This page details my experience at Family "Court". Anyone going through the same thing may find it useful.
For a quick summary of the case see Supreme Court petition for review
Original Trial
- Ekaterina's March 8 RFO
Ekaterina files a motion that kicks off this multi-year litigation. Among other things, she attempts to steal my condo and double-dip on community property division by claiming that my GOOG stocks were "omitted". In fact she already received cash value of these stocks.
- Response to March 8 RFO
I debunk Ekaterina's claims. Also point out that she committed multiple counts of perjury and filed this motion in bad faith.
- Eugene's Trial Brief
- Ekaterina's Trial Brief
- Statement of Decision
It was made deliberately ambiguous. For example it says that "it appears as though Katia did not receive any Google stock". Well yes. She received other stocks of equal value.
- Order
Family Court issues a decision. Ekaterina loses on almost all issues except "omitted assets". The court gifts her 18 (pre-split) GOOG shares for which Ekaterina already received cash value. Also gifts her another $60,000 as sanctions. Ekaterina originally got about about 54% of community property. After this order her total is increased:
- to 64% if only the additional GOOG shares are counted (approximately $48,000 at that time)
- to 77% the $60,000 gift is also included.
This can only be described as legalized robbery.
Appeal
I appeal.
- Appellant's Opening Brief
Statement of the Case section has a detailed description of what happened from the beginning of this case until the appeal. I wrote it myself. The legal arguments were written by my lawyer.
- Respondent's Brief
Ekaterina responds with sophistry and misdirection.
- Appellant's Reply Brief
I ran out of money and was forced to continue the fight without a lawyer. I am also about $90,000 in debt at this point, an amount that will only increase.
- Decision
Court of Appeal issues a hair-splitting decision. It rules that Google stocks were "omitted" but acknoledges that Ekaterina received their cash value. The case is sent back to Family Court.
- Petition for Rehearing
I point out some issues Court of Appeal did not address. I also predict that Family Court will once again divide community property unequally unless the Court of Appeal issues a specific order prohibniting this.
- Rehearing denied
Remand
Case remanded back to Family "Court". The same judge who issued the original decision also gets to rule on remand. She refused to step aside and let somebody else take over.
Appeal 2
I appeal again. The judge decided to simply rubberstamp her previous order instead of fixing it. And violated due process.
- Appelant's Opening Brief
- Respondent's Brief
- Appelant's Reply Brief
- Decision. It's a complete farce. Court of Appeal did not answer the crucial question: how can an asset be "omitted" when the prevailing party already received the cash value of that asset?
So Ekaterina gets paid twice: via equalization + in-kind. She ends up with 77% of marital property, I end up bankrupt. The court also did not care that the trial judge lied in her order.
- Request for publication. Of course it was denied. This "court" does not even stand by its own decision. It just wants to sweep the whole thing under the rug.
Supreme Court appeal
Petition for Review. Supreme Court only takes 3% of cases, so this will probably go nowhere. But it's a nice summary of how Family "Court" works.
Of course it was Denied. They also denied publication. They really just want to sweep this case under the rug.
Encore
But wait! There is more. (Because of course there is.) On top of everything, the bitch wants attorney fees.
The bitch gets $999 + $535.74. That's not going to kill me but it's still absolutely disgusting. The woman can file a motion with proven perjury and still be rewarded for it.
Oh and it doesn't matter if her lawyer and her corrupt judge commit perjury.
Lessons Learned
- Your ex will take at least 50% of marital property. Mine took 77%. She will also get child custody, child support, spousal support, and other extras on top of that.
- Child support depends on custody percentage. Your ex has financial incentive to set your child against you and usurp 100% custody.
- When (not if) your ex accuses you of "domestic violence", you are guilty until proven innocent. She also suffers no consequences despite losing her case.
- Every female judge in Family "Court" hates you. Every female clerk hates you. Every female lawyer hates you. You are guitly of being a man.
- Family "Court" does not provide court reporters, so there is no record of what was said at trial. This pretty much destroys your appeal options.
- You must hire a court reporter at your own expense for every trial. Otherwise the judge will lie and you have no recourse.
- If a judge offers you a shitty settlement "deal", that is an offer you can't refuse. She will find a way to make it worse even if she has to lie and violate the law.
- A lawyer I talked to described the whole process as "smoke and mirrors". A judge already knows how she wants to rule before she even hears your case. She will find legalistic incantations to make that happen.
- Court of Appeal exists to find a reason — any reason, no matter how illogical — to affirm the trial court's order.
- Supreme Court exists primarily to find creative ways to set killers free. California law mandates Supreme Court review for all death penalty cases, so that's pretty much all they do. They don't have to hear your case and they most likely won't.
- Worst of all, the woman can file a motion full of proven lies and still win. Facts don't matter. Laws don't matter. The outcome is predetermined.
Of course I'm not the only one who noticed that this game is rigged. Below is a graph of marriage rate between 1900 and 2020. Congratulations to feminists! You made marriage obsolete.
Contact me: email