KMIR 6 - Palm Springs News, Weather, SportsState to audit family courts in Marin, Sacramento
Associated Press - July 2, 2009 7:44 PM ET
NOVATO, Calif. (AP) - State officials are calling for an investigation into the family court systems in Marin and Sacramento counties after a relatively high number of complaints from their litigants.
The state's Joint Legislative Audit Committee voted Wednesday to conduct audits on the two counties.
Auditors will investigate how court-appointed specialists such as mediators, investigators and therapists are selected. The audit will also look into how the appointees are trained and evaluated and how their fees and complaints against them are resolved.
Critics say appointees can create a system that is more concerned about making money than helping children get through custody battles.
The audit is expected to take four months and cost about $160,000.
Information from: Marin Independent Journal, http://www.marinij.com
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