Child Welfare

A recent deposition in the federal case Reichert v. Hornbeck is raising serious questions about the credibility of key accusations that once led to dozens of criminal charges against a father locked in a custody dispute.

During questioning, Sarah Hornbeck repeatedly stated she did not recall critical events surrounding those allegations—events that ultimately led to the plaintiff spending time in jail and facing years of litigation before the charges were dismissed.

Court filings indicate the accusations resulted in at least 26 criminal charges, all of which were later dropped or dismissed.

The pattern of memory gaps now sits at the center of a federal malicious prosecution lawsuit.