Burrill

This defamation action arises out of a contentious custody dispute that has made its way to this court five times. In the underlying case, Jayraj Nair persistently fought court-ordered efforts to reunify Ms former wife, Bindu, with their older son, Suraj. (We refer to defendant by Ms last name and to other members of the Nair family by their first names for clarity.) After the couple separated, Suraj sided with his father and moved in with Mm. Their younger son, Sujay, continued to live with his mother. Following dissolution of the marriage, the family court awarded Nair and Bindu joint legal custody of both sons and found the best interest of the cMldren required joint physical custody, but that Suraj’s estrangement from his mother required therapy before that could happen. (Nair II, supra, C059661.)

Janelle Burrill, Ph.D., was appointed to serve as reunification counselor to assist in the reuMfication process. After Dr. Burrill filed a reunification report concluding Nair was emotionally and psychologically abusing Suraj by, among other things, mdoctrinating the cMld to believe his mother was “evil and never loved him,” and she “kidnapped Sujay and [was] holding him…