Dr. Bob Geffner's Legal Defense Fund

Dr. Bob Geffner has been a leading expert for over 40 years in the fields of interpersonal violence, child abuse, trauma and sexual violence. Over the span of his career, he has pioneered research, policy, prevention and training for the field.

Dr. Geffner also provides evaluations and expert testimony for courts across the country, which has put him in the crosshairs of abusers who have lost access to the family members they target and abuse. Like many other top experts before him, he has been targeted by a vengeful litigant who is using the same tactics against Dr. Geffner that he used on his family, including his children.

It started with a request to consult on an emergency basis with twin 12.5-year-old boys as a result of a prior difficult divorce. The boys had expressed suicidal thoughts, running away, or killing their father when faced with the prospect of being forced to visit him in 2016. Bob was asked by the mother for help about what to do in this situation due to his expertise in risk assessments, psychological evaluations, and evidence-based research. He is a mental health professional who has lectured extensively, consults frequently, and trains others nationally and internationally on these subjects of trauma, victimization, and risk assessment. After not being able to find another prefessional in her area to do the emergency consultation and evaluation of the boys to determine if the boys were serious, he was able to arrange and work with a colleague over a holiday weekend to evaluate the boys concerning their potentially dangerous statements.

He and his colleague did find the situation to be quite dangerous and that it was realistic that the twins might indeed hurt themselves or run away if they were forced to see their father after the holiday weekend. So he recommended the severely distressed and traumatized boys not see their father temporarily, that the boys receive more intensive trauma treatment quickly, and that local mental health professionals conduct a more thorough risk assessment. This work was his only involvement in this case.

One year after the risk assessment, the father filed a complaint with the Psychology Board in CA; he wanted the Board to discipline and take away Bob's license.

Over 2 1/2 years later, in 2020, the State Board issued a formal accusation accusing Bob of various ethical violations and completely distorting the facts of the case. For example, they accused Bob of not obtaining the father's consent before conducting the emergency evaluation despite the father being the trigger of the boys' statements. They also accused him of not personally warning the father of the boys' statements, even though Bob made sure the father received the report quickly (12 hours after the mother received it). In addition, they stated that Bob should have personally contacted the current therapist, who had told the mother she was not available to do any evaluation and gave her no referrals (and she had already left town on vacation). Finally, the Board stated that his recommendations were beyond the scope of an emergency evaluation. What were his recommendations? He recommended intense trauma treatment for the boys and temporarily halting visitation with the father until a more thorough risk assessment could be conducted (remember, the father was the trigger for their thoughts of running away or hurting themselves).

After a hearing in front of an administrative law judge in the fall of 2021, where the evidence and testimony were clearly presented, the judge ignored the facts and ignored an expert Bob's attorney hired who has trained the Board's experts for more than 2 decades on just these issues. Thus, the Board and judge indicated the father's rights to veto or consent to an emergency evaluation overrode the boy's rights to safety!

The Board then imposed numerous severe sanctions and conditions while placing him on probation for 5 years and requiring him to pay the Board $42,000.

Dr. Geffner decided to take control and fight these rulings, just as he has told and helped numerous clients and colleagues who had been victimized when they faced injustice; he engaged a reputable law firm to help him appeal and fight off these sanctions and overturn this unjust ruling. His malpractice insurance had covered some of these expenses but he had to contribute over $80,000 of his upcoming retirement funds to the endeavor.

Now I would like to get back to the reason why the "Go Fund Me" has been created:

1. Financial help to save Bob's career and reputation so his voice

can continue to help protect children, families and those affected

by violence and abuser.

2. Allow him to continue to be a fierce advocate against injustice

and victimization.

3. Estimated expenses on $80,000-$90,000 for the first appeal

and now an appeal to a higher court that he is now filing as a

last chance to right the wrong that has occurred.

It would be a travesty to allow the litigant to use abuser tactics against one of the most renowned experts in the country and get away with it. Dr. Geffner now finds himself in much the same position many of the clients he has fought to protect for over 40 years. We are asking everyone who has been touched by Dr. Geffner's work and those who understand the trauma of victimization and abuse to stand up for him and donate to his legal defense fund.

Yours in solidarity,

Linda T. Brown, MFT