West Virginia father says family court system is corrupt after custody battle

West Virginia father claims family court is corrupt

Ronnie Earle claims that Pamela Games-Neely, the guardian ad litem assigned to his custody battle, purposefully misled the court, leading to his three daughters being taken from him.

CHARLES TOWN, W. Va. - A West Virginia father says the state’s family court system has failed him, and a state lawmaker says his case is part of a larger, troubling pattern.

What we know:

Ronnie Earle, a father of three, is fighting to regain custody of his daughters. He claims the system meant to protect children is instead working against families.

"When I see them and get to play with them, you get a glimpse of what we used to have, and then it’s gone," Earle said.

Earle says his custody battle took a turn after he filed a report with Child Protective Services (CPS), alleging his ex-wife abused their children.

Dig deeper:

According to Earle, his oldest daughter returned home with bruising and wounds. A doctor determined the injuries were consistent with being struck with a switch. Both Earle and the doctor filed CPS reports.

Earle says CPS never determined his claims were false, yet a judge still removed custody of his children — now ages 5, 6, and 8.

He also claims the judge did not allow the doctor to testify in court.

At the center of Earle’s complaints is Pamela Games-Neely, the court-appointed guardian ad litem assigned to represent the children’s best interests.

What they're saying:

Earle alleges Games-Neely only interviewed him once and never observed him with his children. But despite that, she made written claims about his parenting, Earle said.

"The laws don’t matter. The court’s rules don’t matter. The facts don’t matter. Testimony doesn’t matter. It’s all just made-up," Earle said.

He also claims Games-Neely omitted evidence that his ex-wife hit the children, despite allegedly acknowledging it privately. Earle says he recorded that acknowledgment.

State Senator Patricia Rucker says she has received multiple complaints about Games-Neely and the broader family court system.

Multiple have filed complaints with the Office of Disciplinary Counsel.

"If you’re making decisions, and it’s not based on law and the vision is that the law is supposed to be blind, then yes, that’s corruption," Rucker said.

She says the consequences go far beyond the courtroom.

"It really breaks my heart. Every single one of them breaks my heart. You’re talking about families that are getting destroyed."

Earle says he lives that reality every day, separated from his children and still fighting for custody.

Games-Neely declined to address the specific allegations, citing confidentiality rules: In a statement to FOX 5, she said "Anything related to those children is confidential and cannot be discussed outside of the proceedings. I cannot comment on any allegations related to ongoing or possible litigation."

Earle’s ex-wife referred FOX 5 to the existing court custody order and declined further comment.