Costa Mesa police refuse to release key records tied to an Orange County family court scandal, sparking accusations of a cover-up by an investigative journalist probing corruption.
By Richard Luthmann
CMPD Locks Down Files Linked to Custody Battle Claims
Investigative journalist Julie M. Anderson-Holburn says the Costa Mesa Police Department (CMPD) is hiding vital records tied to her family court case.
She requested four incident reports – case #21-013527, #21-019156, #2021086339, and #2022093299 – that she believes hold truths behind explosive claims made in court by attorney David Monarch.
Monarch, who represented Holburn’s ex-husband, told a judge that Holburn publicly accused him of “trying to kill her” in an online article. He even submitted Holburn’s published writings as evidence to attack her fitness as a mother.
Holburn contends the police reports underpinning those incidents would expose the context Monarch conveniently omitted. But CMPD won’t budge.
In email responses, the department flatly refused to release “any records” for those case numbers, repeatedly citing legal pretexts under California’s Public Records Act (CPRA). Officials vaguely claimed the files are confidential law enforcement records and hinted at “ongoing investigation” exemptions.
This reporter also tried to obtain the records, and was met with the same “unadulterated bullshit”:
On Thursday, August 7th, 2025 at 12:11 AM, HINRICHS, TROY <THINRICHS@costamesaca.gov> wrote:
Good evening, Mr. Luthmann.
As you represent the same journalistic organization as Ms. Julie Anderson-Holburn, I will provide you with the same response I provided to her.
Public Interest and Journalistic Intent
The records requested will not be disclosed at this time in response to the asserted public interest as the privacy of the subjects involved outweighs the public interest. Most of the requested reports are prohibited from public disclosure. The following requested records may be made available to the involved parties [italics added] since privacy concerns would not prevent the release of these records to an involved party:
21-013527
21-019156
2021086339
2022093299
The rights of media outlets are respected, but it is the policy of the Costa Mesa Police Department to adhere to the statutes of the State of California to balance those rights with the privacy of involved parties.
Each of the above listed reports can be provided to Ms. Holburn upon receipt of the production fee of $9.00 each. If you have any requests for additional records, please do so through the City of Costa Mesa website at Make a public records request | City of Costa Mesa. If you need further clarity regarding this public records request, please contact me by replying to this email, calling me at the phone number below, or contacting CMPD Records at 714-754-5373.
Troy Hinrichs | Records Shift Supervisor
City of Costa Mesa | Police Department
This reporter reponded, also copying other family court journalists.
It was an attempt to educate “SUPERVISOR THINDICKS” as to the niceties of an often-overlooked principle called the separation of powers:
From: Richard Luthmann <richard.luthmann@protonmail.com>
Date: On Thursday, August 7th, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Subject: RE: Records Request
To: HINRICHS, TROY <THINRICHS@costamesaca.gov>
CC: Michael Volpe <mvolpe998@gmail.com>, Frank Parlato <frankparlato@gmail.com>, Frankie Pressman <frankiepressman@protonmail.com>, Rick LaRivière <RickLaRiviere@proton.me>, Dick LaFontaine <RALafontaine@protonmail.com>, Modern Thomas Nast <mthomasnast@protonmail.com>, juliea005 <juliea005@proton.me>, Maryann Petri <maryannpetri3@gmail.com>, gilroybassi@gmail.com <gilroybassi@gmail.com>, juliemholburn@yahoo.com <juliemholburn@yahoo.com>Supervisor Hinrichs,
I am not Julie Holburn, nor am I confused about my identity, unlike your recent conflation of your law enforcement duties with those of a judicial officer.
You appear unaware of the basic framework of the American system of government. Let me help:
Legislature = makes the law.
Executive (that’s you) = enforces the law.
Judiciary = interprets the law.
You are not a judge. You are not empowered to interpret the scope of records law. Your duty is to comply with the law, specifically, the California Public Records Act.
You’ve admitted you’re “law enforcement” and then proceeded to claim authority to withhold records based on your own interpretation of the law. That’s a separation of powers issue, and frankly, it’s above your pay grade.
Please produce ALL RECORDS REQUESTED without further delay.
These records are a matter of public interest. Multiple journalists and outlets are now monitoring your response. Consider this your opportunity to demonstrate transparency—or double down on obstruction.
We expect your reply in accordance with the law, not your personal interpretation of it.
Regards,
Richard Luthmann
Writer, Journalist, and Commentator
To Holburn, it’s a blatant stonewall.
“They’re using every loophole to keep those reports in the dark,” she says.
Each denial has only intensified suspicions that the police are protecting someone. CMPD’s blackout on these records – all dated 2021–2022 – comes years after the events, raising doubts about any truly active investigation. It looks to Holburn like the cops are running interference in her custody war, blocking documents that could challenge Monarch’s courtroom narrative.
The department’s silence, in her view, speaks volumes.
Journalist Probes ‘Coordinated’ Court Corruption Network
Holburn isn’t just any disgruntled parent – she’s a recognized investigative reporter digging into what she calls a coordinated corruption scheme in Orange County’s family courts. Her ongoing series has exposed how “protective” mothers (those who report child or spousal abuse) are systematically undermined by a tight-knit circle of judges, lawyers, law enforcement, and court-appointed evaluators.
Holburn alleges these players scratch each other’s backs at the expense of victims. In her own case, she says the pattern is glaring. Her ex-husband went from supervised visitation to full custody. The official rationale? The court branded Holburn an alienator rather than a protector.
Holburn argues this reversal wasn’t justice, but coordination: a judge ignoring evidence of abuse, a custody evaluator favoring the abuser, and a police force that failed to act on her reports. She points to Monarch as a key figure in the machine.
Monarch, son of a former Orange County judge, is deeply enmeshed in the local legal scene. Insiders have described him as “a scumbag” who leverages his connections. In Holburn’s view, Monarch’s tactic of introducing her journalism as evidence of unfitness was part of the playbook – retaliating against her whistleblowing by casting her as crazy.
Notably, other women’s cases echo her story: Holburn has reported that a self-styled “paralegal” known as “Angel Law” (since unmasked as Christy Black) preyed on struggling moms and steered them to attorneys like Monarch, only for those lawyers to sabotage the cases.
Holburn’s investigation has shed light on these shady alliances, with “a growing body of evidence suggesting coordinated misconduct targeting protective parents within the Orange County family court system.” She’s been relentless in naming names and demanding accountability. Her work has garnered recognition – fellow journalists have defended her bona fides.
She is a bonafide journalist, but the powers that be continue to dismiss Holburn’s coverage. The fact that a reporter of her caliber – previously backed by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in a legal battle – is being stonewalled only fuels her assertions that something is rotten in Orange County.
‘Bogus’ Legal Excuses Trigger Backlash Under CPRA
Costa Mesa PD’s response to Holburn’s records requests has been to circle the wagons behind legal jargon. In one reply, a CMPD official invoked California Government Code exemptions, asserting the records are part of “investigatory files” and thus off-limits. Another excuse cited unspecified “privacy concerns” – despite the fact that Holburn is requesting her own case-related documents.
Critics are calling these justifications bogus. The California Public Records Act was designed to promote transparency, not provide cover for public agencies.
Under the CPRA, even law enforcement agencies must release certain information on closed cases or incidents of public concern. By refusing to release anything at all, CMPD stands accused of abusing the law to shield itself and allied insiders.
CMPD’s stonewalling is a mockery of transparency. There are no active prosecutions or sensitive minors named that would legally justify such secrecy. When police hide records, it smells like a cover-up.
CMPD’s heavy-handed withholding only reinforces the notion of coordinated suppression.
Holburn is unswayed by the department’s legalese. She contends that CMPD’s real motive is to bury evidence of official wrongdoing – the very corruption she’s been reporting on. She points to Orange County’s broader pattern of secrecy: even the local District Attorney’s office has a track record of denying public records requests with “overbroad and unsupported exemptions,” according to civil liberties watchdogs.
In Holburn’s eyes, CMPD is cut from the same cloth. The department’s refusal to hand over her case files has now become part of the story it wanted to suppress. Instead of giving up, Holburn is doubling down. She’s publicizing the denials and preparing to challenge the withholdings. Each emailed excuse from CMPD only strengthens her resolve to pry the truth loose.
“They can stall, but they can’t shut me up,” Holburn said.
As the battle intensifies, the Costa Mesa Police Department finds itself under a spotlight it clearly hoped to avoid. What’s in those reports and why are the cops so desperate to keep them hidden? Holburn and a growing chorus of supporters intend to find out – and they’re not taking “no” for an answer.
The CPRA was meant for exactly this fight: to force sunshine onto officials who prefer to operate in the shadows. Costa Mesa PD may have picked the wrong mother – and journalist – to silence.
