Spoiled Kids Sue Mother

[Kathleen Bridget]

What is this? I don't... I can't even begin to process the stupidity of this case. Fractured arm & iffy treatment of her son in his younger years aside I'm starting to think she should have hit him in the head more until he got some sense knocked into him. I just watched an episode of Steve Wilkos where a three year old A 3 YEAR OLD who was horrifically burned by a hot plate up his leg. His mother was a bad parent. The only non-ideal parenting I can see going on hear is from the veiws of 2 very Very VERY spoiled children being helped by a father who obviously didn't completely think this one through. Your' mother changed her surname and that caused unwanted attention. To what? The fact she'd remarried and you were now the child of a broken home. My sister got a lot of the fun toys and clothes and video game systems when we were growing up. I got spanked (even got a willow switch and belt to the behind) but I didn't grow up and think "Man! My parents were really abusive and they made me mentally ill! I'll sue 'em!" You know why? Because I have a bigger brain than god gave a caterpillar and didn't grow up with the sheer amount of money these kids obviously got. You know what? The boy went to college and the girl obviously had a social life growing up with a mother who let her use the car! You know what my mother would have done if I asked to use the car unchaperoned to go to a dance? Reminded me of all the times when I was under ten and tried to steal her and my dad's ride. How I nearly got it to roll while in neutral backwards through a neighbor's apartment. Yeah she may have done some traumatic things (and I mean MAY have) but come on! Really? REALLY?
You guys are adults now. You can't sue mommy cause she didn't give you a dress or presents or care packages. Or gave you a mid-night curfew when you're a minor.

 

[Spaloooooka]

Yeah I heard this on the radio yesterday. Only in America, I swear.

In England we have aweful child abuse laws that listen to the kids over the adults. Thing is the media is very 'up in arms' on it. So everyone is careful. Following the riots one of the mothers, who's kid was involved and arrested, was interviewed and she admitted he was a little lump of poo. She said she'd been to government counselling schemes and had been told she was to praise him more for what he does. She said "But I praise him for the good he does. I can't praise him for coming home late plastered at 16 after smashing the neighbours windows for a laugh!" The response is unbelievable and it's textbook for England...
...
..
.
"You're not praising him enough then."

:/

 

[Womplord]

I find this case very odd. Though I would like to see all the claims the kids made rather than just a few, maybe the report isn't saying everything... but yes, she should kick her kids out of the house...

 

[Jodah]

Yeah I heard this on the radio yesterday. Only in America, I swear.

In England we have aweful child abuse laws that listen to the kids over the adults. Thing is the media is very 'up in arms' on it. So everyone is careful. Following the riots one of the mothers, who's kid was involved and arrested, was interviewed and she admitted he was a little lump of poo. She said she'd been to government counselling schemes and had been told she was to praise him more for what he does. She said "But I praise him for the good he does. I can't praise him for coming home late plastered at 16 after smashing the neighbours windows for a laugh!" The response is unbelievable and it's textbook for England...
...
..
.
"You're not praising him enough then."

:/

It isn't much better here in America. Though enforcement seems to be random. I know people that should have lost their kids and been sterilized long ago that had neither happen. I also know of people that lost their kids because they gave them a spanking (not abusively hard or in anger). People wonder why our world is going down to shit. I'm not saying this is the only reason but lack of discipline certainly isn't helping the situation.

 

[Von Strimmer]

Yeah I heard this on the radio yesterday. Only in America, I swear.

Australia here.

Challenge Accepted!

Thank god there is still some common sense left in this crazy, crazy world

 

[Hamish Durie]

Someone's gonna get grounded..

and have there allowance reduced (if not abolished)

 

[mornal]

This is a list of all the allegations given to the court:
http://volokh.com/2011/08/28/adult-children-sue-mother-for-allegedly-having-been-really-mean/

You can make up your own mind about it, but definitely seeing them all listed there it is not as clear cut as the scathing article makes out, and it does appear that the mother was being deliberately stubborn and difficult with her children, a few of the most interesting allegations:

After the divorce, Garrity tried to obtain custody of Kathryn, arguing that the plaintiffs ought to be separated since Steven had been abused by a female adult and therefore might abuse Kathryn. (According to the complaint, this was ironic, since Garrity was the one who abused Steven in the first place. The complaint does not specify what kind of abuse Garrity allegedly committed.)

In 1989, prior to the divorce, while Steven?s father was at work, Steven?s right arm was fractured. Garrity allegedly told different people different stories about what happened: she told the father that it occurred while Steven was at daycare (while refusing to place a claim with the daycare?s medical insurance provider), she told Steven?s paternal grandmother that it occurred while Steven was with a friend, and she later told Steven that it occurred while he was with a babysitter.

So it strikes me that the mother may be guilty of some sneaky emotional abuse against the children, (maybe even physical) I have relatives who can be maliciously controlling and fickle like that, and you just can't trust any gossipy story they tell you, and you can't tell them anything but they'll take it out of context and spread it around, but at the end of the day I would never want to sue them, then again they aren't my mother.

Reading that, at worst she's guilty of some iffy parenting. Some of the later stuff just seems like she was fed up with having to deal with bitchy kids (making the assumption here based off this lawsuit existing) and started putting her foot down. This is supported by Garrity calling the father the 'Disneyland parent'. If dad is the fun parent, mom is going to be the strict parent.

Some of them contradict each other as well.

* When Steven was seven years old, he asked Garrity to leave him alone. From that time until the time that Steven was emancipated, Garrity had no contact with him.

* Garrity allegedly treated the siblings unequally in an attempt to ?pit the siblings against each other.? From 1997 to 2007, Kathryn regularly visited Garrity, but Steven did not; Garrity would give clothes and toys to Kathryn during her visits, but she did not give anything to Steven. At other times, according to the complaint, Garrity would favor Steven over Kathryn. Although Kathryn asked Garrity to bring her to an auto show in 2006 and a car race in 1998, Garrity refused and instead brought Steven. When both siblings attended events with Garrity, Garrity would allegedly dote on Steven and ignore Kathryn?s requests. Garrity also allegedly favored Steven in financial matters. When Steven asked for college financial assistance, Garrity willingly contributed, but when Kathryn asked for the same, Garrity allegedly refused. Likewise, Garrity willingly contributed to Steven?s purchase of an all-terrain vehicle, but when Kathryn asked for money for homecoming, for disco dances in 2006 and 2007, and for her graduation dress in 2009, Garrity allegedly ?engaged in bartering and haggling.

I don't call bringing your son to car races and auto shows having no contact with him.