DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — A Boca Raton mother will finally be able to see her children after nearly three years of separation.
Thursday, Judge Melanie Surber granted the requests to dissolve injunctions against Cassini, her fiancé Ryan Londono, and her eldest son Matthew Cassini — ruling that circumstances had changed significantly since the orders were first entered in March 2024.
Audible gasps and tears erupted in the South County courtroom when the judge announced her decision.
"It was very emotional. I'm so happy that she made this decision," Cassini said after the ruling. "They always talk about the good days and the bad days, and this was definitely a good day. We won today."
Attorney Matthew Goldberger said the ruling marks a pivotal moment.
"This was the last legal hurdle standing between Miss Cassini and her right to be a mother," Goldberger said. "She wants to get back to being a mom and that's what she's going to do."
How the case began
The injunctions were put in place in March 2024 after Cassini's ex — the father of her two younger sons — accused Cassini, Londono and Matthew Cassini of sexually abusing the boys and livestreaming the abuse for financial gain.
Cassini and her attorneys say the allegations grew out of a bitter custody dispute over Thanksgiving 2023. Text messages WPTV obtained show Cassini messaged the boys' father dozens of times on Nov. 26, 2023, demanding to know where her children were after they were not returned following the holiday. Body camera footage from the following day shows Marion County deputies responding to the father's home in Ocala after he reported the allegations — but hours later, both Marion County and Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputies questioned those claims.
"It's possible that the kids are just lying about this because they want to stay with dad, because dad hasn't witnessed any of this," a Marion County deputy said in the footage. "This was reported to him two days ago, but he didn't call us until tonight. He's more concerned with keeping his kids than he is with the actual allegations."
"100%," a PBSO deputy responded.
All three were arrested in March 2024. All three faced charges carrying mandatory life sentences.
In October 2025, days before trial, the State Attorney's Office dropped all charges, stating "new information brought to the state's attention" led to the decision. Prosecutors said they "no longer had a good faith basis to proceed" after reviewing digital evidence, depositions and witnesses.
Despite the dropped charges, the injunctions remained in place — and Cassini's children stayed with their father.
"I honestly thought that we'd be in a courtroom setting and we would get the 'not guilty' [verdict] and they would come running in," Cassini previously told Investigative Reporter Kate Hussey. "That everything would just fall into place like they were before, but it doesn't. Once it was said and done, I am now fighting to reverse everything."
Day 1: Judge delays, Cassini takes the stand
The two-day hearing began Aug. 20 in South County Court, where the judge was initially expected to decide whether to lift the injunctions. After hearing testimony, Surber postponed the decision, saying she needed more time to review the evidence.
Cassini tearfully took the stand on the first day, telling the judge exactly how many days it had been since she last saw her sons.
"About 1,009," Cassini said.
Cassini testified her ex had threatened to fabricate sexual abuse allegations against her in a voicemail he left approximately a year before the accusations were formally made.
"There was a drunken phone call voicemail that he left me a year prior where he states that if I didn't call him right away, he was going to call the authorities and say that I sexually abused my children," Cassini said.
When asked directly whether she had ever sexually abused her sons, Cassini was unequivocal.
"Never," Cassini said.
Frustration built in the courtroom as DCF attorneys repeatedly objected to Cassini's testimony.
"Very frustrating, because to know the story, you need all the details — the story hones everything together," Cassini said.
The first day of testimony also revealed that DCF had no open case and had not contacted the children since 2024 — despite Cassini's attorneys sending the agency a letter urging reinvestigation with "some urgency" over concerns for the boys' well-being, along with a binder and flash drive of supporting materials.
The exchange between the judge and a DCF representative made that clear:
"Is there an open case?" the judge asked.
"No. Open investigations? No," the DCF representative said.
"There are none?" the judge pressed.
"None at this point," the DCF representative said.
"It's very disheartening, I wanted to cry, I was holding back a lot of tears," Cassini said after the first day of testimony.
Despite the delay, Cassini said she remained hopeful.
"I'm still hoping there's a chance for them to make things right," Cassini said. "I trust the judge, I understand her position — she wants to get organized and really be thorough — and I am in it for the long haul."
"We are confident in our position and we believe this is a righteous fight Miss Cassini is waging," Goldberger said.
DCF attorney Joshua Smith did not respond to calls or emails seeking comment after the first day of the hearing.
What happened in court Thursday
The hearing resumed at 9:05 a.m. Thursday, the second day of testimony in the injunction proceeding.
Before arguments began, the judge confirmed she had reviewed all of the videos, read everything the parties provided and reviewed the evidence.
Cassini's attorneys argue for dissolution
Cassini's attorneys argued a permanent injunction may be modified when a change in circumstances makes it equitable, and that the State's dismissal of the criminal charges reflected that.
"Cassini testified she never sexually touched her boys, never harmed them," attorney Goldberger said in court.
Attorneys pointed to the voicemail they say the boys' father left approximately a year before the sexual abuse allegations were made, in which he allegedly threatened to accuse Cassini of sexually abusing her children if she did not call him back.
"That voicemail is clear evidence that the father is willing to use sexual abuse allegations to his end," Goldberger said in court.
Attorneys also argued the Child Protection Team (CPT) interviews — conducted nearly 3 years ago — contained multiple red flags for parental alienation that were not adequately followed up on.
They noted that an expert witness conducted a forensic analysis of the evidence and CPT interviews and identified a high-conflict relationship, distrust between the parties and significant red flags for parental alienation.
They also noted that dozens of WhatsApp messages were missing from the law-enforcement extraction around February 2024 — the same time the second CPT interview occurred — and that the most serious allegations, including claims the abuse was livestreamed for paying customers, were definitively unsupported after approximately 20 months of investigation in which law enforcement seized devices and found no digital evidence.
Attorneys described the case as involving approximately 1,016 days since the father took the children, and said Cassini is not seeking revenge — only an opportunity to see her sons.
DCF argues injunctions should stay
DCF attorney Joshua Smith argued the injunctions should remain in place, pointing to the children's CPT statements, DCF findings and the boys' current stated wishes.
"These injunctions are what are keeping the children safe," Smith said in court.
Smith called to the stand Mariette Adam de Villiers, an Operations Review Specialist with 24 years of experience in the agency's Southeast Region.
De Villiers testified she met with both boys on Aug. 24 in Ocala — describing the meetings as conversations, not investigations.
De Villiers said the older boy was adamant he did not want contact with the respondents or extended family, and that the possibility of the injunction being lifted was a "tremendous worry" for him.
She testified the younger boy, when asked how he would feel if a court order required contact, said he would initially feel sad, cry and not want to be around them — but that he guessed he would have to comply if ordered. He suggested that having many people around or a professional such as a therapist present might make contact more comfortable.
De Villiers confirmed the boys are living in a 55-and-over community in Ocala, and said she did not complete a home assessment or walkthrough and did not enter the home.
Smith challenged the parental alienation report, noting the expert was retained for Cassini's benefit in connection with the criminal proceeding, did not speak with the children or the father and reviewed only materials selected for his review.
The judge's ruling
Surber said she reviewed all of the evidence, watched all of the videos, read all of the reports and reviewed testimony from the prior hearing before issuing her ruling.
The judge said she had to weigh the circumstances that existed when the injunctions were granted against what exists now. She cited several significant changes:
- The criminal charges against all three were nolle prossed — meaning formally dropped — by the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office in October 2025.
- No current dependency case is open.
- No new evidence of abuse was presented to the court.
- The court found insufficient evidence establishing a current, reasonable fear sufficient to continue the injunctions.
Surber referenced the legal standard for a domestic-violence injunction, noting it requires an existing fear and that the fear must be reasonable. While testimony established the boys do not want contact with the respondents, the judge said she did not hear testimony establishing the children currently have a reasonable fear of them.
Cassini said the moments leading up to the Judge's ruling for her were tense.
"My heart was pounding out of my chest. I was just hoping she could see through everything," Cassini said.
The judge also dissolved the injunctions against Londono and Matthew Cassini, saying she found a sufficient change in circumstances and noted that additional evidence could potentially be developed in family court.
What comes next
Cassini and her legal team will now ask the court to restore partial — if not full — custody of her sons. The case will also continue in family court, where custody and contact issues will be addressed.
Cassini's federal civil rights lawsuit, filed March 5, 2026 — the second anniversary of the arrests — remains pending in the Southern District of Florida. The suit names Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Detective Amy Hoffman and Sheriff Ric Bradshaw in his official capacity. It alleges Hoffman fabricated and distorted material evidence in her arrest affidavit, gave false testimony at a May 2024 pretrial detention hearing, withheld 31 pages of supplemental investigative reports from prosecutors, suppressed a cellphone extraction report and repeatedly refused or obstructed deposition testimony as the trial date approached.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office confirmed the detective is under an internal affairs investigation and has been placed on paid administrative leave. The sheriff's office has said it does not comment on pending litigation.
Attorney Harry Kaklamanakis of Tarnovsky Lopez, PLLC, said Thursday the legal team's focus now shifts to that lawsuit.
"We're going to divert all of our effort and attention — this team — to getting that ball rolling and seeking justice and accountability," Kaklamanakis said. "Because this cannot happen again."
Attempts to reach the children's father for comment were unsuccessful. He has not responded to calls or texts.
Smith also has not responded to multiple requests for comment via phone and email.
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