Custody Hearing "POSTPONED"

Well, I have lost track of the number of motions flying around for this upcoming custody hearing. But the BIG ONE is the motion to remove Judge Hartert from the case. This motion has to be heard by the Florida State Supreme Court. ERGHHH! As of today, three days before the hearing was supposed to have taken place, we just received word that the hearing will be postponed until the Florida Supreme Court has had a chance to rule on whether or not Judge Hartert will be removed from the case. Once again, Patty has a slew of people "on hold" while she spins, manipulates, maneuvers and plays her little games. This could have been filed months ago but she waited until the last minute--putting everyone on hold. Judge Hartert, Gloria Winston, Tess Woodward, Deena Gooding, not to mention Keith, dad, and Steven (who have already purchased plane tickets totally over $1800.00) are all now left wondering when this hearing will take place.

Without realizing it, Patty unintentionally also postponed her month-long visit with her son. Judge Hartert had previously ruled that Steven would be allowed to spend one month with his mom AFTER the custody hearing. Since that has been postponed, so will Steven's trip to Florida. He was really disappointed as he was anxious to go "home" and see his family and friends. But what does that matter? Nothing matters but the fight. Optimistically, we're hoping that the supreme court will make it's ruling quickly and that the hearing will be scheduled within the next month. But who knows? Just try to figure out how much money, time and effort will be wasted on the legal maneuvers. Where does she get the money? I will never understand it! Keith and Beth are barely able to keep their heads above water with their legal bills mounting. Steven will never know how hard his father has fought to protect him. Nor will he ever understand the amount of money time and effort has gone into protecting him from his mother. Is that a good thing or not? I don't know.

FYI: Keith's attorney has filed approximately SIX "contempt of court" charges against Patty; including failure to pay child support, failure to refund Keith's "overpayment" of child support, and others regarding her complete disregard for Judge Hartert's court orders. Don't you hate it? I'm thinking a little jail time would go a long way in teaching Patty that rules ARE for her! Our legal system is a complete mess and you and I are paying for it! But that's just MY opinion!

Motions So Far . . .

Ok kids! Sixty-six percent of you guessed that Patty would have six or more motions for this upcoming hearing. So far we have a total of four! They are:

1. Motion to terminate temporary custody
2. Motion to appoint an attorney for Steven
3. Motion to disqualify Judge Hartert
4. Motion for (and this is my personal favorite) all parties, spouses and child, to receive a psychological exam.

Yep! That's right! She thinks Keith and Beth need psychological evaluations. She's offered to undergo an exam herself in order to get that motion carried through. As for Steven, he's had several already, and he's passed with flying colors.

No surprises here--Patty's attorney is on the attack! She wants Tess removed from the case because she's "impartial--therefore, ineffective"; Gloria Winston is also impartial and can no longer be objective. She claims that while Ms. Winston was in Utah to evaluate the Barker residence, Gloria had dinner with the family and it was a social event. She's in for a surprise when Ms. Winston testifies. According to Keith, Gloria would not even accept a drink of water for them. She was merely there to observe and remained "on the job" for the entire visit. They also want to remove Judge Hartert . . . I suppose he's impartial as well. One thing that was totally absent was any concern regarding Steven's "medical issues". This has been the biggest "weapon" Patty has held over Keith for years. For a child so chronically ill, she no longer seems concerned about Steven's health--how odd! So, we'll see what happens. We have no idea where this is headed but it's obviously clear that Patty's attorney is trying to change the playing field. She's going from defense to offense. If they can put EVERYONE on the defensive end, it will serve as a smoke screen for the real issue of the case which is--as we all know--Patty's inability to make wise/safe choices in regards to the care of her son. Say your prayers please. It terrifies me to think that Steven will once again be placed in Patty's care and all the progress this young boy has made to this point, will be undone within a few days. Please pray!

P.S. I have nothing but respect and admiration for the professional people helping with this case. They are "personally" unknown to me but I thank God every day for their dedication, their strength, and their determination to do their jobs and protect this young boy. God bless you all!

And so it begins--again

Things have been relatively quiet since Steven's last visit with his mother during Spring Break in March. Since that visit Steven has not received one package from his doting mother. Patty also decided to terminate her phone calls with Steven as they were costing her too much money. (True situation: She was court ordered to make the phone calls from the Visitation Center where she cannot manipulate Steven or the staff. What's the point in that?) But now that the custody hearing is scheduled for July 6th & 7th, she has requested that the phone calls begin again. She has set up her first phone call for next Monday afternoon (even that was not without a battle with Tess at the center). Here's the real story: The custody hearing is in three weeks. She's hired a new attorney (femi-nazi--hates men) who practices in Miami (Patty's no longer able to hire within the county--must travel 1.5 hours to find an attorney who's never heard of her). I suppose this attorney has informed her that she must at least "appear" to take an interest in Steven. They've filed a motion that the judge appoint an attorney to represent Steven. Apparently they feel that the G.A.L., Gloria Winston (an attorney herself) is not able to adequately determine Steven's best interest. She also filed an emergency motion with the court that Patty be allowed to retrieve Steven by June 11 in order for him to attend a family reunion. Some emergency! Motion denied--the judge ordered Keith to bring Steven to Florida with him for the hearing the first week in July. Are you confused? You should be! You should also be outraged. This is the kind of garbage that ties up our courts and costs you money! Who has an emergency family reunion? No one!

Yes, the battle lines are being drawn and things are definitely heating up. Each day there's a new development, each day some ridiculous claim or request, and the attorneys representing both parties are gearing up for the fight ahead. Naturally, Keith feels he has the best chance at full custody, but you never know what a judge will do. The facts regarding Steven are these: Steven's weight is down from 125 to 104 (that's a lot of weight on a 10 year old). Steven is doing well (three A's, one C) in the 4th grade--no longer in resource. Steven is no longer on any medications and has never once had an attack of any kind. Steven's psychologist says there's no need for her to keep seeing Steven as he's doing amazingly well. Steven enjoys being part of a larger family and loves to do things with his sisters. I could go on but those are the most important facts. Keep posted as I'm sure there will be new updates from now until the custody hearing. Thanks for your interest!

C.B.

An "interesting" sidenote: Steven's Uncle James (a corrections officer and husband to Patty's sister Mandy) was arrested for "gross sexual imposition" with a 5 year old girl. He's pleaded innocent and the pre-trial hearing is set for the exact same day as the custody battle. Who would have guessed?

In-consequential poll!

I thought we'd all like a little light-hearted break from the "heavy" subject matter of "crazies, socios, sicko's" and legal gobble-d-gook! So here's a poll for you! It's a poll regarding your shopping likes and dis-likes. I for one, stand four-square against these "self-checkout" lanes at the stores. I must not be the only one as most of those lanes are EMPTY while I stand in line behind a mother with seven screaming kids and a grocery cart that would feed the Green Bay Packers! Rather than fumble with my items, punch a picture/button system only understandable to a two-year-old, and a "money" system with a dozen slots, dispensers, swipes, and confusing directions, I'll wait my turn for a real cashier. SHE knows what she's doing.

Gotta' Take a Break!

I know I've been remiss in writing for my Crush Blog--but sometimes a gal just has to take a break. Things have been relatively quiet on this side of CRAZY, so there hasn't been much to write about. You've once again proven yourselves to be pretty smart as 77% of you were correct on the last poll. Pseudologica Fantasica presents itself in ALL of those characteristics. Charming, eh? And our girl fits that category to a T. On to the next challenge which is the custody hearing which will be held July 6th & 7th. Keith and Dad are flying back and will spend two days in court trying to persuade the judge that Keith is the better parent for Steven. Say your prayers and keep your fingers crossed for them! I'll post on my website as soon as anything happens. Thanks for checking in!

C.B.

P.S. The book sales have helped quite a bit with expenses for this next court hearing, so I just want to give all of you a tremendous THANK YOU for your support, friendship, and concern!

ASK ME!

I certainly enjoyed visiting the book clubs in Billings Montana. It was fun, entertaining, educational, and I enjoyed it immensely! If you have a book club and would like to discuss the subjects of sociopaths OR Munchausen by Proxy, feel free to contact me and we'll see if we can arrange something! I found it quite to my liking and would love to share the little bit of knowledge I've gained during the last 11 years dealing with Patty. Have a good one!
C.B.

We're Back!

Well, the Old Duffer and I had a wonderful trip to beautiful Montana. We thoroughly enjoyed the drive, the CLEAN hotel, and the shopping (yep--I spent way too much). But mostly I enjoyed meeting some fantastic people and discussing the book with them. It was fun to meet people who had read the book, but did not personally know the family. I felt a bit "scrutinized". When reading a book everyone has their own personal mental image of the characters. I have no doubt I was not what others imagined me to be. Just a plain old grandma who loves her kids and grandkids. But the conversation was lively, the company extremely pleasant, and the food at these book clubs was fantastic! Thank you so much ladies, for making my visit such a rewarding one. I hope you learned a lot, as I did--and that you'll keep reading and learning about Munchausen by Proxy! I want to extend a special great big THANK YOU to Ruth, Anthony, Eliza, Craig, and Emma for their support, hospitality, kindness, and terrific "hugs" (miss you already Eliza). Life certainly is full of adventure and we feel we just had a wonderful one! Thanks Again!
C.B.