My Fight
This isn't a victory speech. This is a field report from the trenches.
The Numbers
11
CPS Reports
All cleared
4
Police Cases
All closed, zero charges
2
Emergency Motions
Both survived
~$0
Legal Fees
Lawyer formatted first motion, now pro se
I'm releasing this story because it feels like the only way anyone who hasn't walked through this with me is ever going to believe me.
My mom knows. But she's my mom. My girlfriend didn't believe me at first - she gave their mother the benefit of the doubt like everyone else. But she's lived this with me. She's seen the lies, the nastiness, that you'd only believe if you saw it.
This is a story about how far a man has to go to be believed. No matter how good the documentation is. No matter how level-headed I kept myself.
I haven't said a single mean word to her since the divorce. Not one. I can tell the judge that honestly. And all of her chaos is on the record next to my silence.
The Timeline
Separation
We separate. Three kids. She said she wanted to do the divorce amicably. She said she didn't want it to be bad like other divorces. We weren't even going to get lawyers.
The Ultimatum
'Mushrooms or your kids.' She gave me an ultimatum over psilocybin mushrooms — legal in Colorado, decriminalized. She had supported it during the marriage, texted about dosing, offered guests tours of the grow. Now it became a weapon.
First Emergency Motion to Restrict
She files an emergency motion to restrict my parenting time. I spend two sleepless days building my entire case with AI. I have texts proving she participated in mushroom use. My lawyer wants to just wait for trial. I argue with her to file my reply anyway.
Motion SETTLED - Got Kids Back
They settle because of my reply. I don't have to go to trial. I get my kids back. More importantly: I get the evidence and history on court record for future use. Lesson learned: fight to enter your evidence even when your lawyer hesitates.
Parenting Plan Ordered
Court orders 50/50 joint custody with joint decision-making. This is the baseline. Every violation from here forward is documented.
CPS Weaponization Begins
Two CPS referrals filed within 24 hours. Both claim I have 'schizoaffective disorder and am becoming dissociative with reality.' I have no such diagnosis. My only mental health episode was a brief hospitalization for acute mania in 2011 - fourteen years ago - with no treatment since.
She Enters My Home
She enters my home without permission. Reads my journal. I report it to police. Officer calls CPS and confirms: previous reports 'were not assigned to a caseworker, and they had been closed.'
False Child Abuse Allegations
She reports to police that children are being 'punched in the stomach and face.' Officer interviews the children — they describe something completely different. A search warrant is approved but NEVER EXECUTED because there is no probable cause. Case closed.
The Smoking Gun - Her Words
On body cam, their mother tells the officer: 'My biggest thing is, I want custody of my kids right now.' Not safety. Not concern. Custody. This is the motive for every false report.
Children Speak
In recorded conversations, children report being yelled at daily, locked in rooms as punishment at their mother's house. These statements are consistent across multiple sources over the next year.
False Imprisonment Claim
She calls police claiming false imprisonment. Body cam shows what actually happened. Officer determines I 'was doing it out of fear for his children.' Children tell police they 'preferred staying with him and did not like staying with their mother due to her strictness.'
School Weaponized
The day after the police case fails, she contacts the school principal. Principal calls police. Another report. She tells the school I'm 'delusional,' 'mentally ill,' and 'his mental state is unstable and aggressive.' All false.
HHS Home Visit
CPS investigator visits my home. Finds 'no immediate safety concerns observed.' Notes that I deny having schizoaffective disorder - because I don't. Children report feeling safer at my home.
FERPA Request Denied — 1983 Lawsuit Ready
I file a FERPA request for my own children's school records. The school stonewalls. Principal tells HHS he has 'nothing positive to say' about me. I file complaints at federal, district, and state level. I draft a 42 U.S.C. § 1983 civil rights lawsuit. The principal's email finally confirming the school didn't file a CPS report saved them from that lawsuit. One email away from 1983.
Emergency Motion to Restrict #1
She files an emergency motion to restrict my parenting time and demands sole decision-making. Motion denied.
She Admits It Under Oath
In court, under questioning, she admits to filing the CPS reports herself - then used the existence of those reports as 'independent validation' of her claims. She filed the reports, then pointed to them as proof. The magistrate caught it.
False Claims to Therapy Intake
She provides false mental health claims about me to my daughter's therapy intake — the same debunked schizoaffective narrative, now weaponizing a child's therapy process.
Defamation Complaint Filed
I file a defamation complaint for the false mental health and domestic violence claims made to institutions.
The Fight Continues
Currently 50/50. Representing myself against two professional attorneys. She owes me $63,000 in court-ordered support. She files a motion to modify support. I counter with a motion for contempt. The fight continues.
What Every Investigation Found
11 CPS Reports - All Cleared
- 8 reports screened out without investigation - didn't even meet the threshold
- 2 reports fully investigated - findings: "no areas of current or impending danger" and "Risk Assessment: Low"
- 1 additional report - cleared
4 Police Cases - All Closed, Zero Charges
- Feb 2024 - She entered my home. Closed.
- Apr 2024 - Child abuse allegations. "No probable cause for any crimes." Search warrant approved but never executed.
- Nov 2024 - False imprisonment claim. Children corroborated my account. Officer: "he was doing it out of fear for his children."
- Nov 2024 - School principal contact. Closed, forwarded to agencies.
2 Emergency Motions to Restrict - Both Survived
- Motion to restrict parenting time - denied
- Demand for sole decision-making authority - denied
What the Children Said
These are not coached statements. These are what the children told police officers, HHS caseworkers, and said in recorded conversations - independently, consistently, across multiple sources over more than a year.
"Preferred staying with him and did not like staying with [their mother] due to her strictness."
— Children to police officers, November 2024
"Feels safer at FOC's home. FOC barely yells."
— Oldest child to HHS caseworker, November 2024
"FOC doesn't yell at them."
— Middle child to HHS caseworker, November 2024
"[Their mother] yells at them to clean their rooms."
— Children to police officers, November 2024
Institutions Weaponized
Every institution designed to protect children was turned into a weapon against me. Not because there was a problem - because she wanted custody.
CPS / HHS
11 reports filed. False mental health claims. False abuse claims. 2 caseworker home visits. All cleared. 100% failure rate.
Police
4 cases filed. False child abuse charges. False imprisonment claims. Search warrant approved but never executed. All closed. Zero charges.
School
Told the principal I'm "delusional" and "mentally ill." Principal interviewed my children without notifying me, told HHS he has "nothing positive to say" about me. FERPA request denied. Filed complaints at federal, district, and state level. Had a 42 U.S.C. § 1983 civil rights lawsuit ready to file. The principal's email confirming the school didn't file a CPS report saved them from that lawsuit.
Therapy / Medical
Told therapists and intake specialists I have a mental health diagnosis and history of domestic violence. Neither is true. Weaponized the therapy process.
Women's Shelter
Took the children to a women's shelter claiming it was "therapy." Used a "therapist" there to file a CPS report. Motion to compel filed for shelter records.
Court System
Emergency motions to restrict. Motion to modify support while owing $63,000. Two professional lawyers against one self-represented father.
The System Itself
It's not just about her. The system is designed to make this hard for fathers who represent themselves. I've documented these patterns so other fathers know what they're walking into.
Pro Se Against Two Attorneys in Two Cases
I had a lawyer for the first emergency motion in 2023. But I built the entire case myself with AI over two sleepless days. My lawyer wanted to just wait for trial and tell me to say I was done with mushrooms. I had to argue with her to file the reply I'd already written. She finally formatted and submitted it. They settled. I got my kids back. More importantly: I got the evidence on court record for future use.
Now I'm fully pro se in two cases: family court against her family law attorney, and my defamation case against a victim's rights attorney whose organization receives funding that legally can't be used for tort defense. She's repeating the same pattern — abusing victim services like she did with Safe Shelter.
Learning Procedure in Real-Time
Nobody teaches you. You learn by making mistakes in court.
- Mid-hearing, I had to ask the magistrate: "Can you explain Redirect?" Basic trial procedure, explained while I'm on the stand.
- I tried to ask opposing counsel a question. Magistrate: "This is not your point to ask questions of counsel." My response: "Your Honor, I'm still learning."
- Filed a motion to compel (wrong procedure). Learned it should be a subpoena. Filed subpoena correctly. Denied anyway as "reconsideration."
Being Right Doesn't Mean Winning
I proved the magistrate was wrong on Safe Shelter procedure. The District Judge agreed — the magistrate ERRED. But they still denied me the records under a different privilege. Being correct about the law didn't matter. The outcome was the same.
Complaints Protect the Institution
I filed complaints against the school at three levels. Here's what happened:
- District: "No evidence of bias." This was after the principal told HHS he has "nothing positive to say" about me.
- Appeal: I submitted the HHS records proving the bias. Deputy Superintendent simply agreed with the original decision. No new investigation.
- State: Filed. Waiting.
The pattern: complaints are reviewed by the same institution being complained about. Each level protects the one below it.
The Pattern
45+ Documented Parenting Plan Violations
Every violation is documented with dates, evidence locations, and specific provisions of the court order violated.
- Makes unilateral decisions without consultation
- When challenged, escalates to threats and accusations
- Files institutional reports when co-parenting disputes arise
- Uses children as leverage
- Projects her own behaviors onto me
- 11 institutional intervention attempts - 100% failure rate
In Her Own Words
"My biggest thing is, I want custody of my kids right now."
— Their mother to responding officer, April 6, 2024 (body cam)
Not safety. Not concern. Custody. This is the motive behind every false report, every weaponized institution, every emergency motion.
Where It Stands Now
Active Cases
- Family Court: 50/50 custody. Pro se against two professional attorneys.
- Support: She owes $63,000 in court-ordered support. Filed a motion to modify. I countered with contempt.
- Defamation: Filed complaint for false mental health and domestic violence claims made to institutions.
What I'm Building From This
Every system I used to survive this fight, I'm turning into tools for other fathers.
- Father's Field Manual - Everything I've learned, free
- CourtDocs.io - AI-powered document preparation for pro se litigants
Why I'm Telling This
I'm making this public because maybe what I've been going through could help another father in my situation dealing with false accusations and relentless system abuse. Know that you aren't alone. Even if no one believes you.
Maybe the calm I've maintained can be an example of how to handle a situation like mine.
Maybe my relentless documentation can show you a positive action you can take.
Maybe, if enough people see how weighted the system is against fathers who want to be there for their kids, maybe the culture can change.
If you're a father going through something similar, start here: