RADAR ALERT:
Tell the ABA President to Get His Facts Straight

On June 2, 2008, RADAR released two special reports, Myths of ABA Commission on Domestic Violence,^1,2 that analyzed the 19 statements made in the flyer put out by the American Bar Association (ABA) Commission on Domestic Violence, "10 Myths about Custody and Domestic Violence and How to Counter Them."

Among the flyer's 19 claims, 11 were found to be false, three misleading, and three unsupported by existing research. Only two claims were found to be correct. And some errors are egregious.

For example, the flyer states that "False allegations are no more common in divorce or custody disputes than at any time." But this claim, which flies in the face of common sense, is debunked by research showing that false allegations increase four-fold during custody and access disputes.

The flyer represents a crass attempt by the ABA Commission on Domestic Violence to further bias the administration of family law, to falsely stereotype fathers as abusers, and to force more children into single-parent households.

Just prior to their public release, RADAR sent the reports to the president of the ABA, William H. Neukom, Esq., with a letter asking that the ABA suspend distribution of the flyer until the errors and misrepresentations are corrected. We requested a response by July 15, 2008. To date, there has been no response.

With our letter to Mr. Neukom, the ABA was put on notice of the misinformation contained in the flyer. The ABA's decision to do nothing means it stands behind the misrepresentations, falsehoods, and lies.

This week, we ask that you contact William Neukom and ask him to have the ABA remove "10 Myths about Custody and Domestic Violence and How to Counter Them" from its website and stop selling copies of it. He can be contacted electronically: .

Please be courteous but firm. Tell him, as nicely as you can, to get his facts straight.

Date of RADAR Release: July 21, 2008

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R.A.D.A.R. – Respecting Accuracy in Domestic Abuse Reporting – is a non-profit, non-partisan organization of men and women working to improve the effectiveness of our nation's approach to solving domestic violence. http://mediaradar.org