Adoption Lawsuit Appeal Rejected
A federal appeals court has rejected a lawsuit brought by a Tennessee man against a mediator-turned-judge who oversaw an international custody dispute.
The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday ruled that Dr. Christopher Savoie didn’t state a valid claim against state Judge James G. Martin III and the law firm of Stites & Harbison.
The suit against Martin and the law firm grew out of Savoie’s custody dispute with his ex-wife, Noriko Esaki, who took the couple’s children to Japan in 2009 and did not return. Martin used to work for Stites & Harbison before becoming a judge.
Judge Boyce Martin wrote for a three-judge panel that James Martin was entitled to judicial immunity and that Stites & Harbison did not violate the Tennessee father’s rights.
