Survivors tell Senate committee family court can re‑victimize abuse survivors; legislators pledge follow-up

At a Sept. 29 hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Women and Children in Baton Rouge, several survivors described how family-court procedures and costs, they said, compounded the harms of domestic abuse and made it difficult to regain custody or safety.

Bridget (Bridgette) Neal said she had been locked in protracted custody litigation after leaving an abusive marriage and that family-court evaluators and judges discounted nonphysical forms of abuse. "Living without your kids is harder than death," Neal said as she described years of filings and requirements she said she could not meet because of financial constraints (public testimony, SEG 2690–2696).

Hannah Holt told the committee she has spent roughly $86,000 on court-related costs and described situations in which free legal programs were unable to secure hearings that carried weight with judges. "I had about 20 witnesses prepared to testify and they were told to leave the courtroom," Holt said, recounting a recent hearing where she said the judge limited witness access and testimony (public testimony, SEG 3196–3206).

Key themes from survivor testimony

- Financial barriers: Witnesses described the cost of transcripts, expert reports and attorneys as a barrier that often forces survivors to settle on unfavorable terms or be unable to continue litigation (Bridget/SEG 3520–3530; Hannah/SEG 3196–3199).

- Evidentiary gaps and evaluator influence: Several speakers said custody evaluators' reports can be treated as dispositive and that courts give significant weight to evaluators’ determinations; survivors reported being unable to introduce testimony about nonphysical abuse because of evidentiary rules (Bridget/SEG 2676–2686; 2810–2830).

- Unequal outcomes for low‑income parents: Testimony and members’ comments described patterns where wealthier litigants can prolong litigation and hire multiple experts, leaving less-resourced parents unable to compete (public testimony overview, SEG 3370–3380; SEG 3560–3567).

Legislative response and next steps

Committee members expressed concern and said they will follow up. The chair asked staff to include representatives of the Judicial Council in a future meeting to discuss bail and risk-assessment processes and to evaluate whether statutory changes or pilot programs are needed to protect survivors and children (committee directions, SEG 1898–1920; SEG 1918–1923). Senators also instructed staff to refer witnesses to service providers in the room (Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence and DCFS) for immediate assistance.

Source and provenance

This account is drawn from survivors’ public testimony during the committee hearing (noted segments: Bridget Neal SEG 2560–2860; Hannah Holt SEG 3130–3330; Dawn Lam Tran SEG 3590–3770) and questions by senators and staff about referrals and next steps.

What the committee did next: The chair recessed the committee until 1:15 p.m. and arranged for staff and agency representatives (DCFS, LCADV) to speak with several witnesses during the break; the committee signaled it will pursue follow-up with the Judicial Council and consider possible statutory fixes.