Update 5/8/26: 

On Friday May 8, 2026, Florida finalized the adoption of the Patterson twins, who were placed with a relative. However, Michael and Tasha have not given up on their babies, and they will not; the couple has one year to undo the damage caused by a medical misdiagnosis and DCF.

You Are The Power has supported Michael and Tasha and will continue to do so; they are factually innocent, blameless victims of government overreach and abuse.

Michael and Tasha have the truth on their side. A truth acknowledged by more than a dozen independent medical experts who were ignored by DCF, needlessly fracturing the Patterson family.

The Patterson case prompted legislators to pass a bill designed to protect parents of medically complex children with genetic disorders who are falsely accused of abuse. The bill, unless vetoed by the governor, will take effect on July 1, 2026.

Step 2

Let us know you did it by filling out the form below.

Email:
Harold F. Pryor, Broward State Attorney
HPryor@sao17.state.fl.us

Subject:
Patterson Case Review Request

Email Template:

Dear Mr. Pryor,

I am writing to urge your office to conduct an immediate independent review of the criminal case against Michael and Tasha Patterson (23-1100CF10A and 23-1127CF10A), reassess the continued prosecution, and dismiss all charges.

The Patterson family remains subject to child neglect charges despite substantial medical evidence supporting legitimate medical explanations for the children’s injuries.

MEDICAL AND EXPERT REVIEW

– Thirteen medical experts, including three board-certified child abuse pediatricians.
– Dr. Paldeep Atwal, the twins’ treating geneticist, concluded the injuries are consistent with an underlying genetic or connective tissue disorder.
– Dr. Jason Schulman, former Medical Director of the Broward County Child Protection Team, found a plausible medical explanation and recommended that the children be returned to their parents.
– Dr. Eli Newberger, a pioneer in the field of child abuse pediatrics, concluded this is not abuse or neglect.
– Barbara Sharief, a healthcare provider with pediatric experience, publicly stated that this is not a child abuse or neglect matter.
– Patt Maney, a former dependency judge, described the case during the 2025 legislative session as a miscarriage of justice.

TIMELINE AND ADDITIONAL FACTS

– The Pattersons sought frequent medical care before the children were removed, a fact stipulated to by DCF in April 2023.
– Fractures were reportedly identified after the children were removed from their custody and while visitation was supervised.
– The children stopped sustaining injuries after appropriate preventative care measures were implemented.
– Supervised visitation restrictions have continued despite substantial contradictory medical evidence.
– There are also serious concerns regarding aspects of the family’s treatment by law enforcement.

REQUESTED ACTIONS

– A full independent review of the handling of this case
– Reassessment of the continued prosecution
– Dismissal of all charges against Michael and Tasha Patterson
– Investigation into the conduct of the prosecutor assigned to this case
– Transparency regarding the updated medical findings provided to your office

This case has had devastating consequences for the Patterson family. When extensive expert evidence undermines the original allegations, continued prosecution raises profound concerns about fairness and justice.

If your office is willing to discuss these concerns and work toward a just resolution, I ask that Michael and Tasha Patterson’s attorneys be contacted directly.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Respectfully,
[Your Name]

The Patterson Family Story

Nearly four years ago, the state of Florida removed their medically fragile children based on a diagnosis of abuse that has since been widely challenged by medical experts. 

Since that time, multiple independent physicians, including a former Child Protection Team (CPT) doctor who previously worked within Florida’s own system, have reviewed the case and found that the children’s injuries are consistent with underlying medical conditions, not abuse. 

Despite this, Florida’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) is actively moving forward with adoption. 

DCF leadership has acknowledged concerns in this case. Secretary Hatch publicly agreed to meet with a family advocate to review the evidence, but that meeting has still not taken place. 

This situation is now critical. 

Adoption is a permanent and irreversible decision. If it proceeds, Michael and Tasha may lose their children forever, regardless of what medical evidence continues to emerge. 

They are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for a fair and thorough review of the medical evidence before a life altering decision is made. 

We are urgently calling on Florida DCF to: 

• Honor its commitment to review this case 

• Meet immediately with the Patterson family’s advocate and counsel 

• Fully and objectively consider the independent medical findings 

• Pause all adoption proceedings until this review is completed 

A decision of this magnitude must be made based on complete and accurate information, not while serious medical concerns remain unresolved. 

The Patterson Family

Michael and Tasha Patterson are loving parents whose three children were prematurely seized by Florida child protective services in 2022, and they have been fighting relentlessly to reunite their family ever since. The Pattersons were falsely accused of abusing their medically fragile twins, and subsequent medical evaluations revealed that they, like their mother, have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome—a genetic connective tissue disorder. The twins were also diagnosed with Metabolic Bone Disease. These conditions were found to be the underlying cause of their susceptibility to injury.

The twins have documented injuries dating back to when Tasha was pregnant, during their birth, and while hospitalized. The twins suffered additional injuries in state care due to their medical fragility. Only after proper preventative medical interventions were implemented did the twins’ injuries subside.

One of their medical experts, the founding father of child abuse pediatrics, Dr. Eli Newberger, reviewed the Patterson case. He determined that no abuse occurred, but rather, this is an instance of medical misdiagnosis, and that the accusing Child Protection Medical Provider violated the standards of care for child abuse pediatrics.

Despite overwhelming evidence of innocence, the children have not been returned to their parents and could potentially be adopted. Michael and Tasha are fighting to vindicate themselves from false allegations and reunite their family.

The Patterson case has led to the proposal of Florida Senate Bill 304 and Florida House Bill 511. These bills aim to give parents the right to a second medical opinion in cases involving allegations of abuse. Despite these efforts and the fact that lawmakers have declared Michael and Tasha to be factually innocent, they are still without their children. The situation has been described by former dependency judge and Florida Representative Patt Maney as a ‘miscarriage of justice’, highlighting the urgent need for action and effective reform.

The Florida Department of Health/Children’s Medical Services Program oversees the Child Protection Team in Florida, which misdiagnosed the Patterson twins, leading to the cascade of injustice that the family has needlessly endured. The Child Protection Medical Provider who wrongfully diagnosed the Patterson twins as abused was not certified in Child Protection by the State of Florida at the time she made the allegations against Michael and Tasha, and even more troubling, she was not certified during their trial, where she gave damaging testimony. This same physician is no longer a part of Child Protection Services, yet the Pattersons are still trying to undo the damage she caused nearly three years ago.

Using the template in the tab below, please email DCF Secretary Taylor Hatch, DCF Chief of Staff Samuel Kerce, and the Statewide Child Protection Team Medical Director, Dr. Carol Lilly.

Respectfully ask them to help undo the harm to the Patterson family and reunite Michael and Tasha with their children. Your support is crucial in this fight for justice.

The Fight for Reunification

The Pattersons have fought for four years, trying to get someone to hear the truth; their twins are medically fragile, not victims of parental abuse. The system that is supposed to help children and families is the very one causing the harm.

Being factually innocent is not the same as legal innocence (being acquitted because the state failed to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt). The Pattersons are blameless, not because of a legal technicality, but because they did not abuse their twins.

You Are The Power reached this conclusion based on evidence and facts, not on theories, hunches, or mathematical probabilities. The factual innocence standard we uphold requires us to be right 100% of the time, unlike child welfare agencies nationwide.

Our conclusion of factual innocence is further supported by a dozen independent medical experts. Dr. Jason Schulman, a physician with 30 years of experience, who is board-certified in Pediatrics and holds State Board Certification in Child Abuse and Neglect, wrote in his report in support of Michael and Tasha:

“I do not see, in my exhaustive review of the chart that the court and the Child Protection Team were aware that the mother and these children have a mutation of the FN1 gene that can be a cause of fractures and bruising as a possible explanation for the totality of findings, given that there was no history of abuse, and fractures continued to occur even after the children were removed from their parents’ custody. I am asking the court to reconsider and release the children back to their parents.”

Florida DCF Secretary Taylor Hatch, who is a mother herself, has the authority to reunite the Patterson family and assist a factually innocent family in beginning their healing process. Four years of needless suffering must end.