WillyBWright
Fleet Admiral
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2003
- Messages
- 8,200
Please pardon the long post. But I think you'll find that it's worth your time.
A few weeks ago, I found out that my ex-wife was being sued. I didn't know why, and she wasn't about to offer an explanation. So I decided to go to the proceedings for the entertainment value since I'm layed-off for the winter and had nothing better to do anyhow. Well I did, and I highly recommend it if any of you divorcees ever get a similar opportunity. It far surpassed my wildest expectations.
First, a little background. We divorced in 2002, just 17 days shy of our 10th anniversary. Coincidentally, by the very same Judge presiding over todays proceedings. She moved to a nearby community with her boyfriend and left him after about a year. I helped her move out, but ONLY because what's good for my children's mother is good for my children. He got all weird about it and she filed for a restraining order. He never actually threatened her in any way, so she was denied. This part may seem insignificant now, but keep reading...
After a month or two, she went right back to him. Predictable! They stayed together for a few more years, and then she left him again. By-and-by, she moved into what can only be described as a slum dwelling a few blocks from here. She could stomach it for only two months and moved out with short notice. Turns out this is what this small claims case was all about. The slumlord didn't refund her full deposit and she owed for some rent and utilities. So the slumlord filed a small claims complaint and it happened today.
Well, I had every intention of being as quiet as a mouse so nobody would notice that I was there. And I was... but I didn't go unnoticed. I walked into the courtroom fashionably late so that the participants would be too engrossed in the proceedings to notice me, and it worked like a charm. Or so I thought. After a fair amount of time, the Judge had the participants approach the bench to to share some documentation. So I "dropped" my pencil so that I was bent over when they returned to their seats ... so the ex wouldn't know that it was me. It mostly worked.
The proceedings continued right along, and the slumlord decided to try to impune my ex's character by pointing out that her boyfriend that she got the restraining order for was right there in the audience. ( There were two of us in the audience and neither of us were him. ) He practically demanded to the Judge that I be arrested right then and there. ( Mental notes: NEVER impune a person's character in small claims court. It really pisses off the Judge. So does telling the Judge what he should do. )
Well, I kept my mouth shut, and I was very good at keeping the laughter to myself. Then the ex turned around and saw me. Jeez! I don't know how I kept it in, but I was still soundless. I did give her a wave, though.
The trial continued for some time, and all I could do was smile at the slumlord making a total fool of himself. The ex did fairly well amid her nervous quaking, but she had her moments of foolisness too. The Judge was plainly irked by both participants, but the slumlord clearly won the Aggrivation Prize for the day.
In the end, the result was very typical. The ex has to pay the slumlord more than she figures she owes, and the slumlord gets less than he wanted. But I thought it incredibly ironic that the slumlord was the one that wanted me arrested. I figured for sure that the ex would. And all because of a restraining order that was never granted, with me being assumed to be the one restrained. Christmas Came Early This Year !!!
Oh yeah, and today is my daughter's 9th birthday. Happy Birthday Sweetie Pie! She got "The Pebble and the Penguin" and $5 with a post-it note saying "Don't let Mom borrow this".
A few weeks ago, I found out that my ex-wife was being sued. I didn't know why, and she wasn't about to offer an explanation. So I decided to go to the proceedings for the entertainment value since I'm layed-off for the winter and had nothing better to do anyhow. Well I did, and I highly recommend it if any of you divorcees ever get a similar opportunity. It far surpassed my wildest expectations.
First, a little background. We divorced in 2002, just 17 days shy of our 10th anniversary. Coincidentally, by the very same Judge presiding over todays proceedings. She moved to a nearby community with her boyfriend and left him after about a year. I helped her move out, but ONLY because what's good for my children's mother is good for my children. He got all weird about it and she filed for a restraining order. He never actually threatened her in any way, so she was denied. This part may seem insignificant now, but keep reading...
After a month or two, she went right back to him. Predictable! They stayed together for a few more years, and then she left him again. By-and-by, she moved into what can only be described as a slum dwelling a few blocks from here. She could stomach it for only two months and moved out with short notice. Turns out this is what this small claims case was all about. The slumlord didn't refund her full deposit and she owed for some rent and utilities. So the slumlord filed a small claims complaint and it happened today.
Well, I had every intention of being as quiet as a mouse so nobody would notice that I was there. And I was... but I didn't go unnoticed. I walked into the courtroom fashionably late so that the participants would be too engrossed in the proceedings to notice me, and it worked like a charm. Or so I thought. After a fair amount of time, the Judge had the participants approach the bench to to share some documentation. So I "dropped" my pencil so that I was bent over when they returned to their seats ... so the ex wouldn't know that it was me. It mostly worked.
The proceedings continued right along, and the slumlord decided to try to impune my ex's character by pointing out that her boyfriend that she got the restraining order for was right there in the audience. ( There were two of us in the audience and neither of us were him. ) He practically demanded to the Judge that I be arrested right then and there. ( Mental notes: NEVER impune a person's character in small claims court. It really pisses off the Judge. So does telling the Judge what he should do. )
Well, I kept my mouth shut, and I was very good at keeping the laughter to myself. Then the ex turned around and saw me. Jeez! I don't know how I kept it in, but I was still soundless. I did give her a wave, though.
The trial continued for some time, and all I could do was smile at the slumlord making a total fool of himself. The ex did fairly well amid her nervous quaking, but she had her moments of foolisness too. The Judge was plainly irked by both participants, but the slumlord clearly won the Aggrivation Prize for the day.
In the end, the result was very typical. The ex has to pay the slumlord more than she figures she owes, and the slumlord gets less than he wanted. But I thought it incredibly ironic that the slumlord was the one that wanted me arrested. I figured for sure that the ex would. And all because of a restraining order that was never granted, with me being assumed to be the one restrained. Christmas Came Early This Year !!!
Oh yeah, and today is my daughter's 9th birthday. Happy Birthday Sweetie Pie! She got "The Pebble and the Penguin" and $5 with a post-it note saying "Don't let Mom borrow this".
