Please, if you are seeking an attorney or you are assigned this man as your attorney ad litem GET…read moreSOMEONE ELSE. We thought we were doing right by having an attorney ad litem for the children until we got Mr. Hahner.
My sister, niece and nephew lived with my parents for the past 5 years, and my parents acted as the father role since the kids father was out of the picture and didn't want anything to do with them unless we presented them to him on a silver platter and he didn't have to put any effort or money forth. He never cared to know of their special needs, surgeries, therapies, etc. My parents were there for it all and more, filling both the father and mother's role for the kids (love my sister, but she still wanted her independence).
My sister died, and their father took them from us (since according to Michigan Law the biological parent is seen as the best for the children no matter what situation). We tried to fight for them, and in the process thought it would be good to have someone represent the kids since they were frustrated nobody would listen to them and what they wanted while they were trapped at their Father's house. We told them we got a lawyer just for them, who would listen to them and be looking out for them just as we were.
Unfortunately we were wrong. The only interview Mr. Hahner had with my niece (12) and nephew (10) he made my nephew cry. He asked him a confusing two part question, and when he didn't respond immediately because he wasn't sure how to answer, Mr. Hahner yelled at him bad enough to make him cry. Yelling at a 10 year old whose mother just died and has been ripped from the only home he's known his entire life and the people who have always been there for him? Who is now stranded and alone in a strange house with strange people he knows nothing about? Unbelievable.
His conclusion about interviewing the kids was that we made everything up and they were coached on how to respond. My niece and nephew lived that life with a neglectful father, and they are two smart, amazing kids. My niece just this past summer said she was fed up with him, and if she just thought of his as dead, "he wouldn't be able to hurt her anymore."
They wanted to tell the world their story, and were excited someone other than us to listen to their concerns and wishes. Mr. Hahner obviously didn't listen to them with an open mind. I think he already had made his mind up and had a preconceived notion on the entire matter. He must not respect my niece and nephew one bit for not recognizing them as strong, independent children with their own personalities and opinions. It's a shame he didn't even give them a chance.
During this interview he also told my niece and nephew, "I think someone is lying here, and I think its your grandparents." How is it professional to be "acting on behalf of the child's best interests" and say such things in front of them?
Mr. Hahner is anything but a professional. He insisted on phone interviews to make the interviews "fair" since the other party lived some distance away. When we offered to pay for travel costs, he declined. I offered to drive from where I live (8 hours away) to give him a face to face interview, and he declined. We wanted him to do a thorough investigation of the matter. We knew it would be easier for the other parties witnesses to lie via telephone, we wanted him to see the kids living conditions, etc. but he made no efforts to do any of the above.
I talked to him on the phone, giving him many detailed facts about things I witnessed in the past. When I read his report, no such details were included, and if they were, they were inaccurate or broad statements (ie. I told Mr. Hahner the Father's other son molested his sister and was in the household every other weekend, Mr. Hahner recorded "concerns about other son molesting someone"). The details Mr. Hahner was too lazy to include were important and will affect my niece and nephews lives.
Mr. Hahner's report to the judge was a joke. I'd love to share it, many grammatical and typing errors with random punctuation located throughout the report. It was clearly rushed through and no thought was put into it. When you read the other parties accounts they clearly contradicted their stories. Mr. Hahner included about a 10 sentence paragraph describing the other parties relationship and work history. When he described my parents, he put 2 sentences in. It was very one sided, and I'm amazed a court would truly give such a report any weight.
It is clear to me that Mr. Hahner is unprofessional and biased. I hope nobody else makes the mistake of placing their trust in him as an attorney or attorney ad litem for any child. I hope he realizes how he's affected two young children, and he is in part responsible for how they turn out. Mr. Hahner, I don't see how you can stand to look yourself in the mirror and call yourself a professional acting in the best interests of anyone.
