It didn't make a difference if I did or didn't.
Here's what happened...
Before we went, I printed one last thing that I found on
http://civilharassment.com http://www.civilharassment.com/property_dispute_points_and.html this thing.
True it wasn't a property dispute, but the parts in that were it says "must have substantial emotional distress," and "must be directed at the platintiff," and such were really good points. So I rushed to a kinko's in Torrance and paid to get 3 copies of that and highlighted it in the car to the courthouse.
So, we showed up and his mothers sitting outside the courthouse. Large sunglasses, and not saying a word to anyone.
Could easily automatically assume who it was though, both my grandmother and mother even said she looked a bit insane and not all there.
Anyways, court opened, and they let everyone inside. This is when I Found out to my surprise, the mother had hired a lawyer. She hadn't had one last time, so this must have been just recently. Went up to the court clerk to sign in and gave her a copy of the law I had printed to give to the judge before the trial and motion a dismissal based on the points brought out.
Well, after watching the few other cases in there. We were called up. We both gave our opening statements then the judge right away pointed out the document I had given her and said it held truth and was correct and well highlighted for the parts that I needed. But then..... the mothers lawyer gave the judge a disposition or declaration (couldn't hear which), which was like as big as a book. The judge sat there reading the whole thing and then looked to us both and said she'd like to hold it in chambers. (Yeah, from a hearing to a mediation just like that -.-)
We followed her to her chambers and she had us all sit down and said because it was a case with a minor that was damn near an adult and such she'd like to hold it in chambers as a mediation to come to an agreement before an actual hearing. Here's where it gets surprising. The judge said she knew the case and had read EVERYTHING that I had sent, all the chatlogs, the email logs, the website topics, which was around 100+ papers, she had read it all as well as my filed answer and brought out how both Gaser and I were intelligent and that the mother didn't understand this, and that she didn't see why Gaser couldn't testify himself.
...That would have been good. Except she then said she didn't know how to handle it on whether she should call in a specialist and postpone it so GAser could be interviewed for his side or to continue on. Finally she decided to hear our sides. (Dammit!)
Well... She asked the mother for her side of the story first, of course. Because the mother was the plaintiff.The mother got through as my grandma and I sat very quiet uninterrupting through it all. Then the Judge looked to me for my side. I read off my side of the story that I had written in about 5 pages the night before at the hotel, along with everything that had happened and feelings towards it all, intentions, motivations, etc.
The mother interrupted, but the judge kept her quiet till I was finished. ...We would have won there, as the mother kept trying to butt in, and such. If not for her lawyer and the fact Gaser is autistic.
Now here's where it gets annoying. Her Lawyer held up a doctors note saying his doctor has said because Gaser is autistic and gets influenced easily I have brainwashed him, and co-erced him into running away, etc. That it will take at least a year or more for them to properly unwash his brain.
The judge said she didn't believe I had brainwashed him (after I brought out how real brainwash works, and how it's a captor captive situation and nothing about just social talk.)
But then the mother butted in again and said how ever since she cut off contact he's doing BEAUTIFULLY, never any interest in sports, and now he's out doing basketball, playing with friends, as happy as can be and improving. (LIES, LIES, LIES, LIES! More lies.)
Finally, after back and forth sides of how contact is not influencing him and there's other things going on in his life that causes such rebellious actions coupled with the fact he's 17 and thus the damn rebellious age for most teenagers vs her saying how torn up she was over him running away and how if he did that again he would wind up sick, and possibly dead. (Umm he was fine here.)
The judge ruled that she'd make it for 6 months to see how Gaser is. Since the mother and doctors testify that he's improving, the 'friendship, should be severed, ' and they'd see how he was in 6 months from now. She hoped that the mother would have a change of heart by then, etc. Of course the mother was sitting over there, "No. No contact ever. No, no, no," while she was saying that.
...And that's how it went. No real hearing. Stupid mediation. I would have won if not for the mother pulling the run away and 'brainwashing' as means of emotional distress. If not for that note, he'd have been interviewed and crap.
...Points of humor,
The judge asked the mother to take off her sunglasses when we were in there. The mothers reaction? "I don't want to be identified., I don't feel safe." Judge made her take them off anyways.
The judge asked the mother where Gaser was at the moment, and she's all "I'd like to say that in private. I don't want her (me) knowing where he's at." The judge made her say anyways, home. (As if we couldn't already guess.)
So the judge was nice... But the mother lied through the whole thing and pulled out doctors who didn't know a damn things witness testimony. And that's how we lost.
