Michael Volpe Investigates update: good news in OC

The subpoena against Julie Holburn has been withdrawn.

We have a victory for the first amendment in Orange County, California.

Earlier this month, I interviewed Julie Holburn. I previously did stories about her child custody case, but since the beginning of 2024, she has worked as an investigative journalist, publishing on Newsbreak.

One story she’s covered is about Tawny Grossman.

During the hearing, Grossman’s new Orange County, Ca., public defender, Alexa Herlosky, aimed to modify a stringent protective order that has prevented Grossman from seeing her young children she has been trying to protect. OCPD Herlosky, an experienced OC attorney, familiar with Orange County’s legal system, met with Judge Andre Manssourian and Deputy District Attorney Tammy Jacobs to discuss the modifications "in chambers".

“This protective order makes no sense,” OCPD Herlosky declared in the courthouse hallway. “I’ve spent the last 18 months in dependency court, and I have nothing good to say about [Orange County] CPS. Lamoreaux is hell.”

Despite the plea, DDA Jacobs vehemently opposed the modification. The courtroom then saw Grossman, her parents, and a group of supporters enter to set the trial date publicly. In a tense moment, Jacobs openly scoffed at the family, remarking, “Jesus! Look at all of them here with her.”

Grossman is a protective mom whose child’s multiple disclosure of sexual abuse by the father were ignored.

That’s not surprising since Julie also found that the Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) Office run by Todd Spitzer- who is up for reelection in November 2026- marks domestic violence cases if there is also a child custody case ongoing. Those cases are then never prosecuted.

In a shocking revelation, whistleblowers from within the Orange County District Attorney's office (OCDA) with intimate knowledge of interworking with Orange County Child Protective Services (OC CPS) operations have come forward to expose deeply entrenched corruption within the Orange County, California, family court system. This disclosure follows an ongoing series of reports highlighting systemic failures and misconduct in the OC family court, now implicating high-level officials within the district attorney's office can be read here , here AND here.

These whistleblowers have revealed a disturbing practice: whenever there is an ongoing family court case, all abuse reports and charges are marked, documents show "COMPLICATING FACTORS: CUSTODY DISPUTE" or "Screener Alerts: CUSTODY DISPUTE." This designation ensures that these reports of abuse are automatically classified as "insufficient evidence," leading to no action or investigation. OC CPS follows suit by categorizing these cases as "unfounded," "unsubstantiated" or "inconclusive."

This insidious practice allows Orange County family courts to utilize those contrived findings to reduce or remove custody and visitation rights from the parent who reported the abuse or facilitated the child's access to a licensed professional aka mandatory reporter. These professionals are often medical doctors or therapists who are not on the court's controversial "approved" list. Instead of protecting the victims, the system works in concert with law enforcement, CPS, and district attorneys to shield abusers, retaliate against protective parents, and flip custody to the documented abusers.

Tawny fled to Canada to protect her child; she was lured back to the US and now faces charges of her own, since she violated a child custody order by fleeing.

Julie meticulously covered this case; she was so effective that the OCDA issued a subpoena for her to testify in the case.

That subpoena called for her to appear in court yesterday, but instead of forcing the appearance, the prosecutor in charge, Tammy Jacobs, withdrew the subpoena at the eleventh hour.

Julie provided this statement to me.

I am profoundly grateful to the First Amendment Coalition and Jassy Vick Carolan LLP for their instrumental help in quashing this subpoena issued by the OCDA DDA {Deputy District Attorney} Tammy Jacobs. After years of being bullied by the OCDA and family court, it is a significant relief to have such prestigious firms defend and protect my rights. This victory is not just for me but also the countless residents of Orange County, especially women, mothers, and children, who have suffered under the Orange Curtain’s media blackout of these injustices.

After multiple attempts by FAC {First Amendment Coalition} requesting the subpoena be withdrawn, FAC and JVC filed a 70 page motion to quash on 7/23/24. On 7/26/24, Jacobs notified FAC after another OCDA attorney looked into the issue of the subpoena she would now go ahead and withdraw the subpoena. It was formally withdrawn on 7/29/24 {the} day of Tawny Minna Grossman’s trial on the record.

I reached out to FAC and OCDA, but neither responded.

Postscript:

Check out the previous articles on the series on Orange County. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8. Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25. Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29, Part 30, Part 31, Part 33, Part 34, Part 35, Part 36, Part 37, Part 38, Part 39, Part 40, Part 41, Part 42, Part 43, Part 44, Part 45, Part 46, Part 47, Part 48, Part 49, and Part 50.

Please consider contributing to the Orange County fundraiser so I can continue this investigation.