After 2 years of separation, the divorce between my ex and I is finally settled. The problem is that he uses the excuse that he wants to speak to our child as an excuse to call and verbally abuse me.
This has been going on intermittently for some time now. He will call, begin a normal conversation, but then try to twist my words to start an argument. I'll avoid the argument and then I soon become the recipient of obscene name-calling and profanity-filled insults. Normally, I'm forced to terminate the call in order to bring the unfortunate events to an end. I never return insults or profanity. During our mediation session, he even agreed to get anger management (although I suspect he has not complied).
A few weeks ago, I became extremely ill and was admitted to the hospital. I stayed there for approximately a week. He had our child (who I have full custody of) for a couple of days during that time and at one point needed a baby-sitter. I advised him that once my mother arrived to town, she may be able to keep her, but I wasn't sure—especially considering my condition. He apparently was upset by this but at the time I didn't know it. Later, when he called me, he was very nasty and refused let me know who he left her in the care of or where she was. I can only hope that no one else has to endure the experience of being ill in the hospital and not knowing where one's child is. Finally I told him to just drop our child off at the hospital.
Since the incident, I have refused to answer any of his phone calls because of the stress of having to carry on such abusive conversations with him. My health is not at its best, and the harassment has become too much. I have attempted to make arrangements through my church and through my child's daycare so that he can still see his daughter, I just do not want to have contact with this man. He has attempted to call me at home and at work, leaving messages that he just wants to speak to his child. On these messages, he never indicates that he actually wants to see his child, just speak. By the way, some of the messages are left on my voicemail at my job—a location in which he knows his child is not.
This week, he has entered a motion of civil contempt against me stating I have refused to let him see his child, which is not true. I just refuse to have verbal contact with him due to his abusive nature. He had no problem mailing me the copy of the motion, but has yet to mail me a letter requesting arrangements to visit – all of which I intend to bring up with the judge (along with affidavits from my pastors and the daycare of my attempts to make arrangements for him to visit his child—one of which he failed to appear for).
I've done research, but the only thing I see for the state of FL that can help me is along the lines of domestic violence. Since he has not hit me (since we've separated) or threatened me (since a few weeks after we separated), I'm not sure if my situation constitutes as domestic violence. The only laws I could find for the state of FL for harassment seems to be occupation-related only. Is there some other recourse that I have not explored? I do not want to prevent him from having a decent relationsip with his only offspring, I just do not want to have to endure emotional abuse in order to orchestrate that relationship.
This has been going on intermittently for some time now. He will call, begin a normal conversation, but then try to twist my words to start an argument. I'll avoid the argument and then I soon become the recipient of obscene name-calling and profanity-filled insults. Normally, I'm forced to terminate the call in order to bring the unfortunate events to an end. I never return insults or profanity. During our mediation session, he even agreed to get anger management (although I suspect he has not complied).
A few weeks ago, I became extremely ill and was admitted to the hospital. I stayed there for approximately a week. He had our child (who I have full custody of) for a couple of days during that time and at one point needed a baby-sitter. I advised him that once my mother arrived to town, she may be able to keep her, but I wasn't sure—especially considering my condition. He apparently was upset by this but at the time I didn't know it. Later, when he called me, he was very nasty and refused let me know who he left her in the care of or where she was. I can only hope that no one else has to endure the experience of being ill in the hospital and not knowing where one's child is. Finally I told him to just drop our child off at the hospital.
Since the incident, I have refused to answer any of his phone calls because of the stress of having to carry on such abusive conversations with him. My health is not at its best, and the harassment has become too much. I have attempted to make arrangements through my church and through my child's daycare so that he can still see his daughter, I just do not want to have contact with this man. He has attempted to call me at home and at work, leaving messages that he just wants to speak to his child. On these messages, he never indicates that he actually wants to see his child, just speak. By the way, some of the messages are left on my voicemail at my job—a location in which he knows his child is not.
This week, he has entered a motion of civil contempt against me stating I have refused to let him see his child, which is not true. I just refuse to have verbal contact with him due to his abusive nature. He had no problem mailing me the copy of the motion, but has yet to mail me a letter requesting arrangements to visit – all of which I intend to bring up with the judge (along with affidavits from my pastors and the daycare of my attempts to make arrangements for him to visit his child—one of which he failed to appear for).
I've done research, but the only thing I see for the state of FL that can help me is along the lines of domestic violence. Since he has not hit me (since we've separated) or threatened me (since a few weeks after we separated), I'm not sure if my situation constitutes as domestic violence. The only laws I could find for the state of FL for harassment seems to be occupation-related only. Is there some other recourse that I have not explored? I do not want to prevent him from having a decent relationsip with his only offspring, I just do not want to have to endure emotional abuse in order to orchestrate that relationship.
