This Is Not a Divorce Story. This Is a Crime.

I am not a lawyer. I shouldn’t need to be one to survive this.

What happened to me is constantly mislabeled as a “messy divorce” or “family court drama.” It wasn’t. It was fraud. And the fact that I’m expected to speak in perfect legal language just to be taken seriously is part of the abuse.

California does not have something called a “marital separation agreement.” That isn’t my opinion — it’s simply not a real legal thing. There is divorce, which comes with rules meant to protect both people. What my ex-husband did was bypass those protections entirely.

He is a powerful attorney. I was a stay-at-home mother with no legal training. I trusted him. He designed a fake process, pulled me into a mediation I never should have been in, and used my vulnerability to strip me of everything.

This wasn’t confusion. It was strategy.

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I Was Pushed Into a Process I Didn’t Understand

At the time, I was going through a documented mental health crisis. That’s not shameful — it’s relevant. Instead of slowing down or making sure I was protected, my ex-husband accelerated everything.

I had no lawyer of my own. I didn’t understand my rights. I didn’t understand what I was signing.

I met with a lawyer one single time — a lawyer my ex arranged. During that one meeting, the lawyer told me, plainly:

> “You are being screwed. I can’t ethically sign this.”

I signed anyway.

Not because I agreed — but because I was terrified. I believed that if I resisted, I would never see my children again.

That’s not consent. That’s coercion.

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Everything Was Taken

Through that fraudulent process, my ex took:

A $5 million home I found, designed, and built

Tens of millions of dollars in marital assets

Lifetime spousal support guaranteed under California law

My housing

My safety

My ability to recover

I collapsed afterward. Completely.

My aunt — a highly respected attorney — became my conservator. When she reviewed what had happened, she said something that still haunts me:

> “I’ve never seen anything like this. This is coercive. This is abuse.”

She wanted to sue him.

He threatened us. I was afraid. I ended the conservatorship. My aunt died shortly after. I never got to tell her everything.

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I Tried to Get a Lawyer. No One Will Take the Case.

This is the part people don’t want to hear.

I didn’t just go to the police. I didn’t just “vent online.” For years, I have tried to hire a lawyer.

No one will take the case.

That’s despite the fact that:

The agreement is legally nonexistent

The mediation was coercive

There was no independent representation

The assets involved are enormous

This should be simple: nullify the fraud and start over with a real divorce.

But when the person who committed the fraud is a powerful attorney, the doors quietly close.

Without a lawyer, I can’t access the courts.

Without access to the courts, the fraud stands.

And without undoing the fraud, I can’t survive.

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This Is Why Women Sound “Hysterical”

People ask why I sound urgent. Why I won’t calm down. Why I keep talking.

Because this kind of theft kills people.

I am now homeless. I sleep in a tent. I am exposed to cold, danger, and violence every day. A police officer recently told me my ex described me as “crazy.”

That’s the oldest trick in the book.

Women aren’t hysterical. We’re reacting to systems that put us in life‑threatening danger and then punish us for reacting.

Men don’t usually experience this kind of legal ambush. So when a woman is screaming for her life, they misread survival as instability.

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I Am Not Asking for Sympathy. I Am Asking for Intervention.

I shouldn’t have to become a legal scholar to prove I was defrauded.

I shouldn’t have to be homeless to be believed.

I shouldn’t have to beg for the return of what was stolen just to stay alive.

This isn’t a divorce story. It’s a crime story.

And until the fraud is undone — until the assets are restored — my life remains in danger.

I am telling the truth.

I am not exaggerating.

I am fighting for my life.

And I am asking, plainly: why is it acceptable for a woman to be defrauded of everything and left to die?

Chronological Timeline (Integrated)

Legal Baseline (California)

California does not recognize a standalone “marital separation agreement.”

The lawful process is divorce, which requires:

Equal representation

Informed consent

Due process

Judicial oversight

Any process transferring multimillion‑dollar marital assets without these safeguards constitutes fraud.

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Pre‑Separation Context

Married to Ben Douglas, a high‑powered attorney earning over $1M/year.

Long‑term marriage under California law.

I was a stay‑at‑home mother and primary caregiver of two children.

No independent income; no legal training.

Marital estate included:

~$5M custom‑built marital home (I found the property, hired the architect, and designed/built it).

Tens of millions in marital assets.

Lifetime spousal support entitlement under CA law.

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Engineered “Separation” (Fraud Begins)

Ben asserted the existence of a “marital separation agreement,” which does not exist under CA law.

Instead of filing for divorce, he engineered a private mediation that should never have occurred:

Not in a high‑net‑worth case.

Not without independent representation.

Not while I was in documented mental health crisis.

Ben planned and controlled the entire process.

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Illegal / Coercive Mediation

I entered mediation:

Without my own lawyer.

Without understanding my rights.

While medically vulnerable.

Ben arranged a lawyer to consult with me (clear conflict of interest).

I met with this lawyer one time only.

In that single consultation, the lawyer stated:

“You are being screwed.”

“I can’t ethically sign this.”

Despite this warning, under fear and coercive control, I signed.

I believed resisting would result in losing my children.

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Psychiatric Context (Known and Exploited)

At the time, I was undergoing psychiatric evaluation with Dr. Michael Schwab.

Diagnosis: Spiritual Emergence

Temporary, non‑pathological, and recognized in transpersonal psychology.

Not bipolar disorder.

Ben knew of this diagnosis and used it to:

Pressure me into signing.

Discredit me.

Avoid court oversight.

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Assets Taken Through Fraud

Ben obtained:

The $5M marital home.

Tens of millions in marital assets.

Control over finances and custody leverage.

Elimination of lawful lifetime spousal support.

I lost:

Housing.

Financial security.

Legal protection.

Stability and safety.

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Collapse and Conservatorship

I suffered severe mental and emotional collapse after the mediation.

My Aunt Joyce became my conservator.

Aunt Joyce:

Was a highly respected attorney with decades of experience.

Stated:

“I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“This was coercive.”

“This is abuse.”

She observed Ben:

Charging me to stay on our own property.

Charging me to use the family car.

Using money as punishment.

Threatening me when she intervened.

She wanted to sue him.

Ben escalated threats.

I ended the conservatorship out of fear.

Aunt Joyce died shortly afterward.

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Flight and Retaliation

When I fled the abuse:

Ben threatened me through lawyers.

Ordered me to fire independent counsel.

Tracked me after I left the country.

Filed false missing‑persons reports.

Interfered with my access to funds.

When I fled to Mexico:

My car was impounded.

Authorities told me someone was coming to return me to the U.S.

I was not missing; I was escaping.

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Secret Court Action

While I was incapacitated and unable to defend myself:

Ben went to Contra Costa Family Court (MSD10‑03143).

He unilaterally reduced my alimony.

Without notice.

Without justification.

This erased my remaining financial lifeline.

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Attempts to Obtain Legal Representation (Ongoing)

Over the years, I have repeatedly attempted to retain legal counsel.

I did not rely solely on law enforcement; I pursued civil remedies.

Despite clear indicators of fraud, no attorney has agreed to represent me.

This is notable because:

The “agreement” is legally nonexistent under CA law.

It was obtained without informed consent or independent representation.

The appropriate remedy is straightforward:

Nullification of the fraudulent process.

Reversion to a lawful divorce.

Full accounting of assets.

Restitution and damages for fraud and resulting harm.

The refusal of counsel has:

Denied me access to the courts.

Prevented correction of an obvious legal wrong.

Compounded the original harm.

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Present‑Day Reality

Ben Douglas resides at 1070 Glen Rd in the $5M marital home.

I am homeless and sleeping in a tent.

I am exposed daily to cold, danger, and violence.

A Berkeley police officer relayed that Ben described me as “crazy” and suggested I see a physician.

This aligns with classic abuse tactics: credibility destruction and financial erasure.

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Life‑Threatening Impact

As a direct result of the fraud, I was stripped of:

Housing.

Financial resources.

Medical access.

Legal protection.

These conditions routinely kill people.

This is not metaphor or exaggeration.

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Bottom Line

This was not a divorce.

This was not an agreement.

This was deliberate, coercive fraud by a powerful attorney against his spouse.

The continued denial of legal remedy places my life at ongoing risk.