{"id":23675,"date":"2026-07-11T14:36:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T14:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.annemettehowland.net\/?p=23675"},"modified":"2026-07-11T14:36:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T14:36:09","slug":"chapter-180-mediation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.annemettehowland.net\/?p=23675","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 180 Mediation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Saturday, April 4, 2020<\/strong>

Laila and I went to Costco. When I went to pay for our groceries, I was told that I was no longer a member and had to get a new card. I told the clerk that I had renewed my card last October and therefore it should still be good. The clerk apologized and said my name had been removed from the account. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I burst into tears. Then the manager came over and told me that I would need to set up a new account. Through my tears, I told him I could barely afford the groceries as it was, and then I explained to him what had happened to me.

He apologized and said he would let me pay for what I had bought, but next time I came to the store, I would need my own card.

I was so upset after leaving the store. I couldn’t believe Richard had removed me from the membership. Especially since it cost him nothing to keep me on there until it was time to renew it again. I had a hard time believing just how evil he turned out to be.

Sunday, April 5, 2020<\/strong>

Sander called from Denmark. He wanted to know if our mom had left him any money. I told him that I didn’t know. Then he said, “Richard called. I can’t believe what you have done to him!” I started to cry. I should have just hung up on him, but instead I tried to explain myself to no avail.

Monday, April 6, 2020<\/strong>

I couldn’t get out of bed because I was so depressed. At 2:00 p.m. The Relief Society President, who was also my close friend, messaged me to see how I was doing. I was going to ignore her text, but I knew if I did, she would come over to see if I was okay. I let her know how I was doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She messaged back that some people were moving and had put a bunch of stuff in the dumpster in front of their house, and that I was welcome to come get it. I could sell it to help pay for the lawyer. I messaged back that I didn’t care, because I had given up. She asked me if she needed to come over. I knew she already had so much going on, so I let her know that I would get out of bed and go get the stuff in the dumpster.

When I jumped into the dumpster, I couldn’t believe how much brand-new stuff had been thrown out. There were also Christmas presents that had never even been opened! Boxes of brand-new purses, shoes, clothing, and other items still with their price tags. As I put all the boxes in my car, I had a hard time comprehending that someone could be so rich that they could just dispose of all these items. But I was grateful to have been blessed to have them.

Tuesday, April 7, 2020<\/strong>

I got another bill from my lawyer. This time it was for $946.00. Laila and I have used up all the money we have to pay him, and I need to have $3,000 in my account at all times; otherwise, the lawyer is going to drop me, despite all the money I have already paid him.

The lawyer has put an old lady named Gretch in charge of my case. Kevin has gone with me to meet with her. It was like starting from the beginning, since we had to go over everything.

I later noticed on my bill that I had been charged for my lawyer meeting with her to explain what was going on, and for the time I spent with her going over everything once again. <\/em>

So far, nothing has been done. I am still not getting alimony. It doesn’t seem right to me, but I figured I needed to trust that in the end the law would be on my side.

I have had so many people drop off gift cards and items they no longer want for my yard sales, so I can keep paying my lawyer. Without them, I would not have been able to keep fighting.

Thursday, April 16, 2020<\/strong>

I had mediation this morning at 9:00 am. I had just assumed it meant after today it would be all over, and I would be divorced. Kevin and Laila came with me.

When we got to the courthouse, we sat and waited for Gretch. When she finally arrived, you could tell she was clearly unprepared and had no idea where we were to meet with Richard and his lawyer. We continued to wait while she figured it out.

We then went into a room. It was just us; because of COVID, it had to be done over Zoom on a court-issued laptop.

We sat and listened to Richard’s lawyer rip me apart. He said I was still teaching preschool and claimed I was making $3,000 a month, and since he was the manager, the parents would have to start paying him. His lawyer also said that I knew how to use people, and therefore I was also living off the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was shocked! I looked at my lawyer to see what she would say in my defense. She just sat there fiddling with her homemade mask that didn’t fit. I told her we couldn’t go along with what was being said. The judge said we would have to meet again on April 29. This would give us time to gather the evidence we needed to counterclaim what Richard’s lawyer had said.

During the meeting, Laila messaged Richard to ask why he was doing this, since he knew she had taken over the preschool and that it was her only source of income as a single mom. Plus, she was making nowhere near the amount of money that he was claiming. During their back-and-forth texting, it was clear that Richard didn’t care. He just wanted to get as much money as he could out of it.

I called my lawyer to tell him I didn’t want to pay for this meeting, because nothing had been said or done in my defense. He said he would not charge me.

A few months later, I noticed he didn’t charge me for the meeting; instead, he had charged me the exact amount for the phone call I had had with him about it. I felt like he had totally mocked me.<\/em>

After the mediation, I saw on Richard’s Messenger that he complained to his cousin, who works for a lawyer. He was upset about me getting a lawyer involved, and things weren’t going as smoothly as he had planned. I could also see that he was still telling strangers, family, and friends lies about me, calling me all kinds of names and saying I had bipolar disorder, mental illness, and that I was a narcissist. I kept taking screenshots of everything, thinking my lawyer would stop it.

Saturday, April 17, 2020<\/strong>

It was hard to get out of bed and do yet another yard sale. But I felt like I was David fighting Goliath, and as long as I did my part, I would eventually come out triumphantly.

I had so many tables and pieces of furniture out front, ready for the yard sale.

When I got up this morning, I put on some new clothes that had been donated to me. They were just my size. During the yard sale, I looked over and saw an older lady. I smiled at her, and she smiled back. I walked over to see if I could help her. As I walked closer to her, I realized it was my reflection in the mirror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was blown away! I did not recognize myself because I was wearing new clothes. It blew me away because through therapy I had finally accepted that I was grown-up. Looking in the mirror, I had yet to accept that not only was I a grown-up, but an old gray-haired lady!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wanted to cry. I had wasted so many years of my life trying to help Richard. Years I couldn’t get back. It had all been for nothing, and here I was fighting for my life and feeling like I was losing.

I couldn’t give up. I was David, and eventually I would be blessed for doing what was right!

Thursday, April 23, 2020 <\/strong>

I got an email from my lawyer saying they were trying to get Richard to send me the COVID checks that had been accidentally sent to him. They were also trying to get him to comply with Rule 109 because he was in violation of it. (Paying for utilities) They were also going to have him start paying alimony. I felt like the lawyer was finally doing something to help me.

But still nothing happened.<\/em>

My Bishop kept paying all the utilities; otherwise, everything would get turned off.

Since the internet was still off, I kept going to my neighbor’s house whenever I needed to check my emails, communicate with my lawyer, and handle everything else I had to get done.

The whole time, I kept believing that any day now the lawyer would get it all straightened out. Especially because of the amount of money I had paid him. <\/em>

Wednesday, April 29, 2020 <\/strong>

We were supposed to meet today for mediation. I got an email from my lawyer saying that Richard’s lawyer was able to get it postponed to May 20 because he claimed they needed more time.

Friday, May 1, 2020<\/strong>

I saw on Messenger that Richard had told his friend to contact me to see if I would accept his friend request so he could try to get some dirt on me that his lawyer could use against me.

A few minutes later, I got a friend request from his friend. I blocked him. Over the next few days, I got one private message after another from what looked like phony accounts that had just been set up to make it seem like they were from different guys wanting to date me. I couldn’t believe how much time he must have spent trying to bait me.

I figured it worked both ways, so I kept taking screenshots of what he was telling everyone about me on Messenger to show my lawyer.

Saturday, May 2, 2020<\/strong>

My car registration is due this month. I didn’t know how I was going to come up with the money.

My ex-stepdad Ed called me this morning. He asked how I was doing and if I needed any money. At first, I told him that I was fine, but then I broke down and cried because I had been worried about how to pay for the car registration.

Monday, May 4, 2020<\/strong>

When I went to get the mail, there was a letter from Ed. He had sent me $250.00.

I got a bill from the doctor for $839.37. I didn’t understand since I had insurance, so I called to see what was going on. I was told that Richard had taken me off his insurance. It was my understanding that he wasn’t to do that until after we were divorced. I was told to take it up with my lawyer.

I emailed my lawyer to let her know my insurance had been canceled. She told me she would send his lawyer a notice so I could be reinstated on his insurance as soon as possible. I also told her that our internet was still off, he was still not paying for the utilities, I still didn’t have my COVID checks, and I was still not getting any alimony. She assured me that she would take care of it within 24 hours.

But nothing happened. <\/em>

I went to the bank to cash the check that Ed had sent me, then I went to get my car registered. I looked in the glove compartment to get the papers I needed, but they were gone. I realized that Richard must have taken them.

I texted the Bishop to ask if he would mind texting Richard so I could get the papers back. I apologized to the Bishop for asking him to do this for me. I would ask Richard myself, but my lawyer told me that anything I wanted to say to him had to go through them, and they would take care of it for me. Anytime I emailed the lawyer, I was charged $200.00, and nothing ever got done. The Bishop assured me it was no problem and that he was happy he could help me.

Tuesday, May 5, 2020<\/strong>

The Bishop texted me that Richard would email him the registration information. So I could register my car online, but he wouldn’t send the title. That would have to wait until we went to court.

Thursday, May 14, 2020<\/strong>

I thought after I had the operation in my nose that I would start to feel better. My tooth was getting looser, I had a fever, and I was sure I had another infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The dentist told me the tooth had broken since I had last seen him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was sure it had happened when he had cut out the cement, because I felt it had gotten loose after I left his clinic, but I wasn’t going to argue with him.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

He said he would need to remove the tooth. Even though he had numbed it, it hurt! As he was cutting into my gums, he told me to hold still.

I should have told him this was an operation where I am sure I should be put to sleep. Since I have been conditioned to obey, I did my best to hold still and pray it would be over soon! When he got done, he said, “I had no luck digging it out, since it’s attached to the back of the root. You will have to come back next week.” I had no idea what he was talking about. I figured he knew what he was doing, so I scheduled the appointment to come back next week.

As I left the office, I was handed a prescription for antibiotics to take because my mouth was infected.

It took everything I had in me to drive home. When I got home and went to get out of the car, I collapsed on the ground. I tried to stand up, but I started to pass out again. Luckily, I had my phone in my pocket, so I was able to call Laila to ask her to come and help me.

Laila came right away. She tried to get me to stand up, but I would still start to pass out. Laila then called our friend Crystal. She came right over. It took both of them to help me get into the house. I don’t know what I would have done without them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I went and lay on the couch; I felt so sick from the whole ordeal. Princess seemed to sense that I was not feeling well, so she insisted on sleeping next to me.

I had a fever, and she was making me feel even hotter. I tried to push her away, but she got mad and wouldn’t have it. <\/p>\n<\/div>

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I knew she was only trying to help me feel better, so I let her stay.

Wednesday, May 20, 2020<\/strong>

My lawyer called to tell me that there was no mediation as planned. It was postponed until August 21 because Richard wouldn’t provide the papers he had been asked for. I don’t understand why the meeting didn’t just go forward without it and how he can get away with this. I feel like both his lawyers and mine are trying to drag it on, so they can make as much money as possible.

Saturday, May 23, 2020<\/strong>

I saw in his Messenger that he was still complaining about how poor he was because I had taken everything and kicked him out of his home. A man responded to him, saying he had recently married his husband. They both had homes before they married, and since they had moved in together, one of their homes was vacant.

Since Richard had been going through such a hard time, they would let him have it for next to nothing. Richard was excited about it and moved in a few days later.

Sunday, May 24, 2020<\/strong>

We are no longer going to church because of COVID. Since Laila and I can’t go to church, our Hometeachers brought the sacrament to us at our house. It looks like it will be this way every Sunday until further notice.

I don’t mind. Then I don’t have to be around all the members who believe what Richard has said about me.

Wednesday, May 27, 2020 <\/strong>

My friend, the R.S President, drove me to the dentist and waited while I had my appointment. After what happened last time, it wasn’t safe for me to drive home by myself.

I was still sick with an infection, so I don’t understand why the dentist went through with the appointment. I got some shots, so I would be numbed before he started operating on me. As he was cutting into me, the pain was so intense that he gave me more shots. It didn’t seem to matter; the pain was still unbearable.

Then the dentist said the shots weren’t working because I had so much infection. He then gave me even more shots, and still I could feel every move that he made. Then he had two of his assistants come and hold my arms on each side of me to make sure I held steady as he cut into me.

As he was trying to dig out the tooth, I thought for sure I was going to die from the intense pain.

He finally got all the broken pieces of my tooth out.

As I was trying to gather my molecules, the dentist acted as if I were being unreasonable. He then let me have a few minutes’ break.

Even though my gums were infected, he went ahead and implanted cadaver bone. Then he told me to come back in September so he could insert a screw into the new bone.

Now I have a gaping hole where my tooth used to be. I feel like such a hill billy with the missing tooth.

Saturday, May 30, 2020<\/strong>

Even though I still didn’t feel better from my tooth, I went ahead and set up for another yard sale that I was having today.

Some days I wondered how I was able to keep going. But the lawyer needed to be paid, so I had no other choice but to keep pushing forward.

Sunday, May 31, 2020<\/strong>

Even though my mouth has been stitched up, pieces of the cavader bone keep falling out. It looks like little white crumbs mixed with infection. It’s so gross! I am pretty sure it’s not going to work.

Even though I am really careful not to eat on that side. I feel like the two teeth next to the one that was pulled out are starting to come loose because of the infection and the missing bone. I believed the dentist knew what he was doing, so just like I did with everything else in my life, I thought I just had to be patient, and everything would get better.

Monday, June 1, 2020<\/strong>

I got an email saying that my Safari license had expired. Laila called the county to see if it was possible to put the business in her name. They told her that since Richard had not renewed the license, he was no longer the manager. Therefore, she could put it in her name without his approval. So she did. We are excited that she can keep the business without involving him.

Summer camp, June 2- August 12, 2020<\/strong>

Since it was summer and Laila was no longer earning money from preschool, she held Summer Camp. While I still fixed up donated items and sold them at the endless yard sales that I held.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My sister had a bounce house that she gave us to help us earn money so we could continue paying the lawyer.

Laila was so creative in what she came up with for Summer Camp. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Lily loves being involved in what her mom is doing; she is so easy-going and cute!

Today, during the Cake-Decorating Class, Lily decided to eat her cupcake instead of decorating it. She is such a joy in our lives. I just don’t know how we would have gotten by without her!

Tuesday, June 2, 2020<\/strong>

Our house is in desperate need of a new roof, so I called the insurance company. They told me that 10 years ago they had sent Richard a check to get it fixed. I told them it was never done. They said that he had committed fraud, but since it was so long ago, they weren’t going to do anything about it.

After he got the money, he switched insurance companies. They looked it up on their computer and were able to give me the phone number to the new insurance that he had switched to.

I called the current insurance company. The man told me they had already given Richard a check in January for a new roof. I told him that we never got a new roof; he said I would need to get a lawyer and then go after him for the money. I started to cry and explained to him what was going on with my lawyer and that so far he had done nothing to help me. The man I spoke to said he would come and talk to me personally.

When he came out, he could see we had water leaking in quite a few places. One of them was the kitchen. It was dripping down from the kitchen ceiling where the light was hanging. He said it was an electrical hazard and that it needed to be fixed right away. I didn’t have the money, and I knew the lawyers wouldn’t get the money fast enough to get it fixed, so I started to cry again. I felt so hopeless.

The man said, “I can see you are in a bad situation, and you have your grandbaby and kids coming to your house. I am going to go ahead and approve that you get money for a new roof.” I couldn’t believe it! I didn’t know how to thank him enough. It felt like I had just received a miracle!

Monday<\/strong>, June 8, 2020<\/strong>

I got a friend request from Richard’s friend *Jess. I had already seen on Messenger that Richard had asked him to send me a friend request so they could get some dirt on me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When I got the friend request, I asked him if I knew him.

I was dying to send him the screenshots that I had of him and Richard and tell him that I knew what he was up to, but of course I didn’t. Instead, I just responded “Okay” to his message, and then I blocked him.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I was also still receiving messages from newly created phony accounts. With pictures of all different types of men. (I wondered where he got the pictures from) Telling me how beautiful I was and that they wanted to date me. Promising me the world. I wanted to write back, “You Ass-Hole! I know what you are doing!” Instead, I didn’t respond and just kept blocking them.

Wednesday, June 10, 2020<\/strong>

I saw on Messenger that Richard was complaining in one of the groups that he was friends with that his oldest daughter was homeless because she had lost her job because of COVID. He was in no position to help her. He claimed I lived in the 3,000-sf home he paid off and wouldn’t let our daughter move in with me.

Everyone in the group thought it was horrible. The next thing I knew, someone sent Richard a private message saying he had a camper she could have. Richard wrote back, “Really? You made me cry!”

They made arrangements for Richard to come and pick up the camper on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thursday, June 11, 2020<\/strong>

Like clockwork, I got the attorney’s bill in the mail. I don’t get how they can charge so much money when they have done nothing for me. I still haven’t even received alimony, as I was promised from the very beginning. I don’t know how they expect me to keep paying for nothing. It shouldn’t be legal!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Laila and I have been invited over to the neighbors to have dinner this evening. As we were about to head out the door, I thought I’d better leave a note to let Richard know where we were so he’ll know when he gets home.

I couldn’t believe that thought had entered my mind! Especially with what I was dealing with! I guess after 36 years, some thought patterns take time to break.

Saturday, July 4, 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Richard had picked up the camper, I could see him messaging around, asking if anyone had a cheap camper for sale because he wanted to buy one. Someone responded that they did. It was vintage and cheap cause it needed a lot of work. Richard made arrangements to come and buy it.

At first I was confused why he was getting two different campers, then I could see him bragging to his friends that he got Sarah a camper and sent pictures of the cheaper one. Looks like he was going to keep the free nice one for himself.

Then I saw he was bragging to his friend that he had bought himself a camper and had sent pictures of the one that had been donated to him. He was also going to buy a newer truck to go along with his camper.

Sunday, July 5, 2020 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Richard posted on his Facebook page. “Hit-and-run… Now my baby is broken. The person who hit me took off. The truck will not drive.”

In the picture, I couldn’t see any damage to his truck.

I can’t help but wonder whether it really happened or if it had something to do with him wanting to buy a new truck.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I later called our car insurance company to see if he had reported a hit-and-run. Nothing was reported. It made me wonder why he had staged it. Maybe so people couldn’t tell he was spending so much money, after all his wife had taken it all. Then I wondered what he had done with his white truck.

Monday, July 6, 2020<\/strong>

I no longer have access to his Messenger. But I don’t mind. I have seen more than I ever wanted to see! And collected enough evidence that he was unfaithful for years and have proof that he’s been slandering my name.

Tuesday, July 7, 2020<\/strong>

Two families in the neighborhood with kids who call me “farmor” came over this evening. They had made a cake and brought over ingredients so they could make dinner at my house. It was so sweet of them. After we had eaten, we went downstairs and sang karaoke. I really enjoyed the evening!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So many people sent me messages to wish me a Happy Birthday. I am grateful to have so many wonderful people in my life. I am grateful for their love and support!


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Saturday, July 11, 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I have cried so many tears over these past few months. I woke up this morning thinking I had much to be grateful for and that I needed to focus on that to help me get through the divorce.

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After getting the mail, I ended up with a headache from crying. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I just don’t get how it could cost so much! Especially since nothing has been done!

I kept thinking eventually it would all pay off. I thought I just had to hang in there until August 21, and then it would all be over.

To make matters worse, Richard posted two different pictures saying the same thing, but with two different campers. The nice one that he had been given and the cheaper one that he had bought for Sarrah.

I managed to get a screenshot of both of his posts before he deleted the one with the nicer camper.

In one of the pictures, you can also see his new red truck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I couldn’t believe that now he was slandering me publicly. It just couldn’t be right. It made me so angry. I was sure if the lawyer saw it, he would stop him from continuing to post stuff about me. There were a lot of awful comments people said about me. Some were even threatening to harm me because of the hate they felt towards me.

July 25, 2020<\/strong>

When my alarm went off at 6:00 am, and I was about to get up, Princess snuggled into my arms. She made it so much harder for me to get up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I had so much I needed to get done.

She was old and would be gone soon, so I needed to cherish the moment.

I ended up lying with her for another 45 minutes.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Saturday, August 8, 2020<\/strong>

I got a really long email from my lawyer. Richard has written 41 things down that are all lies. Now I have to provide proof that what he has said is not true. One of the things he had written was that I was a compulsive buyer during our marriage. He has also provided receipts for things he bought, claiming I was the one who went on shopping sprees and spent his money. He also claimed he was the one who had paid off the house.

It also said I had an affair and was therefore disfellowshipped from the church for a while.

By the time I finished reading everything he had written, I was shaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I texted the Bishop to ask if the church could provide proof that I was never disfellowshipped.

I can’t believe how much time I have to spend trying to prove all 41 things were lies. The worst part is I don’t have any proof about my inheritance since he took it all with him in his filing cabinet.

I called Beth to see if she had any records of our inheritance. She felt bad because he hadn’t kept it. Then I tried to call the lawyer in Canada to get records of everything, but the number I called said it was no longer in service.

I have to come up with proof that everything he has said about me is a lie before Friday, August 21, which is our next mediation.

Sunday, August 9, 2020<\/strong>

We are still not going to the church building on Sundays. Laila and I are invited over to the next neighbors’ for sacrament meeting instead. It’s to make it easier on our home teacher so that they won’t have to come to our house.

Wednesday August, 19, 20202<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It infuriated me to see that Richard brags about what he is up to while I am doing what I can to get by.

Hopefully there will be some justice in the end. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Friday, August 21, 2020<\/strong>

I hardly slept last night because I am so nervous about mediation today. I have done what I can to gather evidence and notarised statements from people on my behalf confirming that what Richard said about me wasn’t true.

I drove into my lawyer’s office expecting our divorce would be finalized today. I showed my lawyer all the proof that I had gathered from his messenger, but I was told it couldn’t be used.

About an hour into the mediation, Richard’s lawyer claimed that, regarding whatever papers my lawyer had, she had not submitted them to the main court, and he had never received them. Therefore had never had a chance to respond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My lawyer got mad and said, “You know darn well that we went over all these papers in a phone call before this meeting!” His lawyer lied, insisting he knew nothing about it.

His lawyer is trying to push our next meeting to November because he and Richard need more time to file a counterclaim, since everything I claimed had not been properly filed.

I asked my lawyer if there wasn’t something that could be done to proceed with the meeting. I was told there wasn’t. Then I was told that Richard’s lawyer was one of the best in Utah, so I would need to brace myself to gather more evidence to counter what he would say about me.

When I left the lawyer, I felt so sick. I couldn’t drive home because I was crying so hard. It took me a while to pull myself together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I got home, I got a phone call from my lawyer saying Richard still wants the money that Laila has earned, even though she has provided proof that he knew she would be taking over.

Richard was going to take us to court and sue for the money that she has made and for putting the business in her name. He claimed she had no right, even though the license had expired. Therefore, any money she made was his, since he never gave his approval for her to put the license in her name. He also claimed she was in violation because his name was still on the house where she was running her business.

I can’t believe what’s happening. My lawyer told me to be patient and that they were doing what they could to help me win the case.

Sunday, August 23, 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A mutual friend of ours told me that Richard had gone and bought himself a convertible.

It was to celebrate his victory in court yesterday.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Sure enough, a few minutes later he posted his new car on Facebook.

I was having a hard time. I told the Lord I had done nothing but be obedient. Why was Ricond the one receiving all the blessings while I had to struggle?

Maybe the answer was that I just had to be patient and I would win in the end.

Monday, August 24, 2020<\/strong>

I got a text from the Bishop saying that Richard had sent a man to my house. I was to let him in so that he could walk through the house and give an estimate of its value.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, a man came to the door. I didn’t let him in.

I got an email saying Richard’s lawyer had discovered that I was still running a preschool out of the house, and that I needed to start paying Richard. I had to go to court about it on Monday, August 31, 2020.

I sent back an email with a letter from my doctor saying that I was unable to work because I had C-PTSD. The money from the preschool was paid to Laila’s Venmo since she was the one running it.

Luckily, Laila had saved some text messages between her and her dad from when he lived here, proving that he knew that she would be taking over the preschool before he left. Therefore, it shouldn’t matter that he had put himself on as manager.

August 27, 2020 <\/strong>

I brought my car to the shop because it needed some work done. As I was waiting for it to be fixed, I was told it would take at least a couple of days to get done. In the meantime, I could rent one of their cars so that I would have a way to get around until it was done.

I started to cry because I couldn’t afford to rent a car. The lady at the counter told me to go see the manager.

After I had talked to the manager, she told me that I could use one of their rental cars for free as long as I didn’t drive it out of state. I assured her I wouldn’t. Then she let me have the newest car they had. It had never been driven before! It had an air conditioner and a working radio.

I could hardly believe it! I felt that, in spite of everything I was going through, I was still being watched over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

My air conditioner had gone out a long time ago, and so had the radio. It had started to rust, and who knew how long it would last. I could get used to this new car!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

But I had to be grateful that I got to use it until my car was done. Now I just hope it will take them a few days to fix my car.

Monday, August 31 2020<\/strong>

I went to court this morning. It was again done over Zoom on a laptop. Even though I had asked for Gretch to be off my case, she was still handling it. It was awful listening to Richard’s lawyer calling me a cheat and a master manipulative liar. He said I came to court and made a mockery out of it because I came with unclean hands. Every time my lawyer tried to speak, his lawyer would speak louder, calling me deceitful and all other kinds of names. I couldn’t believe it was allowed. He kept insisting that I was making $3.000 a month. Plus, I was using the church even though I was perfectly capable of getting by without them. All because I was a lying, deceitful person who knew how to use people.

The lawyer claimed I had exceeded the amount I was allowed to use for my dental and medical bills, so therefore it was Richard’s right to cancel my medical insurance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The whole time, my lawyer seemed scattered and never defended me.

It ended with a man who was sitting at the judge’s desk saying we would have to wait until the judge returned from vacation before a ruling could be issued.

I was so confused. There was no judge? How was it even possible for his lawyer to have called us into this meeting, and how could my lawyer go along with it?

After the meeting, I asked Gretch what was going on. She told me I needed to be patient because she and the original lawyer were doing what they could to help me, and assured me that I would win when we went to court again. Then she gave me an address to go to so I could get copies of the documents they had. These documents were sure to help me win my case. I wasn’t sure what she was talking about, but if this place had the documents I needed, I would go there and get the copies she requested.

When I got in my car, I felt defeated! I was exhausted and didn’t know if I could keep coming up with the money that I would need to keep fighting.

I wanted to get a new lawyer, but with how much money I had already paid, I thought I just had to have faith that the main lawyer knew what he was doing.

Tuesday, September 1, 2020<\/strong>

I went and got the papers that my lawyer had requested. It cost me $250.00 in order for them to release them to me.

When the lady handed me the copies of the loan documents, I looked at them. I wasn’t sure what I was looking at. The lady said, “Looks like you took a loan for $104,000 in 2002.” I said, “We couldn’t have; that was the year my inheritance paid off the house.” The lady looked again and said, “Yes, but it looks like you took out a loan just a few weeks before you paid it off.”

I was so confused. She showed me my signatures and asked, “Is this your signature?” It was. Then I remembered Richard had me go to the bank to sign some papers. Except he had told me it was to refinance the home, and not for a loan.

She looked at all the papers. Then she said, “It looks like you have taken out several loans over the years. Loans totaling $380,214,63” It was all paid off in 2002 when you paid off the house.

I realized not only did my inheritance pay off the house, but it also paid off the extra loans that he had taken out.

I couldn’t wait to give my lawyer all the documents, since I thought for sure this provided proof that my inheritance had paid it all.

I felt more confident than ever that I would for sure win my case!



<\/p>\n\n\n\n









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Saturday, April 4, 2020 Laila and I went to Costco. When I went to pay for our groceries, I was told that I was no longer a member and had to get a new card. I told the clerk that I had renewed my card last October and therefore it should still be good. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.annemettehowland.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.annemettehowland.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.annemettehowland.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.annemettehowland.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.annemettehowland.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23675"}],"version-history":[{"count":399,"href":"https:\/\/www.annemettehowland.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23675\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24124,"href":"https:\/\/www.annemettehowland.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23675\/revisions\/24124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.annemettehowland.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.annemettehowland.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.annemettehowland.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}