Rachel Bevilacqua (a.k.a. Reverend Magdalen)'s new custody hearing had originally been scheduled for June 12th, but it was postponed until June 23rd. What was originally planned as a two-day hearing was extended to five, and it's still not over at this time. The case is scheduled to continue on July 20th. A more detailed update can be found on my web site. In short, there's some good news and some bad news.

The good news is, the new judge hasn't flown off the handle in the manner of the previous judge; he also appears to have more of a sense of humor. Apparently her case is good enough that the opposition is becoming desperate. The bad news, however, is that the opposition is acting out of desperation, which means they [attempting] to draw the case out as long as possible and burden Magdalen with massive legal costs. Legal expenses for this case have exceeded $50,000, with more expected when the trial resumes later this month.

The administrators of IRC Taphouse (the official IRC network of the Church of the SubGenius) have begun a fund raiser for Magdalen's legal fund, by producing T-shirts with a goat head logo and the quote "Why a goat?" (as was repeated by the original judge in this case). These shirts are being sold for $20, of which $8.10 of every sale will go directly to her legal fund. All help is appreciated, and every little bit helps.

posted by Mark Frauenfelder at 08:13:09 PM permalink | Other blogs' comments