The judge in Julie Valadez’s custody case found her disruptive, questioned her credibility and put out a warrant for her arrest. A rare appellate victory is now giving her case a fresh look, but Valadez still is fighting for her four children.
Author Archives: Megan O'Matz / ProPublica
Megan O’Matz is a reporter at ProPublica, where she covers issues out of Wisconsin.
O’Matz comes to ProPublica from the South Florida Sun Sentinel, where she worked for two decades as a general assignment, government and investigative reporter. She wrote about children missing from the state’s child welfare system, fraud in federal disaster relief aid, dangerous loopholes in Florida's concealed weapons law and foolish undercover police stings in which officers sold cocaine at a discount at suburban malls. Her work has led to the resignations of public officials and program reforms. O’Matz was a finalist for the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting on fraudulent FEMA aid and was a significant contributor to the Sun Sentinel’s reporting on the Parkland school shooting, which won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for public service. She has worked as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, the Morning Call in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and the Pittsburgh Press. She graduated with honors from Penn State University.
Posted inHealth & Welfare, Justice & Safety
He beat her repeatedly. Family court tried to give him joint custody of their children.
Wisconsin is considered a leader in the movement to treat fathers as equal caregivers when parents separate. Shared parenting is usually better for children — but the model fails for many women forced to co-parent with their abusers.