Truth in the Record: My Federal Case, Marissa’s Voice, and the Approval of Dkt 341

September 26, 2025 marked a decisive turning point in my fight for justice. On that day, the federal court in my case, Patrick v. County of Los Angeles, et al. (Case No. 2:22-cv-02846-MWC-BFM), addressed a series of filings. The Court documented outside interference, set boundaries on confidentiality, sealed one filing, and most importantly, approved Dkt 341 for the public record.

This is my case. And in it, the Court has preserved not only my evidence but also the sworn testimony of Marissa Hernandez, a mother who dared to speak against a broken system.

Outside Interference: Dkt 338

On September 19, 2025, I filed Dkt 338, Notice to the Court Regarding Outside Interference and Plaintiff’s Corrective Notices. This filing documented how Alice, the mother of Marissa Hernandez, texted me pressuring me to take down lawful public posts about Marissa’s case and promising to “let the attorney know” once I complied (Click, Dkt 338).

That same day, I issued a corrective notice to county counsel, warning them that no third party had the right to pressure me into censorship. While the Court declined to act directly, noting that the dispute involved third parties outside its jurisdiction, the filing ensures the record now reflects these intimidation attempts (Click, Dkt 340)

The Court’s Boundary: Dkt 340

The Court issued Dkt 340, which drew the line clearly.

I may publicly criticize CPS, DCFS, and the dependency court system. But I may not disclose documents that the Court has ordered sealed.

As part of that order, the Court sealed Dkt 240 because it contained the names of my minor children and dependency records

This balance is critical. My First Amendment rights to expose misconduct are intact, while the Court enforces limits on confidential juvenile materials.

The Breakthrough: Dkt 341

The breakthrough came with Dkt 341, a filing the Court approved and placed on the public docket (Click, Dkt 341). Unlike Dkt 240, this filing is not sealed and is now permanently part of the federal record.

Exhibit A – Email correspondence exposing DCFS retaliation, parental rights violations, and threats to safety. These communications were voluntarily shared by Marissa Hernandez, copied to her juvenile attorney, defense counsel, and me.

Exhibit B – The sworn declaration of Marissa Hernandez. She describes how DCFS seized her child without warrants despite multiple judicial denials, silenced her in court, and retaliated when she refused to back down. She recounts the toll: PTSD, ambulance rides, and medical collapse — a chilling testament to the human cost of government misconduct.

This testimony and evidence are now preserved in the federal record, immune from the counties’ attempts to bury them.

The Historical Pattern: My Attorney’s Email (2019)

Dkt 341 is not the first time DCFS tried to silence me. In February 2019, I received an email from my attorney, Phon Vo, who relayed threats made by DCFS attorneys. They accused me of recording a Children’s Social Worker without consent and warned that if I posted or shared such recordings on social media, there could be “legal, criminal, and civil ramifications.” They even instructed social workers to stop communicating with me if they believed they were being recorded (Click, Phon Vo's email)

My response? I complied and removed the post. But the bigger story is what this reveals: DCFS has a long history of intimidation. Instead of addressing misconduct, they threaten parents who document it. That 2019 email, now part of my evidence, proves the counties have been trying to silence me for years.

This pattern — threats, retaliation, suppression — ties directly into today’s filings. Dkt 338, 340, and 341 show the same agencies still trying to bury the truth, and the federal court drawing boundaries that protect my First Amendment rights.

Why This Matters

The rulings together tell the story.

• Dkt 338 – Filed, documenting outside interference and intimidation.

• Dkt 340 – Court’s boundary: I can expose misconduct, but sealed documents must remain sealed.

• Dkt 341 – Approved and public, permanently preserving Marissa’s testimony and my evidence.

This progression demonstrates that while counties attempt to conceal behind protective orders, they cannot hide the truth forever. Federal law, including the Supremacy Clause and the First Amendment, as well as precedents such as Nixon v. Warner Communications and Henry v. County of Shasta, protects the public’s right to know.

Notice to Counsel and DCFS Director for Los Angeles County

For complete transparency, I also emailed Marissa’s attorney, Ms. Yvette Garcia, and the Director of Los Angeles County DCFS, putting Los Angeles County DCFS and its counsel on notice about the retaliation against Marissa for supporting my federal case. That email cites Dkt. 338, Dkt. 340, and Dkt. 341, references the 2019 Phon Vo threats, and makes clear that WIC § 827 cannot be misused to silence parents or advocates. The full email is attached here: Email to Ms. Garcia and Director DCFS of Los Angeles– September/October 2025

A Message to the Public

This fight is bigger than me. It is about every parent silenced, retaliated against, or stripped of their children under false pretenses. It is about every family told to accept injustice quietly.

The approval of Dkt 341 proves that the wall of secrecy can be broken. Even when counties succeed in sealing some documents, the truth still rises.

Marissa’s story now lives in the public record because I fought to ensure it would never be buried.