as “corrupt.” A campaigner stated the courtroom system was used to perpetuate “abuse” by monied spouses.

Many spoke of a courtroom system dominated by forensic custody evaluators, who usually favor the wealthier mum or dad in bitter custody battles.

In such circumstances, judges order an analysis of the kids concerned. Matrimonial attorneys suggest evaluators, who’re skilled in psychology and make their suggestions to the decide, to their shoppers. The warring dad and mom are supposed to decide on them collectively.

However the mum or dad with more cash usually wins out, litigants instructed The Publish.

“These individuals, who’re imagined to work for the perfect pursuits of youngsters, will solely converse to you for those who pay them lots of of {dollars} an hour,” stated an entrepreneur who misplaced custody of his two youngsters after he may now not pay $350 per hour for a forensic custody evaluator beneficial by his estranged spouse’s legal professional.

In Kassenoff’s case, she misplaced custody of her three daughters, ages 9, 12 and 13, after psychiatric evaluator Marc T. Abrams beneficial to the decide that their father, attorney Allan Kassenoff, be awarded sole custody.

“As a result of the courts of New York State are so invested in minimizing, suppressing and punishing legitimate claims of abuse, the courts imposed ‘supervision’ on me for saying that the ladies have been telling the reality about their father’s abuse,” stated Catherine Kassenoff in her suicide observe. “This supervision, which got here at a value to me of $2500/week at its peak, was on the suggestion of a court-appointed forensic evaluator named Marc Abrams. Abrams was faraway from the Panel of Forensic Custody Evaluators on August 24, 2021.”

She filed a complaint of misconduct against Abrams, which resulted in his elimination from the Psychological Well being Skilled Certification Committee, State of New York, Appellate Division, Supreme Court docket, First, and Second Judicial Departments as a psychological well being skilled.

In the course of the proceedings, pictures surfaced of the decide presiding over the case officiating Abrams’ marriage ceremony. When Kassenoff referred to as out the alleged bias, Decide Lewis Lubell recused himself from her case.

Carol Most, the legal professional for Kassenoff’s youngsters, was additionally dismissed from the case after Kassenoff sued her for misconduct. Final month, Kassenoff’s estranged husband resigned from the law firm Greenberg Traurig amid intense public backlash.

“The movies which have circulated on social media during the last two months have been edited, taken out of context and depict occasions that occurred greater than six years in the past,” stated Allan Kassenoff in an emailed assertion to The Publish Thursday. “They symbolize me at my worst, throughout a really poisonous relationship when my associate’s psychological well being was an pressing matter. I’m not happy with how I acted.”

He famous that his spouse reported him to Youngster Protecting Providers eight occasions and that every investigation resulted in an “unfounded” end result.

“Catherine’s allegations have been reported to 4 separate judges and vetted throughout a two week custody trial, following which I used to be awarded sole authorized and bodily custody and she or he was allowed solely supervised visitation,” Allan continued. “Furthermore, two separate impartial, court-appointed forensic specialists issued written stories to the courtroom discovering Catherine to be a hazard to the kids and recommending supervised entry.”

The function of the evaluators is only one of many issues plaguing the system in Westchester, stated one skilled, who instructed The Publish the primary problem is an absence of correct coaching and motivation on the a part of attorneys, judges and little one advocates.

“The abuse of the system is especially outstanding in Westchester as a result of cash is such a motivator right here,” stated Monica Getz, who heads the Coalition for Family Justice in Irvington and has first-hand expertise. The mom of 5 underwent her personal troublesome divorce from jazz musician Stan Getz, who was hooked on medicine and alcohol, in 1989. He died two years later.

Getz’s nonprofit has labored for practically 40 years to “determine issues and advocate for systemic adjustments” within the courtroom system. “New York State legislation re­quires pricey Supreme Court docket trial professional­ceed­ings which es­pe­cially harm ladies and depart many abused chil­dren voice­much less, and the professional­tec­tive par­ent pow­er­much less to professional­tect be­reason for di­min­ish­ing funds,” in accordance with her web site.

“Attorneys which are imagined to symbolize the kids usually work representing probably the most aggressive mum or dad and sometimes probably the most abusive mum or dad,” Getz stated. “The particular person telling the reality, which in lots of circumstances is the mom, will not be believed as a result of she will not be as expert because the abusive mum or dad in manipulation … The kids are sometimes caught within the center.”

One father instructed The Publish: “In Westchester, divorce may be very huge enterprise. Custody is all the time awarded to the monied social gathering.” He stated that Abrams had additionally been employed as a forensic custody evaluator in his ongoing divorce case.

Whereas matrimonial attorneys working within the county didn’t fully agree with the remark, they did level out a few of the vagaries of working in a small group the place attorneys and judges attend the identical features and are sometimes shut.

Religion Miller, a matrimonial legal professional who usually represents the rights of youngsters in divorce circumstances, is married to Alan Scheinkman, who was the previous administrative decide in Westchester County from 2009 by means of 2017. He went on to grow to be the presiding decide of the Appellate Division in Brooklyn, appointed by former governor Andrew Cuomo.

“It was extensively identified that if Religion was your adversary, the decide would bend over backwards as a result of her husband was his or her boss,” stated a White Plains-based matrimonial legal professional who didn’t wish to be recognized. “It took a powerful decide to rule towards him.”

Kassenoff stated that the battle towards her lawyer husband to realize custody of her three daughters was so intense that “within the final 4 years of my life I’ve woken up on daily basis to a nightmare like no different,” she wrote in a suicide observe posted on Fb. Kassenoff died on May 27 in Oristalstrasse, Switzerland, a small city west of Zurich, in accordance with stories. Her reason for loss of life was not revealed on account of Swiss privateness legal guidelines.