In 2013, Ontario Superior Court Justice Theresa Maddalena ruled that Anne could not present valid evidence in her custody case that would have supported her side of the story. Anne feared for the safety of herself and her children, worrying that if she brought them back from Alberta, her children would be given to her violent ex. When testifying against her ex in a second domestic violence incident, Maddalena ordered her failure to return the children, and arrested Anne for contempt of court. She spent two months in jail, while Maddalena granted Anne’s ex custody of the children in a hearing without involving Anne or her lawyer. Maddalena`s decision has been undone by the Court of Appeal for Ontario, which found in June that Maddalena had
