Hi, I’m Annie McDonald.

I was an unwilling part of a high conflict custody case in the state of California for more than 13 years. I appeared in Family Law Court more than 40 times, often representing myself. During this time, my ex and I worked with many counselors, a special master, a parenting coordinator, several judges, and lawyers. We also tried court-ordered mediation and a family visitation center for exchanges. Our case remained high conflict for 13 years, and eventually resulted in the early and untimely death of my ex.

This an actual account of our custody case, including the wording of court orders issued in our case. Nothing this comprehensive, written from the perspective of a parent, exists anywhere else. Although this site is intended for parents going through the high conflict custody cases themselves, it is also helpful for attorneys, counselors, and family members involved with high conflict custody cases.

Although this custody case actually happened, all names, places, and dates have been changed.

Here’s what I want to share with you:

  • What another parent’s high custody case is really like

  • What could be ahead for you in your custody case

  • How can you prevent making the same mistakes that I made?

  • The Approach

    High Conflict Custody is hard. There’s no getting around that fact. You may have support from family, your lawyer, and court-supported professionals. From time to time you may feel alone, scared, and depressed. I get that firsthand. It is my hope that the information from my high conflict custody case can help you and your family.

  • Read about it

    There are 3 paid areas on this site, with more coming soon. Each member area contains a narrative, custody schedule and lessons learned. Each area represents at least one year of issues - from infancy to age 13.

  • Consultation

    If you have questions after reading any information on this site, I’m available to answer questions through email or a 30-minute phone call.

FAQs

  • The hashtag numbers are the orders made in our case throughout the 13 years - 47 in all.

  • 3-4 years will be available in March 2023.

  • Officially, Scott died of a heart attack at 53 years old. I believe he died of a broken heart. Ashley didn’t have any contact with him during the last two years of his life.