Note: Check out the previous article on Joel Fritts malpractice trial here.
January 2026 was a moment many family court reform advocates looked forward to.
Elaine Pudlowski was under oath and answering questions.
For years, Elaine Pudlowski ruled the St. Louis family court system as a powerful lawyer and guardian ad litem (GAL).
Then came January 2021. Evita Tolu had recently sued her and others alleging a plethora of unethical behavior. At the same time, an emailed newsletter, Daily Docket News, popped up and made further allegations.
Terrified that something was amiss and ready to take down the system she and her corrupt friends had built in the St. Louis family court system, Elaine and her buddies- nearly forty of them- got together to strategize on Zoom. That conference was leaked to me, and it turned into a yearlong investigation.
Laws were introduced- though none passed- and a powerful judge, Michael Burton, resigned.
In 2023, I first met Joel Fritts; he was suing his former divorce lawyer, Erin Zielinski, for malpractice.
Zielinski worked for Cordell & Cordell, a notorious international men’s rights divorce law firm.
Zielinski encouraged Joel to continue peeking at his ex-wife’s email, for which he had a password, and this cost him in his custody case.
Then, I heard a familiar name, Elaine Pudlowski, who was the GAL on the case for a critical period.
Joel didn’t live to see his lawsuit completed, but his mom took over. Earlier this year, his estate won a landmark $2 million judgment.
What did Elaine testify to? Check out behind the paywall.
