Jessica reunites with her daughter Alicia
A Parental Alienated mother is reunited with her daughter
The great news! After ten years, Jessica has reunited with her daughter.
I’ve known Jessica for a long time. I first met Jessica at a support group. Jessica grew up in a loving middle-class home, and I’ve had the pleasure of meeting her parents. Jessica met Paul at Virginia Tech, and according to Jessica, they were inseparable since the first day they met. Paul was an aspiring Architect, and as Jessica mentioned, she had several majors and was more interested in meeting a husband and raising kids.
Paul proposed to Jessica during his junior year, and they eloped during spring break, and 13 months later, Alicia was born.
Jessica was a proud mother and wife; according to her, life couldn’t be better.
A few years after Alicia was born, Jessica discovered Paul was having an affair with his former girlfriend from college, and Jessica was devastated to hear the news. Early on, I didn’t dare confront him, and she said I felt betrayed by him sleeping in my bed. Several months passed, and I confronted him one afternoon after he returned home, and he seemed angry that I found out verses his actual betrayal.
Jessica decided to pack up Alicia’s stuff and some things and move immediately to her parent’s home, and a few days later, she filed for divorce.
A week later, and without letting her friends and family know she needed to return to her home to pick up clothing and other things, she returned alone, and her husband was present. Jessica mentioned they began a heated argument, and he pushed her, and she got up and hit him on the side of his head with a decorative item from the table. He later received 14 stitches, and after he pushed her, she received a badly sprung ankle, and both were arrested for spousal abuse, and both received several charges.
She said, Darel, I’ve never been so angry.
After both were charged, both bonded out and waited for their respective trials.
In Paul’s case, the Judge found substantive evidence that he committed domestic abuse and ordered him to 60 days in jail, and the Judge found in Jessica’s case, she acted in self-defense. Thus the Judge dropped all charges against Jessica. Jessica also received full temporary custody of Alicia, and while Paul was in Prison, Jessica and Alicia returned to the home they once lived in.
Acts of Parental Alienation Began
After Paul’s release from Prison, acts of Parental Alienation against Jessica began.
Jessica said months before the discovery of Paul’s affair, he asked her to sign legal documents regarding their home, and she said, “ I didn’t even read the paper. I trusted him all of the time.
I have a background in finance, banking, and real estate, and she showed me the document, and he presented her a Quick-claim deed which wasn’t dated, and a separate document that signed over the real estate and other assets to Paul “without contest.” She even went with him to have the documents notarized.
Jessica needed money, and while Paul was in Prison, she began to sell some assets which her lawyer confirmed she could sell, but she could not sell the home or items which also presented Paul’s name she could not sell those items. Her lawyer wasn’t aware she signed all assets over to Paul, and at that time, Jessia wasn’t fully aware either.
When Paul was released from Prison, he discovered some items had been sold, which she signed over to Paul, and he told her it was illegal for her to sell anything without his written permission, and he was technically correct.
Paul told her he would have her charged with several felonies and take Alicia from her, and a few days later, the deputy knocked on her door to arrest her. She was grateful the deputy waited until her mother arrived to take Alicia.
Jessica’s parents bonded her out of jail using their own home as collateral, and her trial was set for six months later.
Her Parents hired a lawyer who advised her that since she signed the documents and notarized them, she would lose under the spirit of the agreements, and if they didn’t have an open-minded judge, she could serve many years in Prison. He advised her to return as much money as she obtained from selling the stuff, if possible. She said, Darel, I sold the shop equipment and other items for $40,000.00, and I only spent $5,000.00 to pay two mortgage payments, car payments, take care of gas and the electric bill, and some things for Alicia. The rest was deposited in my bank account.
Jessica felt confident Paul would accept around $35,000.00 to settle this matter, but he refused.
By now, her parents had spent nearly $12,000.00 on her legal fees, and the case hadn’t even gone before the Judge.
A few days before her court date, opposing counsel said she would seek the maximum penalty allowed.
Jessica’s Day In Court
Jessica said she had eaten very little weeks before her court date out of fear and disgust.
As is often the case before the hearing, either the plaintiff or defendant often presents a “deal” to the opposing side before the Judge hears the case. Usually, this is the best time to make a deal, and frankly speaking, many court cases are resolved on the day of court just moments before the Judge hears the case.
Paul’s lawyer made the following offer:
Paul obtains full custody of Alicia.
Jessica spends no more significant time than three years in Prison
In exchange, Paul would allow Alicia one weekend a month after her three years prison sentence was served.
Jessica declined Paul’s offer, and about ten minutes later, the case was heard before the Judge.
The Judge determined the $35,000.00 should be returned to Paul and that even though she trusted Paul, she was “Duty Bound” to read the document he provided. She had a second opportunity to read the papers before she signed them before the notary. The Judge said. The Judge determined Jessica committed contract fraud and ordered her to a short 30-day jail sentence, and I watched them take her into custody immediately. The Judge could have helped with the transition for her daughter by allowing her to say goodbye before serving her sentence vs. an abrupt disruption of her daughter’s abandonment by a judge. The Judge awarded temporary full custody to Paul and set a return date to discuss the change roughly ten days after her release from Prison.
Once Jessica was released from Prison, she returned to the court regarding visitation to find out Paul had moved to another state. The Judge granted Jessica one weekend a month with Alicia.
The decision from the Judge devastated Jessica. Her lawyer suggested he could appeal the court’s decision but would need at least $5000.00 to prosecute the case. Jessica’s family offered to pay the fee, but she refused the funds noting her father was enduring cancer and she didn’t want to be a burden to her parents. Even though Jessica and I have always been friends, I offered to pay her lawyer; in exchange, he accepted $2500.00 and after he presented results to Jessia, and once she had a more favorable custody arraignment, I would pay the balance of $2,5000.00, and he declined my offer. My offer was predicated upon the simple truth that results matter. We must remind ourselves most Lawyers don’t care about results and favor charging fees without showing results.
Even with Paul’s record of spouse abuse, he was able to work at a prestigious architectural firm located in Miami, FL. Later, Paul’s sister told Jessica that he only moved to Miami to make it difficult for Jessica to see her daughter during her court-appointed time.
Since Jessica served her 30 days in jail, she worked as a waitress and felt life had passed her by, not only for herself but also for her daughter.
Jessica reunites with her Daughter Alicia.
A few months ago, Paul’s sister reached out to Jessica to let her know Paul was in the hospital suffering from heart-related issues and was in his early 40s. Paul passed away due to Myocarditis a few weeks ago, and Jessica rushed to meet her daughter, whom she hadn’t seen for a while.
Darel, even though Alicia is now a teen, when she saw me enter the funeral home, she began crying and ran toward me as if we had never been apart. She said.
Jessica decided to move to Miami, FL, to raise her daughter and was hired as a waitress at a prestigious hotel and now earns six figures as a waitress and works less than her former job.
I spoke with Jessica a few days ago, and I’ve never heard her sound so happy.
Love is the greatest defender,
Darel L. Long
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