GUARDIAN AD LITEM - (GAL): is appointed by the court (judge) in cases where a child is alleged or adjudicated delinquent child or unruly child when either of the following applies:
(1) The child has no parent, guardian, or legal custodian.
(2) The court finds that there is a conflict of interest between the child and the child’s parent, guardian, or legal custodian and to protest the child's interest in proceedings concerning alleged abused or neglected child. Ohio revised code 2151.281
Unfortunate for families, corruption involving court appointed GAL's is on the rise as a direct result of legal protections that are afforded to GAL's that guarantee no accountability for wrongdoing.
- Parents are forced to pay for their fee's even if they did not want a guardian ad litem appointed to their case.
- Parents cannot claim bankruptcy against guardian ad litem fee's, immunity from prosecution and a GAL can charge unlimited fee's.
- Ohio case Barry vs. Rolfe $129,000.000 guardian fee's (1 case-1 child).
Removing Guardian ad litem from family court case
Lawyers regularly state "It is impossible to remove a guardian ad litem from a case."
It is not 'impossible' but 99.9% unlikely a judge will grant removal of a GAL.
The family court judge is the person who signed the appointment of the guardian ad litem to the case. The same judge also adjudicating removal of the GAL is unlikely. But that is only a minute part of the issue.
