Background

Here's a little more background. My sister's mother-in-law has always hated Star. Always.

Back in 1994, my sister was severely injured, and was not able to properly take care of the kids. As a result of this, she gave temporary custody of the kids to her in-laws. The in-laws then used unethical - but entirely legal - legal trickery to gain permanent custody of the kids. Basically, they filed a legal claim stating that Star abandoned her children, and the claim was upheld in court; and custody was given to the in-laws. The judge that ruled on the case just so happened to be a friend of theirs.

After they had custody, they approached Star with adoption papers, and told her she would get visitation rights if she signed the adoption papers. The implied threat was that, if Star didn't sign the papers, she'd never be able to visit her children. Naturally, Star signed the papers.

The in-laws then proceeded to deny her any visitation, claiming "prior engagements." It was always "Dustin has soccer practice," or "Jessica has a band recital" or some other lame excuse.

To add insult to injury, the in-laws have spent the last 10 years telling the kids that their mother abandoned them because she didn't want them anymore.

Dustin didn't fall for the story, but Jessica bought it hook, line, and sinker. This has always been a point of contention between Dustin and his grandparents. So, now that Dustin has openly defied his grandparents and went to visit Star, they're treating him like they treat his mother. They won't allow him to stay in the house, and they won't let him speak to his sister.

I have advised Dustin to file assault charges against his grandfather, but I don't expect anything to come of it. John Sr. is on good terms with many of judges in the area. The most I can do at this point is to get Dustin out of that environment.

I know this sounds a bit one-sided, but, unfortunately, it's the truth.