Judge Zabor upholds order: gives temporary custody to abuser.
In Maricopa County, on Friday June 30, 2023, there was a bit of performance art in the courtroom of Judge Melissa Zabor.
Last week, I investigated the case of Rachel Cardona and her ex-husband Ballard Ivory.
Judge Zabor had granted Ivory temporary sole custody on an emergency basis: ex-parte pending a hearing for June 30.
Judge Zabor granted Mr. Ivory sole custody despite a history of physical abuse on his part.
Here is part of a police report, “{Their son} stated that when they lived in Ohio with father, there was always yelling. He stated that Father would hurt Mother all the time. {Their son} stated that he started defending Mother by throwing stuff at Father. {Their son} stated Father punched his big brother, {their son}. {Their son} stated that the brother fell down the stairs and dad laughed.”
As such, Ivory had a hard time getting his kids to go with him.
Their reticence, Ivory- and in particular his attorney Regina Pangeri- claimed was parental alienation.
Based on this so-called parental alienation, Judge Zabor granted him an emergency ex-parte order for temporary sole custody on Wednesday June 28, 2023, pending this hearing.
This hearing was supposed to be non-transparent.
Here is what the court said about an official recording, “Unfortunately, if it was it not recorded on the FTR there is no way we can get in on their {sic} since there is no footage. Have you contacted a transcribing company for a copy of the transcript.”
Fortunately, I got a bootlegged copy.
I can see why the court would want to keep this hearing hidden, since it was performance art.
The star witness was Kristyn Alcott, the corrupt supervisor of supervised visits, with a history of siding with abusers when they claim parental alienation.
Alcott described in painstaking detail her presence at a custody exchange in June 2023.
The custody exchange did not go well, and the children refused to go with their father.
An audio, Ms. Alcott claimed was later released of the exchange, except there’s one curious thing about this exchange.
Rachel wasn’t even there.
Yes, she got the blame at this performance art of a hearing for an exchange she did not attend.
Her alienation skills are so impressive she can alienate her children through telepathy.
Next, Ms. Alcott talked about me: I think she may have a crush.
Ms. Alcott was quite perturbed about my story, and it was all about the children. She even bemoaned the email I sent to her.
Ms. Alcott,
My name is Michael Volpe. I'm an investigative journalist, and I run this site.
I understand that you are the supervisor for supervised visits on this case, and several others where parental alienation is alleged. I have found a pattern that you buy into the alienation narrative, like in Michelle Fox's case.
It's my understanding that the four children have been removed from the mother's home and they are in a psych ward because they refuse to go to their father.
What's going on? This seems more like child trafficking. How much money are you making on all this? Why are you repeatedly looking the other way on abuse?
It was a shocking display by me I know. She wasn’t the only one. Regina, Ballard’s attorney, was also morally outraged to receive an email from me.
My name is Michael Volpe. I'm an investigative journalist, and I run this site.
I'm working on a story about this custody case. I understand that the children were forced to go with your client yesterday and refused so they were sent to a psych ward. You claim that he is the victim of parental alienation.
As you may know, the UN recently submitted a report arguing that physical abusers often claim parental alienation. Your client happens to have a history of physical abuse. Is that mere coincidence, or are you arguing pseudoscience here?
Would you speak with me? How about your client? I see there is a hearing Friday afternoon, I'm planning on finishing this before then. Let me know.
Ballard himself was shocked, shocked I tell you, that media would pick up court case.
Regina at one point described the shocking violation of privacy. She said I used photos- of the kids after a beating, allegedly, by her client- police reports, and even court records.
This, she claimed, were private. Police reports and court records, I hate to inform Ms. Pangeri, are not private.
Both her and Ballard were quite distraught: think about the children. I’ve heard this before. When Judge Angela “Angie” Dalton in New Jersey found out about my news story in the case she presided, she too was worried about the children.
"Just so it's clear, I don't think it's in the best interest of this child that anything that addresses him, who he is, his likeness, his image, things about him, be posted. But I have significant concerns, I don't think this is the internet’s top ten posting." Judge Dalton said about my story in that case.
It’s a cause célèbre for those afraid of scrutiny to cry about the children.
Here is Mikale Bendian from a case I covered in California.
I, MIKALE BENDIAN respectfully seek an order sealing the record in the above entitled case, in full for the protection of our family’s privacy, our daughter’s privacy and mental health, and all our safety.
On June 15th, I received an email from Michael Volpe, a reporter, stating that he was going to be publishing a story about this case, as follows, ‘I’m going to be doing an article hopefully on the custody fight with your ex, Kristin Haynes, over your daughter. I would love to speak with you about it.’
…
The article published online that day, entitled ‘California Transgender Parent Claims He is Parental Alienation Victim’
Embedded in the article are court orders, and Ms. Haynes had not only given him information about the case and our daughter, she told the reporter very private information about me and my transgender status.
Those desperate to avoid scrutiny love to cry about the children. I reached out to Ms. Alcott and Ms. Pangeri, but they are both shy.
The problem is that a failed custody exchange and mean article are not supposed to be grounds for an ex-parte emergency change of custody.
I previously interviewed Scott Segal, who found this out the hard way. His ex-wife willfully violated court orders; after she took their kids cross county, she simply refused to make them available for custody time. For months, he couldn’t seem them, but the court did not treat this as an emergency.
In Judge Zabor’s courtroom, this was treated like an emergency. She granted Ballard’s motion. Rachel will now see her kids up to four hours a month, under the watchful eye of Kristyn Alcott, who will supervise.
They will reconvene court at the end of August. The kids went into a psych ward, rather than going with their father, something the court acknowledged at this hearing, so I’m sure they’ll be safe.
Anything that lands in the Maricopa County AZ family court is pretty much following the AFCC PA Playbook. It is mandatory to give children to the abusive parent so that the $$$$ keep flowing to the lawyers, judges, GAL, actors ad infinitum. Obviously judges,, lawyers, actors don't like their children either and must wish they never had them if they do have children. The lack of humanity for children is scathingly absent with all of these unethical players.