Mother ordered to pay divorcing dad’s attorneys’ fees
A desperate father of modest means was going through a divorce, was out of options and money, and feared he’d never see his children again.
His wealthy wife filed dozens of pleadings in the divorce, which appeared to be a strategy to run up Dad’s legal fees and cause him to throw in the towel. This was bleeding him dry.
He was never going to be able to respond to these pleadings by himself. He said the mother was trying to alienate him from his children, ages 4 and 7.
Attorney Jeffery M. Leving, founder and president of the Law Offices of Jeffery M. Leving Ltd. in Chicago, will talk about this unusual and compelling case on his weekly radio show, the Dads’ Rights Legal Hour, 9-10 a.m. CDT Saturday, May 14 on Power 92.3 FM in Chicago.
“Fortunately, this dad called us,” Leving says.
“We gathered evidence and records to trace the mother’s funding. Our investigation identified a source of funds flowing to the mother’s attorney and other entities. Our legal team then filed a petition for interim and prospective attorneys’ fees for Dad.”
The adverse party was uncooperative and aggressively fought Dad’s petition. The Leving Legal Team went to court, and over the mother’s strong objections, secured a court order requiring the mother to pay attorneys’ fees for Dad. It was a difficult position and a challenging and tough hearing, but the powerful presentation of evidence convinced the judge that the mother should pay attorneys’ fees for Dad and level the playing field, and the judge ruled in Dad’s favor. “Thanks to our strategic planning, persistence, and persuasive courtroom litigation skills, Dad is now able to have a real chance to litigate the divorce and remain the father his children love and need in their lives,” Leving says.
Leving says this victory, modified for broadcast, is important. “If Dad had not come to us, it is very likely he would have had to represent himself, with no lawyer, and be at a huge disadvantage, and possibly – probably – lose his children in divorce. As I’ve often said, justice should not be a luxury only the rich can afford.”Leving also will speak on the radio about new research by a team of economists showing the distinct effects of fatherlessness on boys: It shows that fatherless boys are less ambitious, less hopeful, and more likely to get into trouble at school than fatherless girls. Being raised by a single mother significantly decreased the likelihood that a boy would attend college.
Unfortunately, when parents divorce or break up, the father often has to fight to retain his place in their children’s lives. “I believe it isn’t fair to the father, and it’s not good for the kids, Leving says. “I’m pleased to have had success fighting for fathers and their children, in court and in society at large, but we have a ways to go before all fathers are properly valued. I think it’s essential, and I won’t stop fighting for equal protection, due process and justice.”
Jeffery M. Leving is founder and president of the Law Offices of Jeffery M. Leving Ltd., and is an advocate for the rights of fathers. In addition to Fathers’ Rights – published in English, Spanish and Chinese – Leving is the author of Divorce Wars and How to be a Good Divorced Dad. To learn more about Jeffery M. Leving and his latest court victories, follow him on Twitter and Facebook, and view his videos on You Tube.
Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.
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