Barbara Sharief files ‘Patterson’s Law’ to help parents disprove false child abuse claims

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. 11/19/24-Sen. Barbara Sharief, D-Miramar, takes the oath of office during reorganizational session, Tuesday at the Capitol in Tallahassee. COLIN HACKLEY PHOTO

The story of a South Florida couple whose children were taken away by the state three years ago is now the inspiration for legislation by freshman Sen. Barbara Sharief.

Sharief, a Broward County Democrat, filed SB 304, titled “Patterson’s Law,” to guarantee parents the right to request examinations from a licensed physician in the event of suspected child abuse. Under current Florida law, Sharief’s office said there is no such recourse for families to disprove abuse allegations once a state welfare agency determines there are physical symptoms present, regardless of whether there is a valid, medically provable explanation.

The measure is named for Michael and Tasha Patterson and their twin sons, whom the Department of Children and Families (DCF) took into custody and haven’t returned after broken bones the boys suffered raised alarms during an emergency room visit.

The couple has taken the matter to court, citing medical evidence showing that like their mother, the boys suffer from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes easy bruising and fragile bones.

They’ve cited expert analyses of the twins’ medical records to no avail. Dr. Irman Forghani, a doctor at Mount Sinai Medical Center, told WSVN last month that one of the boys “continued to show new fractures while the child was not in” their parents’ custody.

Another doctor said the twins had fractured bones in utero.

Similar instances of family separation due to previously undiagnosed Ehlers-Danlos syndrome have occurred across the country, Sharief’s office said, “due to a lack of proper diagnosed medical conditions.”

One such case occurred in Jacksonville, when a couple faced harsh media attention and public condemnation — including calls for them to be jailed, tortured and executed — after it was discovered that their young daughter had more broken bones than weeks in her life.

As was the case with the Pattersons, the DCF took Brooke Bornhorst and Will Meade’s daughter and two other children away and fast-tracked them for adoption. The couple was then charged with felony child abuse.

A lengthy legal fight ensued, during which it was revealed their daughter also had Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. The state ultimately dropped its charges and returned the children, by which time ample and potentially irreparable mental, monetary and reputational damage had been done to the family.

“Parents that were wrongfully accused subsequently lost their children and were ostracized by their communities,” Sharief’s office said. “As a result, children are often removed from their homes and frequently pushed into an already overburdened foster system.”

In a statement, the Pattersons said they’ve endured “an emotionally draining and mentally exhausting journey,” suffering “countless sleepless nights yearning for the return of our children.”

They said they’ve exhausted their finances to fight “a battle that never should have been necessary.”

“We pray that this bill will bring much-needed change, sparing other families the pain and suffering we have faced, and offering a path to swift resolution. We love our children more than words can express, and all we want is to see them home—safe, happy, and sleeping in their own beds each night.”

SB 304 does not yet have a House sponsor.