When litigation gets out of hand

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in divorce on Friday, September 11, 2015.

Divorce is always a paradox of the similar and the very different. Every divorce in Missouri involves two parties who wish to separate their lives from each other. Some require litigation, some are amicable. In some cases, the divorce can help the children by lessening the tension and stress and in others, it makes little difference as the couple continues their battles through the courts.And some are beyond words. It is unclear exactly what is going on a divorce involving a couple and their three children in Michigan. At one point this summer, the judge had the three children placed in a juvenile detention facility to enforce one of her orders involving their meeting with their father for lunch.

The mother has been accused of having psychological issues, and the judge required the entire family participate in a psychological evaluation. She also ordered the children to undergo an intensive parental alienation therapy session, apparently to reverse the effect of their mother’s influence on them.

The judge has been frustrated by the unwillingness of the parents to come to terms with their divorce and maintain a civil relationship. The mother is now being represented by her 13th attorney in the course of the now five-year divorce proceeding. Her lack of cooperation with the court and willing defiance may be a result of mental illness, but the news report does not provide much background on the divorce.

But it is clear that this is not the optimal situation for any children. Sometimes the most difficult aspect of a divorce is that of the parents recognizing it is not about them, and that they must place their children’s interest ahead of theirs.

In this case, it appears to still be a lesson unlearned.

Source: usatoday.com, “Children who refused lunch with dad reunite with him,” L.L. Brasier, Detroit Free Press, September 10, 2015

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