High Conflict Hell

The Cornell Seven case raises questions about sexual assault, consent, victim blaming, and the power dynamics that show up in relationships and the criminal justice system. This week on High Conflict Hell, we discuss the Cornell University lawsuit, Jane Doe’s allegations involving seven men and Chi Phi fraternity, the Snapchat group messages, and Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houte...

Caleb Flynn’s murder trial has put his affair, his former American Idol appearance, and his relationship with Alleigha Botner, a young woman from his church, under a national spotlight. But should Alleigha face charges because of the disturbing text messages she exchanged with Caleb about his wife, Ashley Flynn? This week on High Conflict Hell , I explain the Caleb Flynn case to my 70-year-old mom...

Real Housewives of Atlanta (RHOA) star Kim Zolciak and former NFL player Kroy Biermann have spent years locked in a high-conflict divorce and child-custody battle.  After Kroy recently sought primary custody—accusing Kim of missing parenting time while she was working—the court temporarily suspended her time with the children. Just weeks later, their 15-year-old son, KJ Biermann, allegedly sexuall...

The Death of a Pastor's Wife, and the story of Mica Miller and her estranged husband, Pastor JP Miller, raises  questions about grooming, coercive control, pornography, religion, domestic abuse, and the failures of family court.  We examine allegations that Mica met JP when she was only 13 years old, that JP Miller was 15 years older than her, the power imbalance that followed, and how religi...

Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann’s 15-year-old son, KJ Biermann, is facing seven felony charges involving sexual-assault allegations....are Kim & Kroy Parallel Parenting? And if they are, how are they navigating this extreme family trauma?  We discuss what investigators reportedly discovered on KJ's his phone, Kim’s public defense of her son, the children caught in the middle, and what happe...

The Lindsay Clancy trial and the aftermath of the mistrial: the 11–1 jury split, the lone holdout juror, Patrick Clancy’s response, and whether Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz will put Lindsay and her family through another trial. We also examine postpartum psychosis, maternal mental health, criminal responsibility, and what this case reveals about the way society judges mothers in cris...

Back-to-school season is here, youth sports and extracurricular activities are in full swing, and "co-parenting" is back on its bullshit. This week, we’re talking about what goes on when kids change schools, how it affects child custody schedules, parenting plans, protection orders at children’s sporting events, school enrollment disputes, parental alienation accusations, financial abuse...

We have a birthday around here, and apparently miracles do happen, because a lawyer is quitting. 🎂 We’re talking high-conflict co-parenting, family court, parenting relationships after divorce, new partners and step-parent dynamics , and what happens when an ex’s new relationship changes a co-parenting relationship that actually used to work. Plus, the emotional toll family court takes on parents...

Men can publicly rally behind the Tate brothers...but women expressing empathy for Lindsay Clancy are having their mental health, parenting, and even custody questioned. We’re talking about Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate, the men publicly supporting the Tate Brothers, and the very different reaction women are getting for expressing support or empathy for Lindsay Clancy during the Lindsay Clancy tria...

This week we’re playing, Would You Rather: Divorce Edition and tackling the very real chaos of high-conflict co-parenting, divorce, custody exchanges, parenting plans, dating after divorce, new partners, family court, and co-parenting with a difficult ex. Would you rather your ex date your kid’s teacher—or your divorce attorney? Be 15 minutes late to every custody exchange—or 15 minutes early with...

Dating after divorce is complicated enough. Add kids, new partners, dating apps, exes, parenting plans, and high-conflict co-parenting , and suddenly your dating life can become everybody’s business—including family court. This week  we’re talking about dating after divorce with kids : When should you introduce a new boyfriend or girlfriend to your children? Is the internet’s famous six-month rule...

Why does it feel like the abuse didn’t end with divorce? Because post-separation abuse started. We discuss what it actually looks like after divorce or separation—and how family court, co-parenting, money, parenting plans, and even the kids themselves can become tools for continued control. We break down our own experiences with high-conflict co-parenting and how a poorly structured parenting plan...

Summer trips, communication breakdowns—and somehow… love  💗 This week we’re sharing the parenting stories that perfectly capture what high-conflict co-parenting can look like in real life. Summer vacation schedule turns into complete chaos when a parent doesn’t know when kids are leaving, where they’re going, or when they’re coming back..... while the kids somehow end up becoming smack in the mid...

We’re breaking down gaslighting—what it actually is, what it isn’t, and how lying and manipulation can slowly make you question your own reality. This one gets personal as we dive into a recent breakup and the complicated reality of dating, relationships, and starting over when you have kids. What is gaslighting? The difference between a lie, manipulation, and a pattern of actual gaslighting. Gasl...

What is a Motion for Reconsideration, and what happens when a family court judge denies it? In this episode we break down the latest ruling in Jen’s Washington family court case—and for once, we’re not the losers. Jen’s ex-husband asked the court to reconsider its previous ruling involving a requested mental health evaluation.  We walk through what a Motion for Reconsideration actually is, why the...

We take a deep dive into the Lindsay Clancy trial , the heartbreaking story of a mother whose life unraveled amid postpartum psychosis , postpartum depression , postpartum anxiety , psychiatric medications, and repeated pleas for help. We discuss the latest trial testimony, Lindsay Clancy's mental health journey, her treatment history, suicide attempt, and the legal battle over whether a woma...

What happens when a mother loses custody through an ex parte court order without a full trial? In this episode of High Conflict Hell , Hope Rose shares her years-long family court battle, including how she says her son was removed through an emergency custody order, why she chose not to comply with that order for 67 days, and what happened after. Hope discusses navigating family court as a self-re...

Family law attorney Meg Groff has spent more than 40 years fighting for women, children, and survivors of domestic violence—and she's still in the fight. She is the author of Not If I Can Help It: A Family Lawyer's Battles for Justice for Victims of Domestic Violence and the Poor , available wherever books are sold. In this episode, Meg explains why children in custody cases should never...

This week, we’re back in family court with a motion to reconsider after Daddy’s request to compel a mental health evaluation was denied. We break down what a motion to reconsider actually is, why court rules matter, and how repeated motions and high-conflict litigation can financially and emotionally impact the parents—and ultimately their children. Then comes the plot twist: Mom and Dad start com...

We are back with real-life parenting stories involving car crashes, summer vacations, school district issues, and family court. We share what happens when warnings about typical teenage behavior get dismissed when two parents cannot effectively communicate—and more than $20,000 in damage occurs. The accident opens up a much bigger conversation about teenage behavior, parental accountability, 50/50...

We break down what a status conference is, what to expect, and how it fits into a high-conflict child custody case in Family Court. We record before and after Jen’s real-life status conference as she navigates a minor parenting plan modification, jurisdiction issues, mediation delays, discovery disputes, a Guardian ad Litem (GAL), attorney conflict, and the mounting financial cost of family court...

In the final chapter of Dorothy's story, we break down the Guardian ad Litem (GAL) investigation and report, navigating a pretrial conference pro se , searching for an attorney, mediation, and the difficult decision of whether to settle or go to trial. Dorothy shares what it was like navigating family court without an attorney, how a well-written parenting plan became critical to protecting h...

In Part 2 of this three-part series, a simple request to continue a six-year-old's play therapy spirals into a high-conflict custody dispute—and his father's request for sole custody. The dispute quickly expands into battles over parenting decisions, school records, police involvement, and a parenting plan that leaves some of the biggest decisions about a child's life completely und...

Dorothy is from Mexico. After moving to Kansas, she has a child with an attorney. Years later, what begins as a simple request to continue her six-year-old son's therapy spirals into an all-out child custody battle after his father responds by seeking sole custody. In Part 1 of Dorothy's Story, Dorothy shares how language barriers, cultural expectations, coercive control, domestic violen...

What happens when parenting plans , summer holidays , and custody battles collide? Usually... conflict. Help keep track of family law events with DocuFam: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/docufam-custody-event-log/id6761786386 In this episode of High Conflict Hell , we break down why the 4th of July , summer vacation , and holiday schedules become some of the biggest sources of family court litigatio...