Sometimes, divorces can be incredibly messy. It’s honestly strange how people can hate someone that they once loved and dreamed about spending their life with. Alas, humans are weird, but they can also be petty. Few folks are extremely petty and even take trivial matters to court.
I honestly don’t know how lawyers deal with such frustrating clients. However, they vented online when someone asked them to spill the pettiest fights that went down in family courts. Some are downright bizarre, while others will shock you with how unhinged they are. We have put together the wildest ones for you to scroll through below. Just sit back and enjoy the drama!
#61
Family law paralegal. The instance that sticks out:
1.) Man and woman going through divorce. They seemed reasonable and agreed on division of everything. The last item was kids. This promoted a full week of argument between both sides. They had 3 kids (4, 9, and 10), but they both only mentioned Josie when it came to kids. I researched this as none of the kids were named this or anything close. My attorney finally inquired as to whom Josie was. Josie was the cat. These people gave zero care for their real children, and were screaming at each other over the family cat.
1.) Man and woman going through divorce. They seemed reasonable and agreed on division of everything. The last item was kids. This promoted a full week of argument between both sides. They had 3 kids (4, 9, and 10), but they both only mentioned Josie when it came to kids. I researched this as none of the kids were named this or anything close. My attorney finally inquired as to whom Josie was. Josie was the cat. These people gave zero care for their real children, and were screaming at each other over the family cat.
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3points
#62
Fight about a taxidermied dog (personal property, zero objective value). Husband has it, both want it. At a temporary order hearing, parties ask for a decision as to who has TEMPORARY possession of the taxidermied dog. Family court commissioner orders that wife gets to hold on to the taxidermied dog, for now. A date/time is set for the parties to exchange it. After the hearing, husband goes home, burns the taxidermied dog in the fireplace.
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3points
#63
A applicant husband served respondent wife with an application for spousal support. When she attended with her lawyer to contest his application he ran out of the court room and called the police. He had her breached because there was an existing no contact order between parties (they got scrappy), and she had failed to get permission from her probation order. It was horrible to watch her escorted away in handcuffs.
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3points
#64
I interned with a family court judge in college. I swear, day one, a guys ex wife jumped on her husbands back and bit his neck Dracula style at the lunch recess.
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3points
#65
This happened in January. Guy was straight out of jail (2 years) and of course at that point, his marriage was rocky as hell. When his wife dropped his kids off to visit (he lived with his parents for parole purposes) the son said his uncle hit him. The father then filed a PFA against the wife and uncle. It was granted. Then he files for sole custody. It was granted. The kids were in his custody for about 2 months before the custody hearing.
Of course, my boss threw me the file and I had to handle the mediation and last minute prep.
At mediation, the father and wife sit angry eyed. Literally, each cross armed and furious. The other lawyer and I discuss the facts and what arrangement each client wants briefly in another room. We come out and our clients are gone. Magically, and praise the Lord, in the course of 10 minutes of me and the lawyer talking, the father and mother made up, made out in the corner of the hallway and returned. The case was dropped.
May I mention, this was pro bono? PA jurisdiction, too.
Of course, my boss threw me the file and I had to handle the mediation and last minute prep.
At mediation, the father and wife sit angry eyed. Literally, each cross armed and furious. The other lawyer and I discuss the facts and what arrangement each client wants briefly in another room. We come out and our clients are gone. Magically, and praise the Lord, in the course of 10 minutes of me and the lawyer talking, the father and mother made up, made out in the corner of the hallway and returned. The case was dropped.
May I mention, this was pro bono? PA jurisdiction, too.
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2points
#66
I've seen some nonsense pettiness but the best story i have is actually from my guardian ad litem professor. when she was practicing, she had a client whose ex-wife was SUPER DUPER jerk about getting ALL of the children's clothes back from his house when she got the kids back from him. like, if one sock was left behind all hell would break loose. so this guy's solution was to make the children take off their clothes in the foyer, and put on clothes specifically worn at his place when it was his turn to have them. then when they went back to mom's, they had to do it again and change back into the clothes she sent them there in.
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2points
