Jack and Angela Howser, former publishers of the well-known area newspaper “The Disclosure,” have been ordered to pay nearly $1 million after a federal jury found they conspired with law enforcement to seize custody of their stepdaughter Jade Green’s young child.
The case, Jade V. Green v. Howser, was tried in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois and later upheld by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Jade Green alleged that her mother and stepfather worked with the sheriff, a deputy, a prosecutor, and a private investigator in Lawrence County to forcibly remove her daughter, following a bitter family dispute. Jade Green once worked at the newspaper.
According to court records, the Howsers orchestrated Jade’s late-night arrest to ensure her husband would not be present, allowing them to take custody of the child. Jade was handcuffed in her home and Jack Howser was signaled by law enforcement to enter and remove the child. Jade was later arrested again on a separate complaint and spent months fighting in court to regain custody, while the Howsers obtained temporary guardianship and orders of protection kept her separated from her child.
After ultimately regaining custody, Jade filed a federal civil rights lawsuit. The sheriff and prosecutor settled before trial, but a jury found in Jade’s favor against the Howsers, awarding $470,000 in compensatory damages and $500,000 in punitive damages, totaling $970,000. The damages covered legal fees, emotional distress, and punitive damages for reckless disregard of Jade’s parental rights.
The Howsers’ appeal was rejected by a three-judge panel, which included then-Judge Amy Coney Barrett, affirming that the evidence supported a conspiracy to bypass legal custody procedures.
This case stands as one of Southern Illinois’ most significant family-related civil rights verdicts, highlighting the misuse of law enforcement in private custody battles and the importance of due process in parental rights cases.