Lynette Furneaux: ‘Obvious bias’ toward single mothers
LAPEER — Last year Lauren Furneaux buried her daughter. Earlier this month she watched the woman convicted of beating the two-year-old to death sentenced to life in prison. Monday the Furneaux family turned their attention to Judge Michael Higgins.
More than 30 people lined the sidewalks around the Lapeer County Courthouse calling on Higgins to step down from the county’s family court bench.
In a written statement, Lauren’s mother, Lynette, contended Higgins has “obvious bias toward single mothers.” She added, “His court is conducted in a manner that many attorneys and citizens in Lapeer County call ‘Higgins Law.’ During custody hearings in his courtroom, he treated Lauren Furneaux in a manner that was abusive, humiliating and disrespectful of single mothers.”
In January 2011 Lauren filed a three-page complaint with the state’s Judicial Tenure Commission (JTC) claiming the judge, among other things, had ignored the Child Custody Act in granting in-home visitation to their then-infant daughter’s father.
Four months later the commission ruled “there is no basis for commencing formal disciplinary proceedings.”
According to the American Judicature Society, without a recommendation from the JTC to the state supreme court, there are only two other ways to remove a sitting judge from office other than not re-electing him. One is to have him impeached by a majority vote of the house of representatives and convicted by a twothirds vote of the senate and the other is to have the governor remove him following a concurrent resolution of two thirds of the members of both houses of the legislature.
Higgins, who is completing his third sixyear term as a circuit court judge, isn’t up for re-election until the fall of 2014.
“If he had any kind of a guilty conscience, he’d step down,” said Sharon Hoenicke, one of the picketers.
While declining to provide details,” Lynette charged Higgins had at one time granted custody to a convicted sex offender.
Higgins provided The County Press with a written response to the picketers.He wrote, “The Lapeer Family Court, like the rest of our community, sympathizes with the tragedy that has befallen the Furneaux family. We also support the family’s concern for improved awareness of abuse of children.
“It is unfortunate that the family believes that the judicial system is in some way responsible for their tragedy. The Court records will confirm that the child was placed in the joint custody of the parents in 2008. Since then, there has never been a request for a review of the custodial arrangement nor has the issue of child abuse ever been raised in this case. The Court has had no contact from the family since 2008.”
In her letter to the JTC, Lauren wrote, “In the ensuing months before my daughter’s murder, there was evidence of physical abuse, such as burn marks, bruises and black eyes when she returned from her father’s parenting times. When I reported these incidents to my attorney, her reply was that bringing this before the judge would anger him and likely exacerbate the situation rather than ameliorate it.”
Lauren’s father, Chico, said numerous people have filed unsuccessful JTC complaints against Higgins and now the only thing left to do is raise public awareness.
“This isn’t the last time we’ll be out here,” he promised.
i’m a single mom fight the right for my daughter and son from Domestic Abuse. no matter how a woman get pregnant Judge Michael Higgins do not know how to care about the hardship life of a good single mom. he think all parent are good parent even if they are in and out of jail or abuse to the mother and (child children) and The Department of Family and Protective Services olny can do anything after the abuse is done. brith childen or foster children Judge Michael Higgins do not care about the will being and safely of the children. abuse or not all higgins care about is how fast he can get the cases done and out of the court room by saying paid this woman and see your kid. and all what he want to know who got the home and money. and not if it safe or what happin or what is the importion of the child/children. a man got me pregnant and abuse me when i was pregnant with Physical Abuse, Emotional Abuse,and Verbal Abuse. he said that he did not care for me or our baby and that he have a wife and 6 foster chilren and that he have know time for us at all. but courts not done yet. i wish there a way to help the 6 and to keep my sefe. he would tell me about his wife being Physical Abuse and Verbal Abuse in the house hold with him and the children he said he the grow man do not want to go home but now the court may give him time and want my child go go in a home and i can’t help to think of the foster children safe. this type of painful life…. and there so much more
Victoria,
Please send an email to justiceforlily@hotmail.com so I can have your email address to write you back privately
I have heard horror stories about judge Higgins giving custody to dads that don’t deserve it. I am a good dad…I have never abused any of my kids or my ex, i dont have a record, i have a job, I pay my child support on time, and I try to help raise them in any way I can. It takes 2 to make a baby and it takes 2 to raise a child. It is very disheartening when I see people like Higgins just tossing abuse aside and granting custody when I had to fight to see my kids. It is sickening thathHiggins would even briefly consider custody let alone grant it. He is a despicable man who is no better then the assholes that he grants custody to.
Is there a Judge in Lapeer with any commonsense? Our children are being abused by the decisions of Judges, who are Immune from the decisions they make, all the while our children are being abused at the hands of Parents, Stepparents, etc. Our community lost a beautiful child (Lily) by the decision of a Judge, how they can sleep at night, I don’t understand. Now Comes Round 2, Our Lily has been placed, by a Judge, in harms way. She says things a 3 year old shouldn’t even know about (sexually), has night mares that will scare anyone with what she is saying, commonsense tells me something is going on. Lily’s mother refused to be in the court room with the Pedophile father, the Judge threatened to have her put in jail for contempt of court, didn’t matter she was pregnant, she was trying to protect her daughter, no investigation has been done, no one has listened to her counselor, it’s just a Judge making a decision to put another child in danger.
This is a horrible tragedy and I cannot even imagine what the family has to be through. I, however, fail to see why the blame lies on the Judge. He awarded joint custody which doesn’t appear to have been contested. Going along with the joint custody the mother says she observed signs of abuse almost 6 months prior to Lily being murdered YET she failed to report that abuse. HUH? As parents it is our duty to protect our children and to ensure they aren’t being abused and of they are or we think they are or we e even think there’s a miniscule chance they are, we REPORT IT! While the blame goes to the stepmother undoubtedly for killing this beautiful child the lack of prevention and failure to report suspected abuse surely means the mother was negligent as well. But the Judge….nope. Unless he knows differently why wouldn’t he award joint custody. So sad and I get looking for blame but along with that there’s also the importance of taking responsibility.
PS I believe the attorney should wear some of the blame for failure to advise her client to Bri t this info up to the Judge though. And for failing to advise her client to call child protection services IF she knew of potential abuse.
Can anybody tell me if this judge made it for reelection in 2014? I sure hope not.