(left to right) Judge William Alan Summers, Fannie Waites, one of the social workers, and the family’s court-appointed attorney, Jenifer Brooke Schniper-Thornton
Nationwide — Lucretia J. Scott, a devoted African American grandmother from Birmingham, Alabama, is raising serious allegations of abuse, neglect, and judicial misconduct against Judge William Alan Summers and social workers affiliated with the Department of Human Resources (DHR). Scott, who has been the primary caretaker of her grandchildren, accuses Judge Summers of making false, harmful statements about her, failing to consider documented abuse by the children’s biological parents, and allowing baseless character attacks by attorneys to go unchecked in court. She insists that her grandchildren were suffering from severe physical and emotional abuse prior to her obtaining custody, conditions she worked tirelessly to reverse. Despite documented threats, missed school days, and physical injuries, she says Judge Summers and DHR have repeatedly downplayed the seriousness of the situation.
Scott describes a pattern of neglect by DHR case workers and unethical behavior by attorneys, especially Cynthia Johnson’s court-appointed attorney, Jenifer Brooke Schniper-Thornton. According to Scott, Schniper fabricated stories, slandered her name, and tried to manipulate counseling records to favor reunification with the children’s biological mother, Cynthia Johnson, who still tested positive for drugs and made multiple threats against Scott’s life. Scott provides case numbers and the names of DHR supervisors and case workers involved, noting that many of them failed to uphold court orders, ignored reports of abuse, and even took items from her home under false pretenses.
Despite having substantial proof—including photos, videos, and testimony—Scott says her voice has been continuously silenced in court. She alleges that Judge Summers ignored police reports, counselor documentation from Dr. Jakobbee White, and reports of drug abuse by the biological parents. Even when threats were made against her in open court or when her grandchildren expressed fear of returning to their parents, Scott says those statements were disregarded. In one instance, her granddaughter cried and clung to her during a custody exchange, saying she did not want to leave. Still, Judge Summers ordered the child returned to her mother.
Scott also documents her efforts to comply with court orders, detailing how she followed visitation guidelines and took the children to scheduled meet-ups—only for the biological parents to fail to show or cancel last-minute. She refutes claims made by Attorney Schniper that she interfered with court-ordered visitation or employment. Scott provides phone records and surveillance footage that contradict those accusations, and she alleges that much of the legal strategy against her was rooted in personal animosity, not facts.
The grandmother outlines repeated misconduct by multiple DHR case workers, including Lakeisha Mitchell, Vyonne Lakease Mosely, and Fannie Waites. She claims that workers ignored reports of child abuse, took supplies from her without returning payment, and made personal phone calls during home visits instead of focusing on the children’s welfare. When she tried to report these issues, Judge Summers allegedly responded with threats of jail time rather than reviewing her evidence. According to Scott, court-appointed child advocate Courtney Reed has privately acknowledged many of the inconsistencies in Judge Summers’ and DHR’s decisions.
In closing, Lucretia J. Scott says she is preparing to escalate her complaints to higher courts and the media. She has submitted a flash drive containing videos, audio recordings, emails, and text messages to substantiate her claims. Quoting judicial ethics codes, she emphasizes that no judge is above accountability, especially when children’s lives are at stake. She denounces the favoritism and theatrical bias she says she has witnessed in court and calls for immediate reform to protect vulnerable children from being returned to dangerous environments.