Updates
May 11, 2010
Lawsuit dismissed by the District Court of the 225th
Judicial District of Bexar County, Texas.
February 5, 2010
The Presiding Judge in the District Court of the 225th
Judicial District of Bexar County, Texas set the case for a Dismissal
Docket hearing on May 11, 2010. In effect, the hearing will require that
the parties show cause why the case should not be dismissed for lack of
prosecution.On
December 15, 2009
The presiding judge, Honorable Andy Mireles, died.April 10, 2007
The Plaintiff deposed Pamela Hoch. Since then, there has been no action and the case has lain dormant.
April 25, 2007
Statement re: Lawsuit filed against Rachel Foundation and Pamela Hoch
First, let us be absolutely clear:
There has been no judgment or finding against the Rachel Foundation or its officers, in any court, in any jurisdiction, ever!
Each time a parent and child come to Rachel House, often following a court order changing custody, or in the wake of the recovery of an abducted child, one parent typically will try to move heaven and earth to have a relationship with his or her child. At the same time, the other parent typically will try to move heaven and earth to prevent this from happening.
Each time, the Rachel Foundation runs the risk that a disgruntled parent that has lost custody may use the courts to attack the Foundation as well as attorneys, evaluators, therapists, child protection agencies, and even judges.
Two years ago, a mother that lost custody in New Jersey after egregious behaviors attempted to initiate a lawsuit against the Rachel Foundation and Bob and Pamela Hoch, in their home jurisdiction of Gillespie County, Texas. Judge Stephen Abels summarily dismissed the matter in April, 2005 and instructed the parent to return to her home jurisdiction of Camden, New Jersey.
In June 2005, in an attempt to ruin the Foundation financially and to harass us personally, the disgruntled parent filed suit in Texas for the second time, despite Judge Abels' previous enjoinder. This time she filed in Bexar County, San Antonio, 90 miles and three counties removed from the Rachel Foundation's home jurisdiction. This case has yet to see the light of day. The Rachel Foundation denies all allegations contained in the petition, and questions whether the parent has any legal basis to pursue the matter.
In further public harassment, the disgruntled parent created a sponsored web site aimed at undermining public perception of the Rachel Foundation. She paid to register the site on search engines so that it appears in any internet search for "Rachel Foundation."
This web site publishes information relating to Bob and Pamela Hoch's personal financial affairs, documents in the public domain. Recently, malicious and defamatory material has been added. Because of complex legal issues involved in web domain law, it is virtually impossible to get a court order to have this website taken down. Even if such an order were obtained, at overwhelming financial cost, it is likely another website would be quickly set up in another jurisdiction. So we just have to live with it.
Despite this corporate and personal defamation, courts and professionals working in high-conflict custody disputes and child abduction cases see through the lies and innuendo and continue to refer families to the Rachel Foundation. We are deeply grateful for their confidence in our work and in our dedication to the highest standards of ethics and professionalism.
Because we are unpaid volunteers, undesignated donations made to the Rachel Foundation go in full towards operating expenses. Foundation donations will not be spent on legal expenses unless these are specifically designated for that purpose.
Thank you for your prayers, your encouragement, your professional expertise and your financial support for the Rachel Foundation, as we rebuild families, one at a time.