05/22/2026
Filed!! Our "Discrimination against Women in New York Custody Cases" Lawsuit
We Did It!!!
[UPDATE: Lots of requests from moms to do this in other states/countries! Find a female attorney, preferably familiar with civil rights litigation (though not necessary) who will do this pro bono and have her contact: [email protected]. These requests must go through Cindy Dumas. Plz do not contact Sarah Howland.]
May 19, 2026 will go down in history as the day systemic gender discrimination in family courts was officially recognized as the reason women are losing custody of their children in droves.
Sarah Howland, Esq. filed our Discrimination against Women in New York Custody Cases lawsuit in the Southern District of New York federal court: Case #1:26-cv-04188.
________________________________________
LINK TO LAWSUIT: https://bit.ly/WCdiscriminationlawsuit
SECTIONS OF THE LAWSUIT:
Introduction [page 1]
Jurisdiction and Venue [page 8]
Parties [page 8]
Statement of Facts [page 11]
Causes of Action [page 15]
Prayer for Relief [page 18]
Jury Demand [page 18]
NOTE: Plaintiffs Jane Does 1 through 100 in the heading means women can be added to the lawsuit after filing. If you are interested in joining, email [email protected].
________________________________________
STATEMENT BY SARAH HOWLAND, ESQ. [pictured]
I filed a lawsuit today on behalf of The Women’s Coalition and 41 similarly-situated female plaintiffs who have been discriminated against in New York family and matrimonial courts.
It is a federal lawsuit filed in the southern district of New York but it includes Plaintiffs from all parts of New York state.
The goal of the lawsuit is to legally establish that women have been and are being systemically discriminated against in child custody cases. We are requesting a jury trial and seek declaratory and injunctive relief.
For decades, a false narrative has been spun that women are at an advantage in custody cases, but in reality, the stark opposite is true. Women are overwhelmingly disadvantaged in family court. And the empirical data support this, and verify women’s independent accounts.
Our request is simple: We want a declaration that s*x discrimination is occurring and an end to it.
We are also asking that women with minor children have a right to a de novo case, in which they will not experience discrimination.
The defendants are the State of New York, the Governor, the New York state unified court system, and the relevant supervising judges.
We are not suing individual judges because this is not about any particular judge who has engaged in discriminatory conduct against the Plaintiffs. It’s about the system.
Our Complaint claims that women’s constitutional right as a class (s*x) to equal protection of the laws has been violated. This s*x discrimination manifests as violations of procedural and substantive due process, such as a pattern of biased judicial conduct and treatment of women litigants.
The Constitution of the State of New York guarantees equal protection under the law, and that is all we are asking for.
It has been a pleasure and an honor working with Cindy Dumas of the Women’s Coalition in the writing and preparation of this lawsuit. I am proud to be part of this historic moment, fighting with and for women in this important effort.
Sarah Howland
* * * *
LIKE, COMMENT, SHARE!
SHARE FAR AND WIDE! Help get media coverage on this: have MSM or independent media contact [email protected]
*Special thanks to Sarah for an amazing job on the lawsuit and to all the women who are participating as Plaintiffs!
_______________________________________________
Join The Women’s Coalition where we are demanding a new system for deciding child custody. https://www.womenscoalitioninternational.org/contact
Join Sisters in Solidarity if you’d like to engage in activism. (There will be no April forum due to the filing of our lawsuit.) https://bit.ly/SISpostSS
If you appreciate the work of The Women's Coalition, please consider contributing:
Paypal Giving Fund: https://bit.ly/WCgivingfund
Snail Mail: PO Box 501956, San Diego, CA 92150
You may also subscribe to our Substack publication for $5/mo or $50/yr or $200 founding member and columns will go straight to your inbox:
https://womenscoalition.substack.com
