Q: Ex refuses mediation and doesn’t think he needs to follow the rules since he is an attorney.
My ex-husband is impossible to coparent with. He is very vindictive and still angry that I left him after he assaulted me. I have been trying to discuss things with him like my son‘s preschool etc. because there are many things that I feel would be in the best interest of our son that he chooses not to address or even talk to me about. His preferred method of communication is harassing me and saying inappropriate things. I have asked him multiple times to go to mediation with me so that we could find some common ground. This option was outlined in our parenting plan as a final option to resolve conflicts. My ex is a family law attorney and practices daily in front of the judge that was assigned to our divorce/custody case. He feels he can do what he wants because he knows I do not have $ to hire an attorney when he represents himself. His normal response when not following the parenting plan is “take me back to court then.” What should I do? (Single teacher mommy)
A: If you cannot convince your ex to act in the way you desire and you believe he is violating the judgment of dissolution or parenting plan, your only viable option is to hire an attorney. Your ex might practice in front of more than one of the judges on the court, but you could have taken an automatic change of judge at the outset of the case or filed a motion to disqualify the judge if the judge indicated an inability to be impartial. Unfortunately, as you must already know, there's no cheap and easy solution to your situation. I wish you the best in these difficult times.
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