Child Trafficking

Custody Evaluator’s Credentials Questioned In Lawsuit

by JW August ~ July 9th, 2009

guyDr. Stephen Doyne, PhD, is widely used in the San Diego Family Court as a custody evaluator. His job is to advise the court on where children of divorce should live, which parent is more fit. The evaluations can be costly, both in emotion and dollars. Clients told the 10 News I-Team they paid Doyne between $5,000 and $30,000.

“A child custody evaluator has tremendous power and influence,” said Marc Angelucci. He’s an attorney representing Dr. Emad Tadros in a civil lawsuit against Dr. Doyne alleging fraud and negligence.

Dr. Tadros is Vice Chief of Scripps Behavioral Health Services. He was a client of Dr. Doyne and felt Doyne’s work was unprofessional. When Tadros researched Doyne’s credentials, he believed they were falsified and dubious.

“I think it’s a big deal to have misleading credentials, particularly when you are a child custody evaluator that the courts refer people to,” pointed out Angelucci.

While Dr. Doyne is a licensed psychologist, questions remain, for instance, the “Diplomate” title Dr. Doyne uses.

In a letter filed in court documents, Dr. Doyne signs his name and calls himself a “Diplomate of the American College of Forensic Examiners.”

The college, Angelucci says, is a “sham organizations” that “sells fake diplomas.”

“They’ve given credentials to a cat,” he said.

The cat was named Zoe. D. Katze. The American Bar Association Journal reported how the housecat was credentialed.

The I-Team called the American College of Forensic Examiners for a comment. They were told they could not have any information without the signed consent of the member they were calling about.

Dr. Doyne’s resume, also filed in court documents, lists Doyne as an Adjunct Professor at the University of San Diego Law School.

I Team Reporter Lauren Reynolds questioned Angelucci “true or false?”

His response, “From what we’ve seen, completely false.”

In court documents, U.S.D. claims no record of Dr. Doyne as a professor, searching “back to the mid-1970.”

Maureen Miller, a client of Dr. Doyne, said Doyne made another claim to her.

“He had told me that he had been a professor at U.C.S.D.”

A letter from U.C.S.D., also filed in the court file, says after “extensive research” Stephen Doyne has not been directly employed by the University of California San Diego.

In Doyne’s declaration to the court he says he worked at both universities “25 to 30 years ago” and that “nobody keeps records that long.”

We requested an interview with Dr. Doyne. His attorney, Christopher Zopatti, said his client “can’t personally respond” to our questions because of the pending lawsuit. However, he wrote, “Dr. Doyne stands by his record of education and experience.” Zopatti called the allegations against Dr. Doyne “unsubstantiated.”

John Van Dorn, a Doyne client, said “You have a certain expectation that the courts have vetted out the person they are appointing.”

Dr. Doyne is one of a dozen custody evaluators repeatedly used by San Diego Family Court. The court had no response to the allegations against Dr. Doyne. The court also clarified that it does not verify the professional licenses or the resumes of the custody evaluators.
RESOURCE: 10 news http://www.10news.com/investigationblog/index.html




SAN DIEGO -- When Joyce Murphy gave birth late in life to a beautiful, healthy little girl, it was a surprise. Murphy was told she couldn't have children."I was ecstatic," she said.She is a 20-year employee of the University of California, San Diego, and was married to Henry Parson when her daughter was born.

 "In the beginning, he was very charming," she said.But as their child grew, Murphy said, her husband's behavior became disturbing."He would wake me up at two o'clock in the morning, tell me about pornography he'd seen and wanted to reenact, and it was pornography about kids."She became frightened of his post traumatic stress disorder from his tour in Vietnam, which included a story about raping villagers. She filed for divorce in 2002 when her daughter was 6.A battle ensued in San Diego County Family Court over custody of the little girl.Murphy claimed that her daughter was afraid of Parson."She would cry if she had to be left with him," said Murphy.The young girl told a doctor that when Parson was angry he pushed down on her shoulders and injured her. The doctor reported it to Child Protective Service, which Murphy said termed the incident inconclusive."From that point on, I was demonized by the courts," she said.She said she was viewed as a delusional, argumentative trouble maker, while Parson was viewed more favorably.One therapist appointed by Family Court, Marilyn Marshall, wrote that Mr. Parson was "no danger to anyone, especially his daughter.""So this therapist said it was my fears of the father that was making the child afraid," Murphy explained.Parsons was granted immediate overnight visits."And I just broke," said Murphy. "I thought, either I go to jail or I protect my child. It was like a primal instinct."Murphy took her daughter and ran. She was arrested in Florida, brought to San Diego and tossed in jail.She eventually pleaded no contest to felony kidnapping, accepting the charge without admitting guilt. She was placed on probation."I was told I was toxic to my daughter," said Murphy.Her bosses at UCSD stood by her, but she lost her daughter to her ex-husband and was granted only limited visitation."And I thought, all I'm trying to do is protect my little girl from someone I know is a danger," said Murphy.So she waited and worried for six years, until a call last November. Murphy had to pick up her daughter, because another young girl had bravely come forward, accusing Parson of molesting her. Parson was now the one behind bars."This man is a monster, and he hurts little girls," said Murphy.The criminal complaint charges Parson with hurting three girls, two of them younger than 14 years old. The charges include oral sex with a child, molestation, possessing child porn and using a child to make porn.A report from the District Attorney's Office said, "The defendant's computers and camera were seized ... revealed numerous photographs of young girls."Using those photographs, an Oceanside police officer was able to identify and speak with one of the girls, which led to more charges against Parson.Joyce Murphy feels vindicated, but it's bittersweet."I blame the entire family court system," she said, "because they are not held accountable."I-Team reporter Lauren Reynolds posed the question to the supervising judge of the San Diego County Family Court, Lorna Alksne."Is family court doing a good job?""Family court is doing an excellent job," Alksne said.She said each judge must juggle between 200 and 300 cases every month. She said the judges read before work, after work and during breaks to be prepared for their full day of hearings.She can't comment directly on the Murphy case, and was not involved, but she acknowledges the need for improvement in how child custody cases are decided."Family Court has, statewide, some issues on how do you really make a determination on where children should live?"Joyce Murphy said Family Court's only good decision in her case was granting her full permanent custody of her daughter after her ex husband was jailed.Henry Parson's daughter is not one of the victims alleged in the criminal complaint. Parson declined to speak with the 10News I-Team. His attorney has a policy of not commenting on pending criminal cases.
RESOURCE: 10 news http://www.10news.com/news/19265275/detail.html