ERIE, Pa. —When Maryann Petri launched her podcast Slam the Gavel, she wasn’t just creating a show — she was reclaiming her voice. Her descent into family court began in November 2014, when a false allegation of emotional abuse pulled her into the system. Though cleared, new claims followed within days, and by March 2015, a judge removed her children. Petri fought back for years, ultimately winning two reversals by 2017, but even then she was left battling unpaid judgments and orders in her favor that were never enforced.
Her experience in court might have silenced her, but instead it propelled her into advocacy. Out of that devastation came a mission: to expose injustice and give families — and the whistleblowers who support them — a platform to speak. Since then, Petri has hosted more than 800 episodes, building a community of survivors, advocates and reformers. The show has become a lifeline for parents across the country. Available on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Buzzsprout, Spotify, iHeart, and YouTube, it brings stories of injustice into public view.
Atom Worth, Director.
The Mailbox, A short film, 2025. Photo: Instagram.
The Mailbox tells the story of a woman struggling with a judge’s decision to take away custody of her children, fearing that another life-altering message will arrive in the mail.
The title of Petri’s podcast carries a deliberate sting: “The judge never slammed the gavel when he took my kids away,” she recalls. Instead, she remembers her ex’s family clapping and cheering as her life — and her children — were destroyed in the courtroom.
Through truth-telling, Petri has turned personal devastation into collective advocacy. By refusing silence, she ensures that parents crushed by injustice are finally heard — and that the necessity for change cannot be ignored.
Maryann in Cardiology Unit, 2012. Photo by: Maryann Petri.
Pain Into Purpose
For more than 20 years, Maryann Petri worked as a nurse, dedicated to caring for others. She spent a decade on the cardiology step-down unit before moving into the ER, where she worked until 2015. That year, her career ended abruptly when she was suspended after two sets of false allegations of emotional child abuse were lodged through Erie County’s Office of Children and Youth. Tensions from the other side escalated soon after she married her current husband, Darrell, whom she credits with saving her life from the trauma of family court.
In March 2015, her life was upended when Erie County’s family court stripped her of her children. False allegations, mounting arrears and collusive rulings drove her from her profession and nearly to her breaking point. Documents obtained show she was cleared of the false emotional abuse allegations.
I was exonerated of emotional abuse charges brought by CPS twice,” she recalls, “but family court Judge Robert Sambroak continued the charade that I was abusive.” Her experience showed that even when CPS clears a parent, family court can still strip them of their children.
The toll was devastating. Petri was jailed over arrears the day after Mother’s Day in 2017 and denied medication until her 79-year-old father bailed her out. That October, she suffered a massive heart attack requiring three stents. Even after she won two appeals in Pennsylvania’s Superior Court, her pension was never paid, and her hospital refused to rehire her.
Judge Robert Sambroak
Judge Shad Connolly
Judge Elizabeth Kelly, retired.
Petri names the players who shaped her ordeal: Judge Robert Sambroak (deceased in 2017), Judge Shad Connolly (who refused to hold a custody hearing in 2016) and Judge Elizabeth Kelly (the child support judge). Their rulings left scars not only on her finances but also on her health, identity and her children.
By 2020, Petri had transformed her pain into advocacy. She launched Slam the Gavel, apodcast, raw and unflinching honesty, dedicated to exposing corruption and amplifying parents’ voices. More than 800 episodes later, the show has become a living record of families who refuse to be erased — and a warning about the courts that failed them.
One of her most surprising episodes aired Sept. 20, 2024: “Bring the Babies Home and Close the Case,” featuring Danielle and Jacqueline Ballard. The Ballards alleged that during a custody dispute, a magistrate “told one lie in family court” and that when they challenged it, the court retaliated. They claimed authorities ambushed them, held the family at gunpoint, and jailed Jacqueline and her daughter without due process.
The podcast episode reverberated into mainstream press coverage — though some outlets failed to credit Slam the Gavel by name. In May 2025, the sisters were convicted of violating custody orders after hiding two children for months in Colorado. Their trial, marked by unconventional defenses and dramatic claims of judicial misconduct and sex-trafficking fears, became a flashpoint.
For critics, the Ballards’ conviction underscored the danger of parents misusing reform narratives and media platforms to excuse unlawful conduct. For advocates, it reinforced why parents are turning to outlets like Slam the Gavel, Family Court Fraud Warrior Project, Protect Justice USA, One Mom’s Battle, the Idaho Child Abuse Task Force and Arizona’s Ad Hoc Committee hearings. While the Ballards’ claims veered into the sensational, their case highlighted the urgent need for reforms that separate conspiracy from credible evidence and ensure both transparency and accountability in custody proceedings.
Maryann and Darrell, The newlyweds, wedding day Nov. 12, 2011. Photo courtesy of Maryann Petri.
Maryann and Darrell, love bugs. 2024.
Maryann and Darrell on a road trip. Photo courtesy of Maryann Petri.
A Good Man, Horses, Painting, Writing, Owls and Healing
Amid the chaos, Maryann Petri found joy and healing in unexpected places. Horses became her sanctuary, offering a way to fight depression and restore balance. “The horses saved my life,” she admits. Petri wasn’t just a casual rider — she rode English and competed in show-jumping events with her horse, Belle, winning many ribbons. Though she no longer shows after COVID-19 affected her equilibrium, she still dreams of riding and plans on getting back in the saddle in the near future for easy going trail rides.
Maryann and Belle. Show jumping event. 2019. Photo courtesy of Maryann Petri.
College of Maryann and Belle at show jumping events. Photo courtesy of Maryann Petri.
The Wild Black Beauty. Horse painted by Maryann Petri.
Bettis, beloved dog. Photo by Maryann Petri.
Maryann and Bell’s Show ribbons. Photo courtesy of Maryann petri.
Art has also been a refuge. An accomplished watercolorist, Petri has painted Belle, her beloved dog, sweeping landscapes and even the cover of her book Dismantling Family Court Corruption: Why Taking the Kids Was Not Enough. Painting, she says, brings her peace.
Lady of Justice and Liberty by Maryann Petri.
The book cover is one of her most striking works. The image depicts a blindfolded woman in white — modeled after Lady Justice — holding a set of scales aloft in her left hand while her right hand lowers a sword to the ground. Metallic silver accents and textured draping were created using her husband’s old T-shirt, giving the figure a three-dimensional quality.
“I actually used my husband’s shirt to make it look more real,” Petri explains. “Now I sell prints of it.”
For Petri, the painting is more than a cover design: it is both a personal protest and a symbol of resilience, capturing the imbalance and betrayal she endured in family court while also evoking strength and truth.
She treasures owls — symbols of wisdom — and hopes one day to volunteer at a rescue. She has also taken up junk journaling and enjoys road trips with her husband, Darrell.
“I met Darrell in 2010, and we married on November 12, 2011,” she says. “He is such a good man. If it weren’t for him, I would be dead. I knew his family for years, and I knew he came from a good family without personality disorders.”
Petri also turns to alternative healing. Hypnosis sessions with a podcast guest, Deborah Craig, from Scotland, along with painting, poetry and storytelling, help her manage the trauma of hearing and retelling stories that often mirror her own.
While these practices help her process and heal, she adds: “One thing I will tell you is that no one gets over going through the hell of family court. It’s still on my mind.”
Seeing the System Clearly
Maryann Petri argues that family court battles are not private disputes — they are systemic human rights violations. She points to recurring patterns she has witnessed:
False allegations weaponized to separate families.
Perjury and fraud left unpunished.
A lack of accountability at every level.
Alienation, whether by the court or the other parent, destroying even decades-long bonds almost overnight.
Title IV funding and child support enforcement disproportionately targeting marginalized groups while funneling money back into state programs, pensions and infrastructure.
In her view, reform is impossible. “You cannot reform corruption,” she says. “The only way out is abolition, but I don’t know if that will ever be possible. The corruption is just very deep and sinister.”
Short of abolition, Petri calls for sweeping safeguards:
Cameras in every courtroom and tamper-proof microphones.
Mandatory lie detector tests and financial transparency for judges, including disclosure of campaign donors.
Random drug screens and psychiatric evaluations for judges, akin to the standards imposed on doctors and nurses.
Regular rotation of judges across counties to reduce entrenched power.
Jury trials in custody cases, with all abuse allegations moved to criminal court.
Petri believes the system’s design is not about justice but about revenue. Title IV funding, county contracts, child support enforcement, CPS and foster care, she argues, form a billion-dollar pipeline that profits from families’ pain.
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Petri’s criticisms are not new. In a 2022 interview with Erie News Now, she described the toll of family court in blunt terms: “Family court destroyed my family.” She recalled that co-parenting had gone smoothly until, as she put it, “a third-party inserted herself in between the relationship of the co-parents and the relationship I have with my children — and that’s when family court started.”
She accused her ex of using psychological tactics to turn the children against her. “My ex had used tactics of child psychological abuse where one parent turns a child and teaches a child fear and hate of the other parent,” she said. The strain cost her not only her job but also her health. After losing work, spending five days in jail for unpaid support and facing relentless accusations, she suffered a massive heart attack.
Her advice, then and now, is direct: avoid family court if at all possible. “I really try to advise people to stay out of it if you can mediate with each other,” she said. “Don’t ever let a third-party interfere in your co-parent relationship if it’s going smoothly.”
A Voice and Platform That Refuses Silence
Through Slam the Gavel, her books, poetry and even her watercolors, Maryann Petri continues to expose what courts try to keep hidden. She reminds parents that false allegations, alienation and systemic failures are not private struggles but part of a national crisis.
“No one gets over going through the hell of family court,” she says. “This is not a gender war. Parents must stick together. Talk with your ex if you can, compromise, support each other. But if you are hauled into court — be cautious. Family court is not a safe place.”
Her call is simple but urgent: “If my story resonates, don’t stay silent. Speak up. Get involved. Share. Support efforts for transparency. Advocate for children’s rights. Justice is a collective responsibility.”
Joining a National Movement
Most recently, Petri has joined forces with the Family Court Fraud Warrior Project, a national network of parents and survivors who describe themselves as victims of systemic fraud and violations of constitutional rights. The group’s mission is to unite thousands of families, document abuses directly from the source and demand accountability for what it calls “government-sponsored racketeering.”
The project emphasizes transparency through data collection, video testimony and collective advocacy rather than political divides or financial demands. Its founders believe that only a “seismic shock” — showing the faces and voices of thousands of parents and children harmed — can force systemic change.
By aligning with efforts like this, Petri has extended her advocacy beyond Slam the Gavel and her books. She is now part of a growing national movement determined to expose family court abuses, demand transparency and ensure that families’ voices cannot be ignored.
This ongoing series on the OC family court crisis and nationwide family court crisis aims to bring national attention to these systemic issues, advocating for immediate reform and accountability. The time for action is now. It is imperative that lawmakers, the media, and the public unite to demand justice and protection for all families involved.
Are you committed to protecting America’s children and restoring integrity to our legal system?
Contact your legislative representatives. Speak out. Reach out to media outlets. And vote. Find your state and federal legislative representatives HERE.
Together, we can ignite a national movement and create lasting change.
Julie M. Anderson-Holburn is a California-based investigative journalistreporting on criminal and family court corruption, judicial abuse, and systemic failures. Her work is published on NewsBreak, Substack, and The Family Court Circus, and has been featured by the Center for Judicial Excellence and National Safe Parents. Julie believes that exposing the truth is the first step toward meaningful reform.
