Member Story: Dispute with landlord turns into CPS report

Michael and Lisa Travis* had no warning when CPS knocked on their door. No accidents requiring a hospital trip had occurred, none of the children were sick, and there had been no dispute or conflict with any extended family. CPS did not even tell Michael and Lisa the allegations or who had reported them; they simply demanded to interview the children.

Years before this incident, before becoming members of Heritage Defense, Michael and Lisa had been investigated by CPS unjustly. Their daughter had been interviewed multiple times and they had been threatened with losing custody of their son. The experience was extremely traumatic for them, but even more so for their children. The last thing Michael and Lisa wanted was to go through that awful experience again.

This time, as soon as the social worker told Lisa that she was with CPS, Lisa called Heritage Defense and was connected with an attorney who calmed her fears and helped get the situation under control. The attorney spoke with the social worker, let her know that he would be following up, and the social worker left. 

After multiple meetings with CPS, the attorney learned that the allegations were extremely random and had no merit whatsoever. Apparently, they had stemmed from a dispute a neighbor was having with a landlord, who was also Michael and Lisa’s landlord. Somehow the family had been dragged into the disagreement and had been reported to Child Protective Services for no reason.

Though the Travises were simply caught in the crossfire of someone else’s disagreement, CPS still insisted that they needed to interview each of the children privately. However, after several interactions with the Heritage Defense attorney explaining the situation multiple times, CPS agreed to drop the case without causing further trauma for the Travis family.

If you are a member of Heritage Defense, we hope it is an encouragement for you to know that your membership is going to help families like the Travises. While we cannot guarantee outcomes, if your family is ever falsely accused of child abuse or neglect, we are ready to fight to defend you and your rights.

If you are not yet a member, please join today to have 24/7 access to experienced attorneys ready to defend your family.

*Names changed for privacy