http://www.expertlaw.com/forums/ Legal issues relating to public health, including mental health issues. en Thu, 23 May 2013 09:41:05 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.expertlaw.com/forums/images/misc/rss.png http://www.expertlaw.com/forums/ http://www.expertlaw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158561&goto=newpost Fri, 17 May 2013 20:17:29 GMT in new jersey, is it against hospital rules to take money out of the bank to be at the $7500 range to be eligible for charity care. also, i don't have a job or insurance. ]]> Public Health and Welfare tboog http://www.expertlaw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158561 http://www.expertlaw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158273&goto=newpost Fri, 10 May 2013 22:05:19 GMT My question involves a child custody case from the State of: Florida I hope this is the right section. Sorry, I do not know where else to post... My question involves a child custody case from the State of: Florida

I hope this is the right section. Sorry, I do not know where else to post this as it started with a custody battle.

Short version: My fiend is in a custody battle and a Marchman Act case was thrown at her as well. She does not take drugs, but to comply with court orders will have to take them and then be held for 5 days to detox off the drugs she's being forced to take.

Long version:
Hello. I'm writing on behalf of my friend who I've been helping through this difficult time. She is in a custody battle for her daughter and recently she received a letter brought by a police officer stating she would have to report to court for a hearing about involuntary treatment. My friend is not on any drugs or medication, but a lot of claims were made that she is an addict, that she cuts herself, that she drives intoxicated frequently even when her daughter is in the car, etc. Crazy claims especially since this person is just claiming to hear all of this from an anonymous source. I know that all of this is not the case, but I figured the court would simply order a drug test and prove that these claims are false. My friend has a lawyer, but he advised her to use a public defender in this case since he said he didn't know much about this and it would cost more.

It did not go well. The court ordered my friend to go to a treatment facility for an evaluation. I went with her and had to calm her down. After all she has not taken any drugs and a test would prove that. Unfortunately they use a cheap test at this facility and claim that she uses methadone. She hasn't taken methadone, but for some reason it comes up positive. We have no idea what is causing the false positive and the treatment facility referred her to a methadone clinic for a week. Now to follow courts orders she will have to start taking methadone and then go back to detox for five days. I cannot believe that a person can be forced by the law to take drugs and then detox when they are not on any drugs to begin with. The treatment center refuses to send the sample to a lab so she paid for one herself. It will take a while for the results, but in the mean time my friend is terrified of the idea of being forced to take methadone and then be locked in a treatment facility for 5 days. Also she is very upset about how this will look with her custody battle. There has to be some way to protect people from false claims. All of the claims were obviously made up to help the other party in the custody battle and the court seems to be taking it as fact. My friend is a wonderful mother. She has a job that she already misses work for to go to court. If she complies with the orders she will lose her job and subsequently her apartment on top of being put through this mess.

We are trying to find another lawyer who can help in this matter. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you! ]]> Public Health and Welfare KatieKat http://www.expertlaw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158273