A few weeks ago, a girl named Hillary Adams uploaded an almost 8-minute video to YouTube  (warning: if you choose to watch the video on Youtube, it is very upsetting and could be a potential trigger) that she had recorded in 2004, when she was 16. She had secretly hidden a camera in her bedroom and happened to record a video of her father and her mother, beating her with a belt for doing what most 16-year-olds do: downloading music and video games. Instead of doing the sane thing, such as taking away her computer, telling her the seriousness of piracy and perhaps grounding her for a week or two, her father beat her with a belt and berated her (and her mother). 

The worst parts? Hillary has ataxic cerebral palsy, which is a less common form of cerebral palsy that affects her motor functions (such as using scissors or pens and pencils). Even worse, Hillary’s father, Judge William Adams, is a family court judge, which means he often deals with and judges on abusive family situations.

After Hillary uploaded the video, it was uploaded to Reddit.com and by various news sites, all of which called for Judge Adams to be suspended. He went on paid leave and released a statement, claiming that Hillary only released the video to spite him for threatening to cut off financial support (claiming that she dropped out of college and only worked part-time in a video game store).

Judge Adams was just recently suspended, although the Texas court system declined to say why they had done so. It is easy to infer from the media coverage surrounding Judge Adams (as well as his wife’s decision to leave him and try to gain sole custody of their younger daughter) that he was suspended for this video and suggested continued abuse. Hillary has made clear that she loves her father, she just wants him to receive the help he needs to control his anger. 

What do you think of this situation? Do you think Hillary did the right thing by exposing her father’s abuse? Do you think Judge Adams deserved to be suspended?