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My Observation Of A Civil Case I Had To Do With Divorce

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For my observation, I chose to observe a civil case that had to do with a divorce. I did some research on the cases, and chose one that was similar to an experience I went through. My parents are currently separated, and my father simply refused to pay child support. He lives outside of the state, so it was hard for my mother to have face to face confrontation with him. She got tired of raising three kids on her own, and finally decided to take him to court. I was required to serve as a witness. This took place in 2009, so I was thirteen years old and didn’t really understand much of what was going on. I timidly walked to the stand and was sworn in. I then answered the questions the attorney asked me.
The divorce case I observed has been …show more content…

There were two women sitting opposite of me, so I felt better about watching the case. I slowly got my notebook out and began taking notes.
Although I had arrived after the case had begun, I had a little bit of background knowledge and could easily follow what was going on. The case was between Joseph B. McCarthy and his ex-wife, Annie J. Ashment McCarthy. Joseph was the defendant, and Annie was the plaintiff. Annie had a lawyer by her side, and Joseph stood alone. Annie’s lawyer was Brad E. Macdonald. The defendant had failed to pay child support and owed his ex-wife an arrearage of thirty-thousand dollars.
When I walked in, the defendant was seated on the stand, and he was telling the judge that he had filed for custody of his four children. As he was explaining why, Brad Macdonald, the ex-wife’s lawyer, objected. His reason for objecting was that the basis for filing was not relevant. I didn’t know that lawyers were free to interrupt people on the bench while they were presenting their case. The judge sustained the objection, and the defendant continued to plead his case.
I immediately noticed that the defendant didn’t have a lawyer, and it shocked me because I don’t usually hear of people successfully defending themselves in court. Before presenting his evidence, he asked the judge a question on how he was supposed to present it, and Judge Green responded by telling him that he had the opportunity to have a lawyer appointed for

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