High Conflict Hell

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...

Arizona has passed one of the most significant family court and child custody reforms in years. In this episode, we break down The Alec & Lydia Act (HB 2995) and what Arizona's new law could mean for child custody , family law , domestic violence , coercive control , shared custody , parental rights , and family court cases across the country. We discuss how the law changes custody decisi...

In this episode, we break down DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender) and explain how this manipulation tactic frequently appears in family court , child custody disputes , and high-conflict co-parenting . Through real-life examples from our own custody cases, we discuss how allegations can shift the focus away from the original conduct and onto the parent responding to it. We explore h...

An 18-year-old girl, Anna Kepner, was allegedly murdered aboard a cruise ship by her 16-year-old stepbrother, Timothy Hudson. What began as a tragic criminal case soon spilled into family court when the biological father of Timothy Hudson's younger sister—the younger sibling of the teen accused of Anna Kepner's murder—filed an emergency custody action, arguing that the child should be re...

We're celebrating Father's Day the only way we know how: by talking about family court, custody battles, parenting plans, weaponized stepmoms, drunk text messages, penis pumps, domestic violence allegations, and why some parents seem willing to spend $50,000 fighting each other instead of spending time with their kids. We discuss what Father's Day looks like when you're stuck i...

We break down a Motion to Compel a Mental Health Evaluation and discuss what happens when mental health allegations collide with an attorney's billable hours. We discuss Guardian ad Litem (GAL) investigations, mental health evaluations in child custody cases, and examine court filings alleging that a parent's mental health is "in controversy." We also discuss attorney tactics,...

We discuss parental alienation allegations, whether there are any real defenses to parental alienation claims, and what happens when teenagers begin exerting power over parenting time and custody schedules.  Through real family court stories, parenting stories, and our own experiences navigating high-conflict custody disputes, we explore the growing tension between court orders, adolescent autonom...

Christine Miller (lawyer, advocate, and badass from Kentucky) joins us to discuss what she thought was a local problem with family court judges and attorneys—only to discover that parents across the United States and around the world are telling the exact same stories. After leaving family law practice, Christine began exposing courtroom misconduct, judicial accountability issues, and growing conc...

What does "the best interest of the child" actually mean in family court? In this episode, we break down one of the most commonly used phrases in child custody cases and ask whether courts, attorneys, and parents are truly prioritizing children's physical safety, emotional well-being, and long-term stability. We tell parenting stories, and discuss real-life custody disputes and how...

We brought in someone with a much bigger brain than ours. Dr. Christine Cocchiola is an expert on coercive control, was involved in the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard case, is way too familiar with Ty & Syd from The Nightmare Upstairs, and has spent years helping parents navigate toxic relationships, weaponized children, alienation accusations, and family court. If you've ever wondered whethe...

We continue our discussion of interrogatories and family court discovery after reviewing a new round of sworn responses involving missing financial accounts, disputed facts, and allegations that don't match the documents. We discuss what happens when financial disclosures raise more questions than answers, why proving someone lied under oath isn't always enough, and how parenting plan pr...

We break down family court interrogatories, discovery tactics, perjury allegations, and how mental health, prescription medications, and even identifying as a single mom can become weapons in high-conflict custody litigation. In this episode, we discuss: what interrogatories are and how they are used in family court family court discovery, sworn answers, and credibility disputes allegations involv...

Summer break is supposed to feel fun for kids. Instead, for a lot of famlies with two homes, it turns into parenting plan algebra, contempt threats, parking lot exchanges, vacation fights, and arguments over who gets what days with the kids. We break down summer custody schedules, “Dad Math,” and what happens when older kids start struggling with constant back-and-forth transitions between homes....

We break down Hulu’s new documentary The Nightmare Upstairs and the shocking true story of two children who barricaded themselves in a bedroom for 54 days to keep themselves safe from court-ordered reunification camp with their father. We discuss parental alienation syndrome, reunification camps, Richard Gardner’s controversial theories, child sex abuse allegations in family court, and how courts...

We break down parental alienation and the controversial theory created by Richard “Dick” Gardner in the 1980s — including how his ideas about child custody, abuse allegations, and “parental alienation syndrome” still influence modern family court today.  We discuss: the difference between parental alienation and estrangement why parental alienation is not recognized in the DSM-5 Richard Gardner’s...

We break down what it’s really like representing yourself pro se in family court — including the emotional, financial, and legal realities many parents face during high-conflict custody battles. We discuss how quickly parents can lose custody rights by missing hearings, why family court litigants are held to the same standard as attorneys, and how alienation claims are increasingly being used in c...

In this episode, we break down Divorce Dad Math, Motherload of Crap Day, and why Mother’s Day can feel surprisingly painful for so many women — especially inside high-conflict co-parenting and family court. We discuss: how 50/50 custody schedules can make Mother’s Day stressful for divorced moms why family court often minimizes coercive control and post-separation abuse the financial realities of...

When your ex-husband comes into your driveway and shows you emails from his attorney, what do you do? You ask to take a picture of them, and he says "go for it, I hate him."  We get into: Weaponized Mother’s Day and Father’s Day provisions in parenting plans Mental health evaluations in custody cases and who profits from them Attorney-client privilege and what happens when clients start...

What actually happens inside a Guardian ad Litem (GAL) investigation? In this episode, we break down the real process—GAL interviews, mental health evaluation requests, and how quickly costs can spiral into thousands of dollars. We also unpack “attorney puffing,” excessive legal communication that drives up fees without helping the investigation, and how courtroom strategy can shift the focus away...

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star, Taylor Frankie Paul, is back in court. This episode breaks down the April 30 hearing, including details most people haven’t heard—inside Jesse Draper’s declaration, Dakota’s lip tattoo, and what the judge and attorneys revealed about “reactive abuse” vs. “calculated behavior.” We walk through key arguments from both sides, the court’s credibility findings, an...

What does enablement look like in toxic relationships—and how does it show up in high-conflict co-parenting and family court? In this episode, we break down how patterns from toxic relationships—like enabling, overcompensating, and protecting someone from consequences—don’t end after a breakup. They follow you straight into co-parenting, custody battles, and family court. We talk about real-life e...

A CNN investigation exposing a global “rape academy” with over 62 million monthly visits collides with viral cases like Hailey Beck—revealing how grooming, sexual abuse, and power dynamics don’t just exist online… they show up in real life, relationships, and family court . This episode breaks down: How online communities normalize and teach sexual violence Real-life grooming stories—and why victi...

What does DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim & Offender) actually look like in real life? In this episode, we break down how DARVO shows up across intimate relationships, professional settings, and even friendships —and how it escalates in high-conflict co-parenting and family court . Using real examples, including late-night text messages from an ex demanding accountability , we walk through...

What can Catelynn Lowell and Tyler Baltierra’s adoption story teach us about parental rights—and something deeper: are we actually entitled to our children? This episode uses their story as a starting point to break down how parental rights really work in family court, from adoption to 50/50 custody and high-conflict co-parenting. We also look at states like Kentucky, where a statutory presumption...