8 chapters
All chapters tagged with Two Court Systems
Steve seeks recognition in New York of the protection he won against Tara after a San Francisco hearing. Humphrey warns Steve about nonappearance, but gives him no ruling after Tara misses two hearings. Humphrey then recuses. Aunt K investigates the court's evaluator.
The case passes to a fourth judge. At a twenty-three-minute video appearance Schauer vacates the Horowitz default on consent and issues mirroring stay-away orders — one against each party — rather than address the California restraining order against Tara. The poisoner and the poisoned are treated as symmetrical threats, and neither petition is heard. Steve tells the court a permanent temporary order does not give him a chance to face his accuser. The court tells him he is muddying the record.
Brienne Walsh wrote publicly about her childhood. In her September 28, 2020 deposition, she said it could be described as abusive, with a qualification: sometimes, not always. Her blog posts, the deposition excerpt and Aunt K’s account are distinct parts of the record.
Three years to arrange. Three days to conduct. Four depositions with one attorney. Coached amnesia, privacy walls, prepared performances — and one unguarded moment from the man who married in. "They were aware of it. They were encouraging it, yeah."
The Second Department rejects the default characterization of the February 2022 order and replaces its blanket deletion command with a narrower directive. The order is affirmed insofar as appealed from. The custody award is not vacated.
The civil battery case reaches trial in San Francisco Superior Court. A different courtroom. Twelve neutral citizens. The jury hears Steve's account of the nanny's disclosure, Tara's answers, and the documentary evidence.
The jury finds battery, domestic violence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, with a punitive finding of malice, oppression, or fraud. The later judgment records the compensatory damages and costs; the separate punitive award was struck.
Tara appeals the civil judgment. The Court of Appeal affirms, explaining why the evidence supports the jury’s findings of battery, domestic violence and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Steve filed the judgment in New York before the appeal decision, while the custody arrangement continued.