Texas Medical Kidnapping Case Reaches Supreme Court Before Case is Dismissed

Earlier this month (December, 2019), Kaufman County Family Court Judge Tracy Gray signed a "dismissal agreement" between CPS and the Pardo family, after their case had reached the Texas Supreme Court. This was the culmination of a 5-month high-profile battle between the Pardo family and CPS, who removed four-year-old Drake Pardo due to allegations of "medical child abuse" because the parents sought a second opinion from a different doctor for the medical needs of their young son. The Pardo case received national attention, as the Texas Home School Coalition (THSC) and their attorney got involved in the case, bringing wide-spread public awareness. One of the Pardo's state representatives, State Senator Bob Hall, also got involved, and has written some very powerful criticisms of Texas CPS. The Pardo case was appealed by filing a petition for a writ of mandamus, which was denied by the appellate court, and was waiting to be heard by the Texas Supreme Court. But the family settled with CPS before the Supreme Court ruled. Senator Bob Hall lamented: “The bad news, if there is any, is that the agreement of CPS to end this case means that the Texas Supreme Court will not likely issue a final ruling in the case pending before them,” Hall said. “This means that CPS will continue to be able to use the same underhanded and misguided tactics against other families without restraint or direction from the state’s highest court.”

Texas Judge Chastises CPS but 4-Year-Old Boy Still Not Returned to Family

On Friday, August 9, a status hearing was held in the Pardo case where the court considered what action steps would have to be taken before Drake could be sent home. Judge Tracy Gray, the same judge who signed the original emergency removal order on June 20, presided over the case. The tone of the hearing was strikingly different than the post-removal July 2 hearing presided over by Judge Michael Chitty, which Senator Bob Hall described as an “egregious injustice.” Judge Tracy Gray chastised CPS for the ridiculous list of requests included in their report to the court. Judge Gray threw out every item challenged by the family’s attorneys, ordered CPS to “expedite” their efforts to place Drake with family or friends, and to start allowing the family to bring a third party witness to visits with Drake, something CPS has prohibited thus far. While the hearing was a great success for the family, there is still a long way to go. Judge Gray clearly appeared frustrated by CPS’ brazenly unconstitutional requests (like a court-ordered admission of guilt). This offers a ray of hope that CPS may not be able to continue getting away with their illegal actions.

Judge Issues Gag Order Against Texas Family as CPS Refuses to Return Child Even After Hospital Admits There is No Emergency

We previously reported on the Medical Kidnapping of a 4-year-old boy in Texas who was being homeschooled. The parents were not happy about the treatment he was receiving from his doctors, and after filing a complaint against the doctors, CPS removed the boy from his home. Earlier this week, the parents appeared in court in the hopes of being able to finally bring their son home. But as The Texas Home School Coalition Association (THSC) reports, that did not happen, and the judge issued a gag order in an attempt to force them to stop talking to the media. Just a few days earlier, the parents had attended a meeting with Children’s Medical Center Dallas and Texas CPS, where it became evident that there was no medical emergency that warranted CPS taking the child out of his home.