November 14, 2011
To protect the parties' privacy we can't give a lot of details now. Dad joined FACE six months before he filed for divorce and was counseled by FACE throughout the entire process. He says its the best decision he ever made. Mom, with the help of women's shelter and her free lawyer, tried all the tricks -- False domestic violence allegations ... Dad beat the final restraining order. False child sexual abuse allegations ... Dad uncovered it early and stopped the unneeded therapy. Fabricated DYFS charges ... All unfounded. Dad was represented by a lawyer, but he stayed in control of negotiations instead of just letting the lawyer decide what to do. The parties agreed to a 50/50 custody arrangement very early in the case. The divorce was final today. Both parents share joint legal custody and shared physical custody of the child with neither parent designated the Parent of Primary Residence. We will provide more details when we can. Meanwhile, Dad is now another experienced FACE member, ready to help others.
April 2011
Mom filed for divorce, but she and Dad continued residing in the marital home with their two daughters, age 11 and 3. Early on, Mom's lawyer made a child custody proposal. Dad, who represented himself through most of the case, took FACE's advice to never agree to anything that you are not willing to live with for the rest of your life. He held out for a 50/50 physical custody arrangement, which was agreed to early in the case. All that was then left to fight about was property and money, and toward the end Dad hired a lawyer. Dad wanted the final marital settlement agreement to say the parents equally shared custody of the children and that neither parent was the Parent of Primary Residence. Lawyer said that could not be done, but Dad held out, directed his lawyer what he wanted, and refused to sign anything that did not include what he wanted and what he felt was in the girls' best interest. Now, the girls have equal time with both of their parents, and neither parent is designated Parent of Primary Residence.