Allegation 8: Slander

Summary:

Judge Longsworth publicly broadcast statements in court which attributed to me the crime of child abuse.

This is in violation of Michigan Defamation Laws MCL 500.2911, and specifically qualifies as Slander Pro Se- uttering words imputing the commission of a criminal offense. These statements were made with reckless disregard for whether or not they were false.

Furthermore, she made several false statements regarding my (mental?) inability to care for my children, my lack of care for their wellbeing, and my being responsible for several incidents linked to the neglect/abuse inflicted by their father. These statements were made without evidence, without any hearings on my competency as a parent- or my competency in general, oftentimes without any opportunity given to me to even respond. These false statements are now cited in court as “findings” of Judge Longsworth, and are taken as truth in court proceedings regarding custody.

Details:

On 7/18/2025, Judge Longsworth made several negative statements regarding my behaviors as a parent, drawing conclusions without formal accusations or benefit of evidence, or any defense allowed on my behalf.

Some fun quotes:

“…Ms. Sudds has created an environment for her children that causes the children consistent with research into child development and responses to adverse circumstances, cause the children but most particularly Evie, to reject her father and to act out in response to the circumstances that Ms. Sudds has created for the children, and that’s unfortunate for Mr. Sudds and his relationship with his children, but frankly it’s, it’s devastating for Evie. Has caused Evie to be petitioned in juvenile court. It’s caused Evie to appear in the psych ER and now it’s obviously creating problems at the border. [1]“

There is no evidence that I created a negative environment for the kids. No evidence I caused my daughter to end up in Juvenile Court, or require a visit to the Psych ER, or that I caused problems for her at the border. There is no evidence that I have inflicted devastating actions on my children.

No testimony was heard to this effect. The only one that remotely suggested anything along these lines (aside from the defendant) was a paid, expert witness who had never met me or the kids, or any of their therapists or doctors, and had not seen any relevant records. This therapist implied many things, but ultimately (and correctly) said that everything was alleged and had not been proven and she had not made any conclusions regarding our situation. I covered this in Allegation 3.

Judge Longsworth must have missed that part of her testimony, or perhaps mistaken herself for having had an actual hearing regarding custody in which she had weighed evidence and properly drew conclusions.

I did not cause my daughter’s Juvenile Court problems. I voraciously advocated for her defense. Those charges were initiated by her father, and were dismissed at the Prosecutor’s request. I did not witness the incident which prompted the petition, but two adult witnesses testified that my daughter was defending herself. One witness stepped up to help protect her. Apparently, that testimony meant nothing to Judge Longsworth, who determined (without benefit of a trial and despite the charges being dropped) that the petition had merit, and that it was caused by me.

There is no evidence that I caused my daughter’s visit to the Psych ER, which occurred during her father’s parenting time. The police officer that took my daughter to the hospital did not cite me as the cause, he cited reasons related to her dad and grandfather. There is a police report and bodycam footage available to show what happened, but Judge Longsworth did not see that, nor did she ask to see it. The nurse that testified in court did not attribute any fault to me. The hospital medical records did not mention anything that I had done wrong. Judge Longsworth did not seek my input on what drove my daughter to need treatment. She simply, recklessly, pronounced me at fault. And, she dismissed the police officer from testifying about what he had seen.

The incident at the border took place during their dad’s parenting time as well. It was due to injuries inflicted on my daughter when I was not present. I wasn’t even in the country, nor was I in communication with either child in the days leading up to this incident. Judge Longsworth had no details about the incident at the border, nor did she seek any. She had not heard statements from the US Border Agents regarding the incident, knew nothing about what happened, yet she found me at fault for it.

There has since been an actual investigation done by the State of Michigan. The result is their father being named as a respondent in a Neglect/Abuse case. He is being given an actual trial before being declared guilty. Where was my trial before being found guilty by Judge Longsworth?

“And ultimately what’s truly impactful for the benefit of the children is the unfettered opportunity for reunification between Mr. Sudds and his children without the interference of Ms. Sudds. Ms. Sudds’s continual interference has jeopardized the health and welfare of both of her children.[2]”

I have no idea what Judge Longsworth believes constitutes “continual interference”.

Perhaps me believing my kids, and trying to protect them from harm is “interference.” I suspect the law disagrees with that and will vindicate me with the Neglect/Abuse case, despite Judge Longsworth’s personal thoughts.

Regardless, publicly stating that I jeopardize the health and welfare of my children and calling my actions “devastating” to my daughter, finding me responsible for harm to her, is equivalent to calling me a child abuser, based on the definitions in MCL 750.136b.

Her statements calling me an alienator also qualify as calling me an abuser.

I am not a child abuser. I have a right to presumption of innocence and to not be publicly attributed the crime of child abuse by a Judge in a court of law, without proof and benefit of a hearing. This is slander. This was done in front of members of our community, and has harmed my reputation.

These, and other false statements made by Judge Longsworth, harm my current divorce case as I seek a suitable custody arrangement for the safety and well-being of my children. Her statements have also caused harm to my reputation, which have caused me issues within the community and possibly gone as far as to impact my ability to find a job.

[1] Exhibit 66: 7/18/2025 Transcripts, page 28, starting at line 6

[2] Exhibit 66: 7/18/2025 Transcripts, page 29, starting at line 6