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After 14 Years in Jail over Alimony, Chadwick Finally Freed—Son Worked Tirelessly for Dad’s Release
In 1995, a family court judge ordered corporate lawyer, H. Beatty Chadwick to deposit $2.5 million in the court’s registry to pay alimony to his ex-wife, Barbara Applegate. Chadwick said he didn’t have the money, but the court believed he’d stashed it somewhere during the divorce. So, because Chadwick didn’t pay, the judge jailed him for contempt of court.
And Chadwick’s been in stir ever since. During that time, the court hired investigators to find the money. They found nothing, but Chadwick wasn’t released. In his decision to free Chadwick, Judge Joseph Cronin maintained that he could have paid the money, but refused to. Why he believes that in the absence of any actual money escapes me.
Chadwick’s son, William, worked tirelessly for his release. The article gives no information about Applegate.
Fourteen years is a long time for not paying alimony that he apparently didn’t have the money to pay. In a column on this case a few years ago, Wendy McElroy wrote:
"A. Leo Sereni, a former president judge in Pennsylvania, was appointed to track Chadwick's money. Eighteen months and two accounting firms later, Sereni reported no trace beyond what had been discovered a decade before. Money had been transferred to Europe and a small fraction had reappeared in U.S. accounts. Sereni concluded, 'most of it...nowhere.'
"He recommended Chadwick's release, stating, 'My God -- if he had stolen $2 million, he would have been out a couple of years ago.'"
After 20 Years, Man Put Away on Divorce-Related False Molestation Charges Is Released
A horrendous story of false accusations and Parental Alienation. From Kids recant abuse claims after dad jailed 20 years (Huffington Post, 7/11/09):
Former Vancouver police officer Clyde Ray Spencer spent nearly 20 years in prison after he was convicted of sexually molesting his son and daughter. Now, the children say it never happened.
Matthew Spencer and Kathryn Tetz, who live in Sacramento, Calif., each took the stand Friday in Clark County Superior Court to clear their father’s name, The Columbian newspaper reported.
Matthew, now 33, was 9 years old at the time. He told a judge he made the allegation after months of insistent questioning by now-retired Clark County sheriff’s detective Sharon Krause just so she would leave him alone...
Spencer’s sentence was commuted by then-Gov. Gary Locke in 2004 after questions arose about his conviction. Among other problems, prosecutors withheld medical exams that showed no evidence of abuse, even though Krause claimed the abuse was repeated and violent.
Both children said that while growing up in California they were told by their mother, who divorced Spencer before he was charged, that they were blocking out the memory of the abuse.
They said they realized as adults the abuse never happened, and they came forward because it was the right thing to do…
Spencer, 61, hugged his son and daughter afterward while a dozen supporters cheered…The hardest thing about his ordeal was missing his children, he said.
One interesting note about just how deep Parental Alienation can go and how intractable it can be. According to the article, “Matthew Spencer said his father had ruined the relationship with his mother and he had faults, ‘but none of them were molesting children.’”
In other words, he still sees his mother as a victim. He still holds his father responsible for their breakup, even though the man was married to a woman complicit in locking up an innocent man. Maybe dad might have had a reason to not want to be around mom.
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Fathers & Families in the News
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Fathers and Families’ Holstein Discusses McNair Murder on Radio (Audio Available)
 Fathers and Families‘ Ned Holstein, MD discussed the murder of former NFL star Steve McNair at the hands of his girlfriend on the Afternoon News on KFBK AM 1530 in Sacramento (7/9/09). To listen to the audio of his appearance, click here.
 Holstein, MD, a public health specialist with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, also discussed the case on the Kevin Wall Show on KTSA AM 550 in San Antonio, Texas (7/9/09).
 Holstein pointed out that while there are over 10,000 media entries on Google News for “Steve McNair,” hardly one of them is paired with the phrase “domestic violence.”
Wall was sympathetic and asked Holstein why men hesitate to report domestic violence. Holstein explained that they are afraid of the impact a split could have on their kids, are afraid the police will arrest them, and are also ashamed and embarrassed.
Holstein will be discussing the McNair on the radio in Cincinnati Monday at 1:10 PM PST and 7 PM PST–to listen live via the web, click here.
Holstein says:
As a result of the tendency to ignore domestic violence by women, many children are placed in the custody of violent mothers instead of non-violent, fit fathers. Yet research shows that women’s violence, like men’s, is tightly correlated with family violence injury risks to all parties— including children. Ignoring female-on-male violence undermines efforts to raise children in violence-free homes.
Many commentators are criticizing McNair because his murder revealed that he was apparently having an extramarital affair. This is another double-standard on men & DV–it’s very hard to imagine the media criticizing a married woman who was gunned down by her boyfriend.
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"My father just always told me to work hard. You can do whatever you want to do. He was pretty strict. But that's pretty much advice that he told me that really stuck with me.
"I've always worked hard, but I think once you set your mind to something, you know you can do whatever you want."
--Dustin Pedroia, American league Most Valuable Player, 2008
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