Helal A. Farhat

I appeared before Judge Helal A. Farhat in the Wayne County Third Circuit Court Family Division in my long-running child support and custody case. Unfortunately, his decisions have had a profoundly negative impact on my life and my child's well-being. In one instance, during a hearing, Judge Farhat ...went off the record and directly threatened to take away my custody if I did not vaccinate my child. This came across as coercive pressure rather than impartial consideration of the child's best interests, and it added significant stress to an already difficult process. Additionally, the judge accepted a simple doctor's letter stating my ex-wife was "under stress" as sufficient grounds to drastically reduce or eliminate her child support obligations, even though standard guidelines and evidence suggested otherwise. This allowed her to avoid meaningful financial responsibility for years, forcing me to overpay and bear an unfair burden as the primary caregiver. Despite attempts to address discrepancies in her reported income, the court did not require proper disclosure or adjustment. As someone from a Middle Eastern background myself, I expected fairness and cultural understanding, but instead experienced what felt like biased rulings that disregarded evidence and equity. Judge Farhat's approach in my case seemed expedited and one-sided, prioritizing convenience over thorough review of facts. I do not recommend him for family matters involving child support, custody, or parenting time. Families deserve judges who uphold impartiality and protect children's interests without off-record threats or leniency toward non-compliance. I hope sharing this encourages greater accountability in the system.

My case was presented before Judge Farhat on 1/28/25. It started out okay, and he seemed reasonable, until he wasn’t. He allowed my kids dad and his attorney to speak and made a determination before even giving me the opportunity to do so. When he finally did allow me to speak, I provided details th...at directly impacted the other party’s unwillingness to follow the court order that was in place and he acted like the details of my testimony were irrelevant. In addition to that, there were some inconsistencies in the documentation that they had and I attempted to make him aware by telling him that I had documents from an investigation that they completed, which proved that the other party was lying about his income and he completely ignored me and adjourned court. He dismissed evidence and failed me and my kids in the process.

He’s a Judge now but the worst judge I’ve ever encountered! He yelled at me in zoom court and did not let me get one word in, I had been a victim of abuse and stalking! I couldn’t afford a lawyer at the time but the other party had one! I had a restraining that he initially approved but at court he... denied it! I fell into a deep depression afterwards.. Yes I’m a black woman, I felt attacked by him and the other party and their lawyer, they were all men!