Ami Sheth Sagel

Judge Sagel should be removed from the bench before a child is seriously harmed. In all my years of practicing law I have never encountered a worse family court judge than Ami Sagel. She has zero regard for the law and routinely violates statutes based exclusively upon her personal preference for counsel. I've seen near daily protests outside of the courthouse against Sagel, and she has established a well deserved reputation for being dangerously incompetent. If you're unfortunate enough to have you case assigned to Judge Sagel's courtroom I would strongly recommend utilizing your preemptory challenge.

Ami Sheth Sagel needs to be investigated!! She is helping manslaughter gave him full custody over 18 months!! Ami Sheth Sagel destroyed families! [Redacted by Ed.] She appointed minor’s counsel Brian Baron also the worst 8 years old boy just died under his watch and he is getting 6 lawsuits from desperate moms in one week. Ami Sheth Sagel and Brian Baron needs to be on death penalty for destroyed many families! END Child trafficking

She is the worse judge, separate loving mom and 4 years old son. Put him with manslaughter abusive father for over 18 months away from a foster mom. Ami sagel is been picked on the mother mental health slightly depression report for 18 months with court ordered monitors who also abused the mother and son. Ami sagel is well known abusive judge one being recalled in lamareux court house. Please move her to Jail because she destroyed so many families and children. She needs to be in jail immediately

I've worked in the court for over 10 years and every staff member I speak with agrees that Ami Sagel is the single worst judge in Orange County. Litigants have been holding a DAILY protest right outside of our courthouse for months to protest Judge Sagel, and everyone knows that she's being actively investigated by the Commission on Judicial Performance for multiple legal and ethical violations. Judge Sagel's actions have been shocking, as she shows no concern for legal statutes and violates legal requirements without any fear or concern for being held accountable. Everyone working in her courtroom believes it's only a matter of time before she's removed from the bench, and with all of the violations she's committed the county will be safer when she's gone. Judge Sagel appears to be a mix of [Redacted by Ed.] and displays a temper that can only be described as dangerous. Nobody wants to work in her courtroom, and attorneys don't want to assigned to her courtroom. Judge Sagel should be removed from the bench immediately, as her bias has not only harmed families, but it has put children's lives at risk by forcing them to live with abusive parents simply because she's friends with their attorney or has a connection to their attorney's law firm. Even the other judges know that Ami Sagel is likely going to be removed from the bench by the CJP, she's that dangerous and that bad.

My experience with Judge Sagal is as an attorney in adoption proceedings. I found her to be quite knowledgeable in this small sub-area of family law, which many judges are not. She was always extremely pleasant to the participants in the case. I have appeared in front of her perhaps 4-5 times and came away impressed each time.

Definitely worth the peremptory challenge before trying to litigate your case in this wackos courtroom. Never seen a less qualified judge in all my years of practicing law.

Discharge kidnapped. My child is racist against Native Americans and trafficked my child a.k.a. rented my child to me for an hourly rate and I’m a fit parent!

`Just a word of advice to my colleagues based upon my personal experience appearing before Judge Sagel in several family law cases. I've found that Sagel decides almost immediately which litigant she likes, and which litigant she doesn't like. Her opinion will never change after that, regardless of evidence. If you're lucky enough for Sagel to decide that she likes your client, then the rest of the case is a cake walk. Just don't challenge her. She's thin skinned and lacks the knowledge of seasoned family court judges. The only problem with Sagel is that if she decides she doesn't like your client, which I can assure you will be obvious after your first hearing, there's virtually no chance your client will prevail. Advise your clients accordingly, winning or losing in Sagel's courtroom has little to nothing to do with the strength of your client's case, and arguing a case before Sagel feels no different than a coin toss.

Worst judge ever. Committing fraud and covering up fraud. Allowing fraud upon the court to occur in my case. Not reporting crimes being committed and committing crimes herself. Endangering children endangering my child literally with holding my child for me. I haven’t seen my child in a year. She is a criminal and needs to be locked up and put behind bars! My son has irreparable damage because of this judge. He will never be OK for the rest of his life.

Truly one of the worst and most incompetent judges ever appointed to the bench. Judge Sagel's temperament often borders on the bizarre, randomly snapping at almost anything, acting as though she's the only adult in the room, often treating those who appears before her like children, but without a shred of compassion for the people who are simply trying their best to navigate the legal system. Having argued several cases in her courtroom I can confirm that the reputation Judge Sagel has earned for herself as being one of the worst family court judges in Orange County is well justified. It's only a question of time before one of her cases goes horribly wrong and a child gets hurt because of her temperament and tendency to make a snap decision about who she likes, and who she doesn't like, at the onset of every case. And if she doesn't like you or your client you can kiss any hopes for a fair hearing goodbye.

Our experience with Hon. Ami Sheth Sagel was deeply troubling, and I feel it is important to share our concerns. This judge is not only incompetent but also exhibits a clear bias against men. Her rulings consistently lack impartiality and appear driven by emotion rather than facts or the law. Throughout our case, Judge Sagel repeatedly ignored critical evidence and dismissed our claims of perjury of opposing counsel. It was incredibly disheartening to see her rely on opposing counsel for judicial direction, revealing a lack of familiarity with family law that is unacceptable for someone in her position. On multiple occasions, we presented crucial evidence regarding our son, only to have it dismissed at the request of opposing counsel. What was most egregious was her complete disregard for the fact that many of the comments and allegations made by opposing counsel were verifiably false and lacked any supporting evidence. Rather than questioning or scrutinizing these baseless claims, Judge Sagel appeared to take them at face value, further demonstrating her bias and lack of commitment to a fair process. Judge Sagel’s handling of witnesses was equally alarming. She dismissed several key witnesses we presented, which severely undermined our case. Rather than recusing herself when a clear conflict of interest arose, she chose to remain on the case, further compromising the fairness of the proceedings. In the end, Judge Sagel ignored all of the evidence we provided and based her decision entirely on the lies and perjured statements of opposing counsel. Her lack of professionalism and impartiality has caused irreparable harm to our family, and we are left devastated by the outcome of a case that was anything but fair. If you are seeking justice in a family law matter, be cautious. Our experience with Hon. Ami Sheth Sagel was a nightmare, and I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.

Absolutely the best Judge if you're representing a female client, especially mothers, but possibly the worst Judge if you're representing a man, especially dads. This rating of 9 only applies for female litigants, where almost every case is an easy win. I would have rated Judge Sagel a 10 for women, but she doesn't tend to terminate all custody rights from fathers, just most of it. Trust me, if you're representing a woman, you want to be assigned to Judge Sagel's courtroom. I'm not saying that her heavy bias against men is a good thing, but if you're representing a woman all you need to do is show up and you're virtually guaranteed to get everything your client wants. On the flip side, if you're representing a man, especially dads, you'll want to immediately use your preemptory challenge and get your case assigned to a different courtroom. Judge Sagel is new to the bench and it shows. She's very quick to snap, and will berate both counsel and client for almost anything, so tell your clients to keep their mouths shut in her courtroom. And if they have to speak tell them to keep their answers as brief as possible. But she always saves the worst of her temper for the men in her courtroom. The female clients I've had assigned to her courtroom love watching Judge Sagel rip into their exes for no good reason. I've never seen a more biased Judge against men in all my years of practice, which makes the very job easy when you have a female client.

Stay away from this judge. She is brand new to the bench and is actively ruining families. She is strongly aligned with women. She refuses strong evidence and eliminates witnesses supporting the opposition. She is more focused on procedure and perceived disrespect than uniting families. She will ruin your life. She does NOT belong in family court.

Terrible. She let her emotions and feelings, felt like she had her mind made up before anything was discussed. It was obvious she favors women. I thought that in family court, the judge is required to do what is best for the child(ren) - not the case with her. BEWARE.

One of the worst Family Court judges I have seen over a long career. It is apparent she performed well in Criminal Court, however is not a parent and I believe not married. Should have no business presiding in FC where children should be first priority. Inclined to rule leniently for parental “underdog” despite child safety risk. Seeming primary concern is for due process/appeal minimization. Rules emotionally/highly reactive to perceived disrespect. PSA: Keep child safety within custody disputes far away from her court- God forbid a tragedy happens on her watch.