Background & Purpose

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The TechRen Foundation’s Fairness, Accountability & Equal Justice Program was created to confront systemic inequities in the family court system, inequities that disproportionately harm fathers, disabled individuals, and veterans. Drawing on Founder Michael Brown’s personal experience of losing assets and rights despite a court judgment in his favor, this initiative seeks reforms that ensure due process, equal enforcement of judgments, and true fairness in family law.

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💡 The Problem: Laws & Practices That Harm Fathers

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🔹 Bradley Amendment (1986)

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• What it does: Prohibits retroactive reduction of child support debt, even if a parent is unemployed, disabled, or if circumstances change drastically.

• Why it’s harmful: Creates lifelong, unpayable debts for fathers who become disabled or lose employment. Effectively traps many men in poverty or incarceration.

 

🔹 Civil Contempt & Debtors’ Prison Practices

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• What it does: Courts jail fathers for nonpayment, often without proving ability to pay.

• Why it’s harmful: Violates due process protections affirmed in Turner v. Rogers (2011). Leads to unconstitutional “debtors’ prisons” for indigent fathers.

 

🔹 License Suspension Laws

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• What it does: States suspend driver’s or professional licenses for unpaid support.

• Why it’s harmful: Prevents fathers from working to repay debt, perpetuating unemployment and poverty.

 

🔹 Unequal Enforcement of Property Settlements

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• What it does: Fathers owed money from divorce judgments often struggle to enforce payment, while mothers benefit from aggressive enforcement tools.

• Why it’s harmful: Creates gender-based inequity in post-divorce outcomes and leaves many men destitute.

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Proposed Reforms

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The TechRen Foundation calls for reforms at state and federal levels, including:

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1. Amend the Bradley Amendment to allow retroactive adjustments in cases of disability, unemployment, or proven inability to pay.

2. End automatic incarceration for nonpayment of support. Require proof of ability to pay before jailing any parent.

3. Reform license suspension laws to protect a parent’s ability to work and repay debt. Replace with payment plans or income-based adjustments.

4. Guarantee gender-neutral enforcement of property division and judgments in divorce. Fathers must have equal access to collection remedies.

5. Expand access to legal aid for low-income fathers and disabled individuals, ensuring no one is denied justice due to lack of representation.

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Program Initiatives

 

Through this program, TechRen will:

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Partner with legal aid, civil rights, and disability rights groups nationwide.

Provide workshops on rights awareness, self-advocacy, and navigating family courts.

Advocate for legislative reforms in Tennessee, Florida, and beyond.

Launch a nationwide listening tour to gather testimonies from fathers, disabled men, and families affected by systemic injustice.

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