I leave the country and go 8000 miles to escape the harassment. It's just a brief amount of time to heal. I return right back into the eye of the storm.

The following is the email thread:

From: Joe Smith on Mar 27, 2024, 10:42 AM To: Maria Jones Subject: Penny’s Birthday   I will pick Penny up on her birthday as per court orders and from that date going forward, I will be back on the regular parenting schedule.  

From: Maria Jones on Mar 27, 2024, 11:51 AM To: Joe Smith Subject: Re: Penny’s Birthday   Given you have not communicated and provided any updates, I have made plans with Penny for her birthday. Next week is spring break and she is scheduled to be with me. I am happy to provide you with a day for you to spend with her. She is free on Wednesday but has soccer practice in Whittier at night or I'm happy to provide you Friday 9am to extend your weekend next week with her until Monday when school starts.  

From: Maria Jones on Mar 30, 2024, 5:47 PM To: Joe Smith Subject: Re: Penny’s Birthday   Still no timely response from you. Penny will not be available to be picked up tomorrow.  

From: Joe Smith on Mar 30, 2024, 8:13 PM To: Maria Jones Subject: Re: Penny’s Birthday   There is a court order. I flew 8000 miles to be with her. You know what action la I will take if you don’t provide eher to me tomorrow.

From: Maria Jones on Mar 30, 2024, 8:37 PM To: Joe Smith Subject: Re: Penny’s Birthday   Sure. I will pick her up on Monday 4/1 at 12:30pm per court order for spring break. You can pick her up Saturday morning 4/6 for your weekend and take her to school on Tuesday. Try to learn to better communicate as a considerate parent to avoid making her feel like now she is missing her own bday plans with her family. Do better!
 

From: Maria Jones on Mar 30, 2024, 10:17 PM To: Joe Smith Subject: Re: Penny’s Birthday   It’s unfortunate that these decisions you make have caused her to cry for the last 2 hours. You should think about the impact and don’t make her feel guilty with the text messages you have been sending her.

From: Joe Smith on Mar 30, 2024, 11:34 PM To: Maria Jones Subject: Re: Penny’s Birthday   I’m sorry you feel that way. You scheduled a party on her birthday during my custodial time without informing me of this. Despite me informing you in advance that I would be returning to my regular custodial schedule starting on her birthday, you continued to make these plans up to the day before my custodial, time starts. I also informed our daughter, several weeks ago, that I would be returning for her birthday and I’m sure she discussed this with you already. In my opinion, it seems as though the planning of your party during my custodial time is the fundamental source of what we are having difficulty with now. If we both stick to the court orders we shouldn’t have these problems. Thank you.  

From: Maria Jones on Mar 31, 2024, 10:13 AM To: Joe Smith She did not communicate to me when you would be returning. Learn to communicate important details directly with me.

It's been a challenging journey with this recent strategy, spanning approximately four years, involving significant time, financial resources, and effort. This week, however, marked a pivotal moment in our case. The judge presiding over our case denied my ex-wife's request to appoint minor's counsel for our child. Minor's counsel, an attorney representing the child's interests, typically charges between $300 to $500 to listen to the child and guide the parents accordingly. My ex-wife's intention seemed to be to use this as a strategy, influencing our child against me and setting the stage for a future living arrangement change when she turns 14, all while using the resources of Minor's Counsel to do so.

Our case has seen about a dozen judges over the last decade, and this particular judge has demonstrated exceptional thoroughness and logic in their approach. Despite my ex-wife and her attorney's fervent efforts to influence the judge, including various claims and statements, the judge remained unbiased in his decision-making process. At one point my ex-wife even told the judge that she can no longer afford her mortgage payments, which was irrelevant to the matter at hand. Meanwhile she owns 4 properties, each over a $1M in value, and makes 3x my income while I live in a shitty rented apartment.

I am concerned about the ongoing conflict and its impact on everyone involved, especially our child. I hope that those close to my ex-wife, including her family, friends, and attorney, can encourage her to seek support or therapy. It's important for her well-being and for moving beyond the anger and jealousy that seem to be driving these actions, affecting not only her and me, but especially our child. Please help.