Chapter 26 - Lucas tries one last time
The last major dispute was not custody.
Not money.
The old phone.
Lucas moved in family court to restrict me from retaining or sharing copies of private marital recordings beyond legal purposes.
Part of request was reasonable.
The recording contained:
Children.
Private conversations.
Not internet content.
I had never posted it.
Natalie had never leaked it.
Still, Lucas wanted all copies destroyed after appeals.
Andrea agreed to a protective framework.
Legal/court copies preserved.
My counsel retains authenticated archive.
No social-media publication.
No distribution to employers or press.
Personal device copy could eventually be deleted after litigation holds ended.
Fine.
Then Lucas asked for a broader finding:
That my decision to hide the phone showed I was “planning conflict.”
No.
Judge Sloan rejected that characterization.
Evidence showed:
I configured SOS after discovering affair and before scheduled confrontation.
I was a participant in recorded conversation.
I activated it because I feared escalation.
Then she added:
“Mr. Ellison, Ms. Ellison’s precaution did not create the conduct it captured.”
There.
That was the last counterattack.
Not dramatic.
A motion.
A ruling.
Then immediate consequence.
Lucas accepted the final protective protocol.
No appeal.
Our divorce decree entered eleven months after attack.
Property transferred.
Company retained.
House refinanced.
Custody final.
Criminal cases complete except probation.
May you like
No unresolved secret.
No years later.
