FEES FOR COURT APPEARANCE
Cour Appearance Fee
I do not voluntarily appear in court. If I receive a subpoena to appear in court to testify (on the behalf of you or a family member), the fee is $2000 for an AM or PM session and $3500 for the full day. These fees must be paid in full 7 days in advance of the court date.
Since I will be required to clear my calendar of all appointments and prior engagements so that I may be available to appear in court, the court appearance fee is non-refundable. If your court date is postponed and I must again clear my calendar to attend court, you will again be charged the full fee. If your court date is canceled this fee is non-refundable. No further appointments will be scheduled until this fee is paid in full. If this payment is not paid in full within one calendar month it will be brought to collections.
Other fees include:
- All preparatory time (e.g., reviewing the file, court preparation with an attorney, paperwork, and communications related to preparation) is charged at $250/ hour
- Court time, for all time required out of the office (i.e., including drive time) and/or scheduled out that I otherwise would not be able to see clients is charged at $250/ hour
- All attorney costs incurred by me.
As a general policy, I cannot be available “on-call,” as being called to come to court at the last minute in that fashion is disruptive to my practice, and not fair to my clients that otherwise would be scheduled that day, taking off time from work and/or taking their children out of school to come to my office.
Divorce/Custody
Please be advised that if subpoenaed to testify in a divorce or custody case, I do not make custody recommendations. Nor do I make recommendations about a parent’s fitness or where a child ought to live.
Confidentiality
Please note that if your fees are not collected within one month after the scheduled court appearance date, and we have not worked out a payment schedule, I will contact a collections agency.
Your rights to privacy and confidentiality are important to me, and I work hard to protect them. There are also laws in place to protect you. Please note there are situations during court and legal proceedings where they may be compromised. Examples of this include you waiving confidentially by agreeing to disclosure the client’s mental health records in a lawsuit for emotional distress; your decision to pursue a lawsuit where the client’s mental or emotional condition is relevant or critical; if the client’s records are requested by a valid subpoena or court order. It is your responsibility to learn how to confidentially and privacy may be compromised as a result of legal or court proceedings.
Non-Payment If you have not paid your court-related fees and do not respond to my attempts to contact you and work out a payment plan, I have the option of using legal means to secure the payment. This involves hiring a collection agency or going through small claims court. In most collection situations, the only information I release regarding a patient’s treatment is his/her name, the nature of the services provided, and the amount due. A late fee of 20% of the unpaid balance will be charged each month that a balance remains unpaid. Clients Statement of
Agreement I have read this notice and fully understand the statement. I agree to pay the full fee of $1,500, seven (7) days in advance, for any court appearance this therapist may need to make on behalf of myself, my child, or any other family member. I understand that my therapist is not responsible for the outcome, or any judgments made, regarding my court case.I do not voluntarily appear in court. Regardless of whether or not you intend to qualify me as a fact witness or as an expert witness, I require compensation for my time, as is usual and customary when professionals are requested to testify in court.
Thus, if I can clear my calendar on that date, I would be happy to provide this professional service by appearing and testifying.