One of the most difficult things to encounter in family court is an opposing party who is willing to lie. When my client is reeling about the other party’s dishonesty in court, and expressing the sincere desire to “fight fire with fire,” I often sound like my mother did when I was a kid: “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” The fact is, as important as a family court case is in your life, it is not worth perjuring yourself. While I have never been a first-hand witness to someone getting busted for perjury, the real issue is that you want to be able to sleep at night, and to be able to look at yourself in the mirror. If you lie in court, you will never be able to change history, and it could (should?) gnaw at you for years to come.
I estimate that family courts do the right thing about eighty percent (80%) of the time. This is purely anecdotal, without a hint of scientific research. When courts get it wrong, sometimes it is because the court is misled by an incompetent family court professional (such as a custody neutral or accounting expert), or because the judge or referee is not thinking straight. But most of the time, the cause of an unjust court ruling is the dishonesty or lack of forthrightness of one of the parties or their attorney. It is a terrible shame when it happens because the family court system works best when good things happen to someone who is genuine and operating the best of faith.