Stay out of Divorce Court

By: Caren Ragan
Submitted: 02/06/2009

I am an artist who was a single mother of a young daughter when I met my second husband. Far into the marriage, I found out that my husband had exposed both me and my unborn son to AIDS as well as a host of other STDs.

Years later, I realized that he had tried to infect me so that he could blame AIDS on me, it was a part of his cover up as he was trying to pass for a straight man and was willing to risk both mine and my son's life in order to perpetrate his lie.

Like many couples of divorce, I had no idea what the family courts were like and held to the false notion that our court system was a place for justice. I found out during a ten-year court battle that the courts could care less about justice, had no regard for the well being of children. The judges were more likely than not to be influenced by the higher-priced lawyer.

Worse was that I found out way too late just how many people could be bought in the legal system including court appointed psychologists and paid-lawyer guardians, when ever there is money involved there was opportunity for corruption. There is a reason why these court appointed personnel are called "whores of the courts" (there is a book written by a lawyer under that title).

In my case, not only did the woman court appointed psychologist steal money from me, but she promoted child pedophilia. When my son complained about his father's boyfriend going into his bedroom in the night and touching him, I was admonished by the court for trying to protect me son. This psychologist promoted a syndrome called PAS Parent Alienation Syndrome developed by Richard Gardner, who endorsed pedophilia, was a pedophile and took his own life after being confronted by his own child.

Yet the court appointed psychologist not only endorsed this behavior herself, but actually wrote her own book basing her theories on Dr. Gardner's pseudo-science theories. PAS is junk science used by judges, corrupt lawyers, court psychologists and guardians in order to get children away from protective mothers or just plain old good mothers.

As of this writing, there has yet to be a court case in which a judge has taken a child away from a father and accuses that father of PAS. This PAS syndrome is the same kind of abuse that women faced when they are raped and then accused of some how being responsible for being raped. It seems no matter how far we come in society these disgusting psychological tools will continue to be used against women when we speak up and when we try to protect ourselves and our children.

This article is not about parents alienating their child against a parent, as we all might know stories for both parents where this has happened. This article is to warn women and mothers that the legal system has come up with a new way of once again not paying attention to women and their cries for help when an abusive spouse wants custody more out of revenge then love for their child. Again, this PAS syndrome is used only against women in court and many judges as well as psychologist promote this theory as it means big bucks for both of them.

Women, whatever you do try to stay out of the family courts. If you have to go to court and children are involved and your husband has been abusive to you or the children, do not mention this to the judge as you will give him an opportunity to give the children to the abuser. Until one judge in the U.S. either throws this theory out or speaks out against it, or the theory is used against a male, than it cannot be legitimized.

If you do not believe me, rent the movie "In Their Own Voices." This was a film done of grown children between the ages of 18 and 24, whose mother tried to protect them against abusive fathers, only to have custody given to their fathers and not be allowed to see their mothers.

This is not an article against men, it is an article against the corruption in the family court--the only court which you must disclose your full finances; the only court in which judges and lawyers can drag a case out for years until they have financially ruined you and your family; the only court in which the Judge does not have to follow any law, but can depend on their "discretion" what ever the hell that means.

After trying to protect my son every way legally, but being out-lawyered and out-spent, I took off with my 11-year-old son when he begged me for help. After a judge promised me that my son would finally have a voice in court we returned. As soon as we returned we were both silenced and he was put back into an unsafe environment and was never allowed to speak.

I was given a trial in which the judge would not allow my lawyer to introduce the evidence of AIDS and I was thrown in jail. Included are some of the drawings I did while I sat in jail after almost being murdered by my ex husband and trying to protect our son.