When you walk down the aisle on what is supposed to be the happiest day of your life, you would never consider that there is an entire industry shorting your personal stock.
An industry ready to size you up, empty your bank accounts and sell your assets to enrich itself in the event your happily ever after doesn’t quite work out. That Industry is called The Family Court, or so Joe Sorge alleges in his new book and accompanying documentary "Divorce Corp.". Divorce Corp. is a candid and shocking look at a US court system that forces you to partake in the event of filing for divorce and how this court has morphed into a money grabbing business where many of the players have enormous conflicts of interest. Sorge alleges that in the quest to enrich themselves the Lawyers, Private Investigators, Judges and consultants hired by the courts use every emotional tool to incite conflict. Under its relentlessly systematic approach even amicable splits become acrimonious as husband and wives become plaintiffs and defendants to be pitted against each other in an ever spiraling game of win or lose.
Joe Sorge is a TV producer who's past work has included a reality television series and a documentary. A personal experience gave him insight into what would become his first book and accompanying documentary, Divorce Corp. We had the opportunity to exchange some questions with Sorge recently.
IBR: What was the driving force behind this story? Is there a personal backstory?
Joe Sorge :The driving force came from what I witnessed while going through family court myself. My outcome was mild compared with what I observed. It appeared to me that there was collusion between the judges and attorneys. The research we did for the film confirmed that.
IBR: You self funded this project, was that about control?
Joe Sorge Not control so much as it is a difficult topic to get investors interested. And for that matter, difficult to get people into theater seats. it’s not a date movie, it’s not something married couples dare admin they are interested in, and it’s not for kids.
IBR: Was there a point in your research that the vision and the story crystalized as being something bigger than you initially thought?
Joe Sorge :Yes. We always suspected financial conflicts of interest, but we never dreamed that judges would dangle children in front of parents in order to hire custody evaluators with whom they socialized. We also did not know that judges can received campaign contributions from judges, nor did we know that judges can begin to work at a law firm the day after they resign or retire as a judge. We also did not know that a judge can decide whether they will step aside if someone asks the judge for a recusal. In other words, if someone suspects the judge of having a conflict of interest, the very same judge who is under suspicion is the person who will decide whether or not there is a conflict of interest.
IBR: I was amazed that a lot of the players in the system let themselves become characters in your book and film, was it difficult getting the lawyers, those whom provide services to the courts and the private investigators to participate?
Joe Sorge : Not difficult at all. Everyone knows and fully admits that the system is broken. I believe they participated because they each had proposed solutions, some of which included pump more money into the system – which would obviously benefit them.
IBR: One of the most shocking revelations for a non US citizen was to find that the Judges of the US Family court are elected, Is that the same for all courts in the United States and is the United States the only jurisdiction that employs this practice?
Joe Sorge : Not all states elect judges, but most of them do. We have a serious problem with “politicians in robes”. Please see my video blog interview of a whistleblower lawyer, Susan Settenbrino, on the subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KeMfDUdu6A
IBR: With the volume of complaints surely someone is looking into this?
Joe Sorge : Yes there are watchdog organizations. But the judiciary is accountable to no one. And since they have immunity for all of their official acts, they have no motivation to change the system.
IBR: Statistically it's not just a small minority of people affected, given the high divorce rate there must be almost no one untouched by this?
Joe Sorge: Agreed. Look at our Facebook.com/divorcecorp page. Thousands of comments from people affected by the system.
IBR: Some of the subjects in your book were actually jailed for perjury after criticizing the courts on social media, how has the Family Court reacted to your book and film?
Joe Sorge : Complete silence. I don’t think they are worried. As stated, they have complete immunity and no accountability.
IBR: Is it possible that this book and film could be about Lawyers in General, or in fact Education, Banking or Medical Services? In all facets of our lives are we now getting the best money can buy?
Joe Sorge : Yes, certainly. And as our world becomes more materialistic and superficial (aided by technology) we will likely seem more of this type of behavior.
IBR: This is a very different project to what your done in the past, now you can see Divorce Corp complete, was it a far more rewarding process for you than you expected?
Joe Sorge : It was a great learning experience. And it opened my eyes as to the ineffectiveness and callousness of government. However, we are attempting to make change (see www.divorcecorp.com/reform-2), but that will require getting a large group of people to support reform efforts.
It has been rewarding in the sense that many, many, many people have written thanking me for making the film. So many people have lost their children, their life savings, their homes, their freedom. Those people are eternally grateful that someone not only exposed a dysfunctional system, but in the process validated their feelings and opinions.
IBR: What's been the reaction to the book and film launch so far from audiences is it what you expected, do you think you have touched a nerve?
Joe Sorge : Strong positive feedback regarding the movie (see Facebook.com/divorcecorp). But the legal profession, and especially the judges, don’t seem to care that much. They have their “racket”, and they report to no one. It’s like criticizing the Pope for the wealth of the Vatican.
Publications:
Joe Sorge (2014) "Divorce Corp."
DC Book LLC: ISBN: 0991283104
Links:
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