Finally, Abby's home! It's been 6 long years without her. Just being able to see her every other weekend and a few hours on Wednesday have made it seem even longer. I still will never forgive them for what they took from us, time. I feel like like we have both missed out on so much and now she's 14. I have been preparing for court since June. Just about every waking hour I've been collecting evidence, researching the law and preparing to present. I have responded to and requested discovery which has been huge. All this time and still to this day Abby's dad has never been able to provide evidence to any of the allegations he has made against me. Despite the lies of the many who have in prior hearings testified on his behalf we have finally prevailed. Their plan to sneak anything in I would have objected to since it wasn't provided within the time frame allowed per the rules of discovery. I have been recording all phone conversations with him and provided those tapes in discovery. These tapes prove what a pathological Liar really is. The very first tape I provided to his attorney, Tandy Rinehart, in discovery was Tim calling Tandy and her firm a bunch of assholes and saying they're only out for money. All the others show him changing his stories like 5 times in a matter of minutes. I'm sure that didn't help him any. He has also shown to be completely unstable by abandoning her for 5 weeks and then demanding her back. Just last night he put her out again, only to be hateful, because he knew she would be in court speaking to the judge to say exactly what the last 6 years of her life have been like in her fathers custody. He has verbally and emotionally abused her for 6 years, separated her from me and her big sister. His constant attempt to alienate me and buy her love all backfired on him. He had falsified evidence he planned to introduce at trial today. That I wasn't going to object to since I knew I could prove he falsified it. The GAL knew I planned to prove he falsified it, a criminal offense. I'm sure she told them this. His paid for child psychologist Toni McMillan of A counseling Place, was a complete joke. I also was ready to present evidence to prove she spent more time counseling him on how to be parent than actually counseling Abby. I can also prove with recorded sessions, her tactics are detrimental and dangerous to children. The Child Development Center's evaluation which he also paid for and requested proved everything I've been saying for years, that she was depressed as a result from being separated from me and her sister. The school records proved he was attempting to block me by leaving me and my contact info out on Abby's forms. Her teacher was planning to testify today today on Abby's behalf. She failed the last school year. The fact that he could have been charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor by allowing to her be served alcohol at a new years party really scared him. His written, sworn to answers to my interrogatories were the complete opposite to what he would say in a recorded phone conversation or what he told the CDC which they documented in their report and even what he would say in the psychologist sessions, which I also recorded when I was there. The list of evidence against him goes on and on.
Yesterday I received a phone call from one of his attorney's assistants, John Moss, asking if I would be willing to work out a settlement. He was offering me primary custody and he would have visitation of every other weekend and Wednesday. The same visitation we have had to endure all this time. I told them I would be willing and to write it up and get it to me for review. They did this to me back in May and never actually wrote anything up so I wasn't feeling very confidant they would really follow through this time. When I received the agreed order everything was fine except that they switched our holiday schedule around and didn't address child support. The 2nd paragraph read that "The parties have agreed to custody, visitation and support of the child". I first requested that they address child support and switch our holiday schedule back to the way it has been. They did switch the holiday schedule but refused to address child support, imagine that! He just really proved my point that him demanding her home after the 5 weeks he left her with me, essentially abandoning her, was only because he was afraid he would have to pay child support. So I requested that they remove from paragraph 2 the words "support of the child". After a few emails of arguing with John Moss he did finally agree to change the language, which did remove those words.
I think they realized they were screwed and had no chance of coming out ahead and at the last minute wanted to settle. Or his attorney got pissed after hearing the tapes and just didn't want to be bothered with him anymore. Or it could have been that they just didn't want to risk losing a case against me, a non attorney. That would really hurt their reputations.
When I took the agreed order before the judge, Daltan, he addressed child support. That's when I just said they refused to address it when I asked. His attorney, John Moss, (Tandy Rinehart didn't even show) stated that since I hadn't asked it it wasn't on the docket. The judge then looked at me and said " you know you can come back and ask for it at any time". Even he was displeased that they refused to work something out.
Anyway It's finally over! Abby, Joe and I are thrilled. So are the dogs. Especially Scribbles, she won't be beaten and starved by him anymore. Thanks to everyone for all your prayers, support and good wishes. It all worked!

Sherry Hayward