Fireworks in Cook County

Another judge has removed themselves from the Girard child custody case.

Judge Renee Goldfarb is no longer presiding over the child custody case between Kenton Girard and Jane Girard

On Thursday August 15, 2024, at noon local time in the Cook County (IL) Courthouse I was expecting fireworks.

That’s when a pre-trial hearing was scheduled to take place in the child custody case between Kent and Jane Girard.

Normally, pre-trial hearings are boring, full of nerdy legal talk.

This was no ordinary pre-trial hearing. Kent Girard had recently filed an explosive federal lawsuit, alleging that many people involved in his child custody case were receiving bribes originating with his ex-wife’s attorneys at Beermann Law Group.

One of the people who Kenton Girard, in his lawsuit, alleged took a bribe was the judge currently presiding over his child custody case: Judge Renee Goldfarb.

Upon information and belief, Judge Boyd has shared some of the cash payments received from Beermann LLP with Judge Goldfarb wherein Beermann LLP has requested favorable rulings on proceedings before her – including those initiated by Jane Girard. Upon information and belief, Judge Boyd has similarly shared some of the cash payments received from Beermann LLP with other family law judges in Cook County. Upon information and belief, Judge Boyd serves as a gatekeeper to Beermann LLP to certain other judges in the family law courts in Cook County including without limitation Judge Goldfarb.

Judge Goldfarb has been on this case since March of 2024, when she replaced Judge William Boyd, who also allegedly took bribes.

Judge Goldfarb did not respond to an email for comment, at her chambers.

Last week, in the inaugural episode, Rick Luthmann and I discussed this case, approximately fifteen minutes in.

{Rick has previously written about the lawsuit, along with Julie Holburn}

Kent was prepared to speak about the alleged bribes at this hearing. Here is part of what he planned to say.

This proceeding is compromised. Per the Federal pleading, Beermann has unnecessarily increased motions and pleadings, while adding a multitude of professionals to the case which created a high conflict case, in order to increase billings to their client while promising their client that they will win the case and force me to pay for their fees as threatened in emails and stated in person by Enrico Mirabelli. 

Enrico Mirabelli is one of the Beermann lawyers currently representing Kent’s ex-wife.

I reached out to Mr. Mirabelli at his office, leaving voicemail, but received no response.

Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. At the eleventh hour, Judge Goldfarb recused herself, on her own motion.

Judge Goldfarb replaced Judge Boyd, who also recused himself earlier this year from the case.

I first covered the Girard custody case in the summer of 2023, when Boyd was still on the case. At the time, it had been about a year since either of Kent’s twin daughters, Gwen and Grace, had seen their mom.

The two teenagers accused their mom of molesting them, while Jane accused Kent of alienating her.

The Girard’s actually have a long-standing custody order, one that no one wants to enforce for the last two years.

Yet, before Judge Goldfarb recused herself, the proceeding was scheduled for a custody hearing later this month.

The whole thing stinks, and it smells of a racket.

That’s what Kent Girard is alleging in his lawsuit.

At the center of this scheme is a Beermann lawyer named John D’Arco.

I left D’Arco a voicemail at his office, but he did not respond.

D’Arco has the pedigree to lead a bribery scheme. His father is John D’Arco, and he was convicted in a bribery scheme while serving in the Illinois State Senate.

State Sen. John D’Arco Jr. was convicted on charges of attempted extortion and falsifying tax statements in connection with allegations that he tried to trade his influence for cash.

D’Arco, assistant Senate majority leader, faces up to 45 years in prison, an assistant U.S. attorney said after Friday’s verdict. Sentencing for the Chicago Democrat was set for April 30.

It’s not only dirty judges who this lawsuit alleges are on the take. Earlier this summer, I did a story about how Kent and his wife Marissa found an AirTag device surreptitiously installed in their car.

Marissa told me she was “1000% sure” it was Jane who installed it. When Glencoe (IL) Police, where the alleged crime occurred, investigated it, they traced the AirTag to Jane Girard.

But Glencoe Police refused to refer the matter for prosecution. Here is the statement I received when I did the story earlier.

On April 5^th, 2024, Kenton and Marissa Girard arrived at the Glencoe Public Safety Headquarters and made allegations that an electronic tracking device was placed on their vehicle without their permission. Glencoe Public Safety is committed to fully investigate all criminal allegations to the extent of their authority. Detectives took significant steps to determine how the device came to be placed on the vehicle. All investigative leads were exhausted to include court orders, review of video and attempts to interview persons alleged to be associated with the incident {emphasis mine}. To be clear, Glencoe Detectives were unable to definitively determine any guilty party in this incident. Specifically, Glencoe Detectives have not been able to uncover direct evidence nor confirm the identity of the person that placed the device on the vehicle. That specific point is necessary to formulate probable cause, which is the legal burden necessary for any arrest. The full details of the investigation were then shared with Kenton and Marissa Girard on multiple occasions, to include on Friday.

I reached out to the Village of Glencoe for a comment for this story, but I received no response.

I sent an email to Jane Girard, but she did not respond.

Jane Girard, from Rick Luthmann’s story

The lead detective who investigated the AirTag incident was Detective Ryan McEnerney. The same Detective McEnerney also investigated the alleged sexual molestation in 2023. Neither resulted in criminal charges.

The lawsuit alleges this is because Detective McEnerney is on the take.

Ms. Ciesla, “the fixer” referred to in the lawsuit, is Kathryn Ciesla, an attorney from law firm of Ciesla Beeler.

I reached out to Ms. Ciesla by email, but she did not respond. The lawsuit alleges that Ms. Ciesla is responsible for coordinating bribes to fix cases routinely.

In other instances, Beermann LLP does not hesitate to direct personnel outside of the proceedings to undertake extra-judicial maneuvering. For example, upon information and belief, Beermann LLP directed outside counsel Kathryn Ciesla Esq {emphasis mine} from Northfield to deliver some form of illicit consideration (possibly a cash payment) to Village of Glencoe Detective Ryan McEnerney– on his way home from work in nearby Glencoe on or around early August 2023– in exchange for his written finding that felony child sex assault charges against Jane Girard were “unfounded”

This scheme corrupts the court, the lawsuit alleges, so that Beermann and others can continue to bill in perpetuity.

Currently, the case has a child representative, Joel Levin.

I reached out to Mr. Levin by email, but he didn’t respond.

It previously had a guardian ad litem, a reunification therapist, other therapists, and a clinical social worker, all appointed, generating hundreds of thousands in fees.

Both Kent and Jane Girard live in Glencoe, Illinois, one of the wealthiest cities in the USA.

The fees are hoisted, coercively, on two people who can afford them. It’s something that Gwen and Grace took notice of last year.

It’s what a layman would call a racket. We’re about to find out if the legal system agrees.