A legal screwing - yet again
I apologize to those who read my blog. It has been over 5 months since I posted anything and this one will also be brief. I have deadlines at work, obligations with children and the army reserve and have just been too busy to write much lately. Also, I had too step away from the issues for a while. It was simply consuming me and my time and occupying my thoughts to the point of me being pre-occupied with it and hurting my work performance.
On April 26th, I went before Judge Ferguson in Dupage County Illinois. To be brief, the attorney/firm I hired was totally incompetent and ill-prepared. This was the biggest waste of over $10K in my entire life. Despite numerous requests via e-mail and telephone to meet with me and discuss the case, Deborah Klaas of the Cowell-Taradash Law Firm in Chicago (IllinoisDivorce.com) declined to do so and showed up to meet with me only about 10 minutes before the hearing. She then disappeared into the judge's chambers without any of the financial information supplied to her by me. She did have a Financial Plan (FINPLAN)for somebody else that she evidently grabbed on the way out the door of her office a few minutes before she appeared outside of Judge Ferguson's court. After a couple of hours she came out with some paper and said this is what you owe. I took a look at the figures and knew they were wrong and considerably so - in favor of my children's mother. It assessed "arrears", interest at 9% a year and increased my current support by about 50%.
We then stood before the judge and I at first refused to accept or agree to this amount. I requested a full hearing. He set the hearing for 9:30 the next morning. Ms. Klaas said she could not be there and I said that was fine, I would represent myself. Judge Ferguson then stated that I could not represent myself because I had counsel. When I pointed out the errors (or tried to)the judge refused to hear them and just reiterated the numbers that were already provided to him. I was forced into "agreeing" to this when Judge Ferguson refused to let me represent myself and threatened me with a hearing for the next morning - the outcome of which I would not like (isn't this pre-judging a case?) and at which my attorney had already stated she would not be present and at which I could would not be allowed to represent myself. Faced with this, I signed papers that I knew were incorrect.
I could go into the numerous lies that were sworn to by my ex in the affidavits leading up to this and how I had irrefutable documentation countering these lies but that is another story. Oh, by the way, I was also assigned $7,500 in my ex's attorneys fees. I am now further in arrears because due to the increase in child support assessed and the fact I do not have enough funds to write a check for all of this, I cannot pay the amount assessed. Bottom line, it pays off in family courts in Illinois to lie and commit perjury and to be greedy. The more lies, the more greed, the more you are rewarded.
On April 26th, I went before Judge Ferguson in Dupage County Illinois. To be brief, the attorney/firm I hired was totally incompetent and ill-prepared. This was the biggest waste of over $10K in my entire life. Despite numerous requests via e-mail and telephone to meet with me and discuss the case, Deborah Klaas of the Cowell-Taradash Law Firm in Chicago (IllinoisDivorce.com) declined to do so and showed up to meet with me only about 10 minutes before the hearing. She then disappeared into the judge's chambers without any of the financial information supplied to her by me. She did have a Financial Plan (FINPLAN)for somebody else that she evidently grabbed on the way out the door of her office a few minutes before she appeared outside of Judge Ferguson's court. After a couple of hours she came out with some paper and said this is what you owe. I took a look at the figures and knew they were wrong and considerably so - in favor of my children's mother. It assessed "arrears", interest at 9% a year and increased my current support by about 50%.
We then stood before the judge and I at first refused to accept or agree to this amount. I requested a full hearing. He set the hearing for 9:30 the next morning. Ms. Klaas said she could not be there and I said that was fine, I would represent myself. Judge Ferguson then stated that I could not represent myself because I had counsel. When I pointed out the errors (or tried to)the judge refused to hear them and just reiterated the numbers that were already provided to him. I was forced into "agreeing" to this when Judge Ferguson refused to let me represent myself and threatened me with a hearing for the next morning - the outcome of which I would not like (isn't this pre-judging a case?) and at which my attorney had already stated she would not be present and at which I could would not be allowed to represent myself. Faced with this, I signed papers that I knew were incorrect.
I could go into the numerous lies that were sworn to by my ex in the affidavits leading up to this and how I had irrefutable documentation countering these lies but that is another story. Oh, by the way, I was also assigned $7,500 in my ex's attorneys fees. I am now further in arrears because due to the increase in child support assessed and the fact I do not have enough funds to write a check for all of this, I cannot pay the amount assessed. Bottom line, it pays off in family courts in Illinois to lie and commit perjury and to be greedy. The more lies, the more greed, the more you are rewarded.
posted by ILDAD at 7:44 AM
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