Author: Christopher Osher
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Colorado AG’s office opens criminal inquiry into former parental evaluator
The Colorado Attorney General’s Office has opened a criminal investigation into Shannon McShane, the former parental evaluator who relinquished her state license to practice psychology amid allegations disclosed by The Gazette that she falsified her credentials and retaliated against a parent who reported her to regulators. Parents interviewed by the criminal investigator with the Attorney…
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Colorado’s controversial parenting evaluators get immunity from civil lawsuits, judge rules
A Boulder County judge has ruled that Colorado’s controversial parenting evaluators enjoy immunity that protects them from lawsuits, bringing an end to plans to hold several evaluators accountable through class-action litigation. The evaluators hold great influence in custody disputes brought to courts and have been the subject of a rash of complaints of bias. In…
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Colorado youth detention dilemma: Kids languish in lockup despite releasable status
Youth advocates raise alarms as Colorado children remain behind bars
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Colorado parental evaluation industry faces calls for audit, tougher rules after fake Ph.D scandal
A legislator vowed to push for new laws as well as a state audit to prevent unqualified parental evaluators from continuing to put Colorado children in peril amid growing criticism from parents who say the evaluation industry has mired their custody cases in turmoil. State Rep. Meg Froelich, a Democrat from Greenwood Village, spoke out…
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Colorado parental evaluator accused of falsifying credentials sent child custody cases into turmoil — despite key warning
A court-appointed psychologist who fixated on whether the nickname “Sleepy Melo” meant a father was a gang member unfit to parent his children turned in a child custody recommendation so flawed that a magistrate barred the psychologist in November from ever working again for his judicial district covering six counties in northeast Colorado. The father…
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State evaluation concludes no ‘systemic’ fraud at Arapahoe County child-protective agency despite two case workers referred for criminal prosecutions
Despite two Arapahoe County child-protective workers allegedly engaging in fraudulent practice so severe they were referred for prosecution, a state evaluation released on Friday concluded there are no ongoing, systemic problems with the county’s child-protective agency. The evaluation, conducted by consultants hired by the Colorado Department of Human Services, also detected “no evidence of systemic…
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Colorado child custody cases roiled by CSU professor’s controversial ‘alienation’ theory
By 2017, Katherine’s divorce case had dragged on for eight years. The litigation crushed her financially: She took out credit cards, then a second mortgage to pay those off. But she escaped her abusive ex-husband, and by 2017, four separate experts had made reports for the court recommending Katherine continue to have sole decision-making authority…
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New state department tasked with fixing mental health care in Colorado mired in turmoil
Sharp divisions, staff departures in the Behavioral Health Administration have hobbled its ability to fulfill its mandate
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New state department tasked with fixing mental health care in Colorado mired in turmoil
Sharp divisions, staff departures in the Behavioral Health Administration have hobbled its ability to fulfill its mandate
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State audit: Colorado Department of Transportation’s $4.1 billion in spending lacked sound policies
Since 2012, the Colorado Department of Transportation spent $4.1 billion on construction projects that bypassed strict low-bid practices, but while doing so the state agency lacked sound policies guiding such spending, which resulted in statutory violations and payments above fair market value, a Colorado state auditor report concluded. The performance audit, requested by Republican legislators…