“When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.” Mark Twain
Maybe that helps a bit with the oftentimes Catch 22 existence that seems to typify a family law practice.
Yesterday, I had the sublime pleaure of watching our own Professor Purvis decimate the opposition in an absolutely absurd family law case here in Savannah. This was the final trial. He and I ahd tried the temporary two years ago. Yes, two years ago.
The dad, opposing party, started the whole mess by keeping the child past the time to return him from summer visitation contending, in part, that our client, mom, had abandoned the child. This despite a mountain of evidence that the child’s stay with dad was for an agreed upon summer visitation with a fairly firm end date. The rest of dad’s arguments were every bit as scetchy.
At a hearing which only dad and his lawyer attended, before our client even knew that a case existed, Dad lied to the judge to get authority to keep the child. We had to convince the judge to give us a second (first) chance to provide our side of the coin.
At the end of that hearing when both sides presented their evidence and made their arguments, the judge ruled that dad’s contention that mom abandoned the child was false had no truth to it whatsoeever. The Judge gave Mom her child back. Dad was admonished. The final result was all but a foregone conclusion.
Two years later, dad, still as thick and twice as stubborn, not only did he refuse to settle but actually took the stand and contended that he never asserted that mom abandoned the child. Oh no, we got it wrong, that wasn’t his argument. Forget the fact that it is black and white in his pleadings, it was argued in opening and closing and he testified relentlessly to it from the stand. It seems that dad really thought we’d suffer from an overwhelming bout of amnesia.
You see, he had a new argument. And every last bit of it was supported by documents originating more than two years ago, before he kept the child and started this whole farce. He had documents, you see, documents which blew the whole case open, he was certain, and would show mom for the wanton, neglectful momma he knew her to be.
Except, not only did dad’s new documents predate his awesome prior contention, but they were just as baseless as his old arguments. Just as pointless. Just as off topic. Just as pathetic.
The man is certifiable, right?
At the end of our trial, the judge did as we anticpated the judge would do. Our client kept primary custody of the child. He continues living with her. Much better that than the tin foil hat wardrobe dad had planned.
“When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.”
Yep. That fits.