Andrew is well-known in his community as a responsible family man. He has a very charming personality and everyone knows that his family will always be his priority. Nobody would have thought that one day, he would be in trouble with the law.
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It started with a letter from the Child Support Agency. It was a summons for him to pay $65,000 in child support for a child that was not his. This lcould easily ruin his reputation and hurt his family. But he finds out later on that clearing his name won’t be easy.
A picture-perfect family
Andrew and Molly had been married for 20 years now. Molly is a middle school teacher and Andrew is a successful graphic designer. Together, they have three children. The family was not rich but they had enough to live comfortably in a beautiful suburb.
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Andrew’s success as a graphic designer allowed him to work from home with flexible hours. This allowed him to always be around for his family. Anyone who would meet Andrew and his family would say they were the picture-perfect family.
He needed more information
When Andrew got the letter from the Child Support Agency, he decided to keep it to himself at first. He wanted more time to process this by himself. And he needed more information before he tells the family.
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Andrew was afraid of how Molly would react. He never gave her a reason to doubt his faithfulness to her and the kids but this situation was still a lot to take in. He knew he had to tell her himself though. If she finds out another way, it would seem like he was guilty.
He had to fight this in court
Andrew tried contacting the Child Support Agency but to his surprise, they refused to give him information about the mother and child. Realizing that he might need a lawyer, Andrew decided to tell Molly about the situation.
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Molly was shocked at first. But to his relief, she believed him when he said he knew nothing about having a child before they met. Like Andrew, she wanted answers. Molly assured him of her support. The next morning, they both told the kids about the situation.
Identifying the child
The whole family was supportive as Andrew took this battle to court. He and his lawyer spent hours together every single day, going through numerous documents. It took a series of phone calls and paperwork to get some information about the mother and child.
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They found that the child in question is David, who was 20 years old. This would mean that he was conceived around the time that Andrew married Molly. But that was impossible since he never was with anyone else ever since he met Molly.
He never met the mother
The lawyer also found out that the mother’s name was Jane. Andrew and Molly could not recall meeting any woman named Jane in their lives. Jane specifically named Andrew as David’s father and it seemed like she knew a lot about Andrew.
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Despite explaining that Andrew never met and dated a Jane in his life, the Child Support Agency was still forcing him to pay the $65,000. In cases like this, the woman and the child are often seen as the victim. But Andrew knew he was being scammed.
It was a long legal battle
The legal battle was not easy. They were constantly met with resistance from Jane and the agency. The agency would not even let him meet Jane and David in person, claiming that it was for their good and protection.
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Andrew and his lawyer found it ridiculous that Jane was expecting him to pay for child support but would not even let him see the child in question. The case dragged on and Andrew and his family were starting to feel the stress.
Feeling the tension
Molly was worried about the toll this case was taking on her husband. The kids also noticed the tension in the house. Andrew used to be the family’s pillar of strength and source of comfort but he was preoccupied with this legal battle and he was always stressed out.
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The legal battle was also draining out their finances. Andrew had to spend a lot of money on legal fees as the case dragged on. Andrew knew he had to find a way to get out of this mess quickly or else he could lose everything he worked hard for.
Venting out in social media
To think that everything could be solved with one DNA test. But Jane and the Child Support Agency were giving them a hard time. They were uncooperative and refused to give consent for DNA testing. Andrew was becoming desperate.
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Frustrated that he was not getting anywhere, he decided to share his story online and highlight the flaws in the child support system. He knew this could embarrass his family and get them unwanted attention but Andrew was willing to do anything to clear his name.
Public pressure helped
It did not take long for Andrew’s post to go viral. He received thousands of support not only from the local community but also from all over the world. People demanded that Andrew be given a fair trial.
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The public clamor to give Andrew justice put pressure on the Child Support Agency and the court. The Child Support Agency released a statement that they would give a second look at Andrew’s case and a court order for the DNA test was finally released.
Digging into her past
While waiting for the DNA results, Jane went online and started to call out Andrew for a lot of things, trying to manipulate the public to be on her side. She seemed to know a lot about Andrew for someone that he never met. Who is this woman?
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Andrew decided to hire a private investigator to look into Jane’s history. He wanted to know who Jane is, how did she know him, and why did she choose him in this scam. There seemed to be more to the story. He wanted to know her motives.
His crazy ex-girlfriend
It turned out that Jane was someone from Andrew’s past. Her real name is Jessica and as soon as Andrew heard her name, a lot of suppressed memories resurfaced. It looks like his past has finally caught up with him.
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Jessica was Andrew’s high school girlfriend. She became very obsessed with him and when Andrew broke up with her, she began to react violently and made him miserable. It came to the point that Andrew and his family had to leave town to get away from her.
The past is back to haunt him
Jessica was the worst person he has ever met. Andrew had to go through therapy to recover from Jessica’s obsessive and destructive ways. He could not believe that she was still out to ruin him after so many years. Who holds a grudge that long?
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Molly and his kids had no idea about this part of his past. And he never thought they would have to – that part of his life was over. Jessica had put him and his parents through hell back then and he won’t allow her to do the same to Molly and his kids.
They had solid evidence
The private investigator told him that this was not the first time Jessica made a false paternity claim. She had used this scam on several men before and had not been caught. He had enough evidence to turn the court in Andrew’s favor.
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With the investigator’s evidence, her false identity, and their history before, the lawyer assured Andrew they had enough to win the case. As long as the DNA test shows that Andrew is not David’s father, they are sure to win this battle.
Filing his own case
While waiting for the DNA test results, Andrew filed a case against Jessica for defamation and emotional distress. He was determined to make Jessica pay for all the damage that she had caused. This time. This time, he won’t run away – he will fight back.
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His case required Jessica to show up in court. She was very smug when they met face to face knowing that she had gotten on his nerves once more. But what she did not know was that the test results also came in that day.
Justice was served
Andrew’s lawyers presented everything they had on Jessica. The jury was shocked by all the revelations. And when it was time for the DNA test results to be announced, Andrew could see that Jessica was losing her confidence by the minute.
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Seeing Jessica again had not been easy for Andrew. But the look on her face when it was announced that the DNA test was negative was all worth it. The court ruled in Andrew’s favor and Jessica was ordered to pay him a very huge amount of money.
Clearing his name
Everyone in the family was very emotional. This very public court hearing had taken a toll on everyone. Andrew’s reputation had been tarnished as rumors of his possible infidelity spread but he won the legal battle and proved everyone wrong.
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Andrew finally got his justice. He gave an update to the followers of his case and the community celebrated with him and his family. The relief and happiness Andrew felt was indescribable. His name was finally cleared and he can finally get his life back.
This was not over
But despite the overwhelming support of the community and his legal victory, Andrew knew that the trauma of the mess Jessica caused would stay with him and his family. There was also the fact that Jessica was still out there.
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Andrew did not doubt that winning this battle just angered Jessica more. If she could hold a grudge from high school, he was sure she would do something else to get back at him. Andrew had to make sure that his family will be safe.
Moving out of the country
After Jessica paid the fees in court, Andrew had a family meeting. He told them about how dangerous Jessica is and that he was sure that this was not over for her. Thanks to the money he had won, they had enough to move and start over in a new place.
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It was a perfect time to move. Both Andrew’s and Molly’s parents were already gone so they did not need to be close to their hometowns. The kids were not in high school yet so they have not established any deep friendships yet.
Rebuilding their lives
But Andrew made it clear to the kids that he will not move them if they did not want to. They will just have to be more vigilant and cautious from now on. Luckily enough, Molly and the kids found the thought of moving to a different country exciting.
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For them, it was like getting a restart button. So, the family agreed to rebuild their lives in a different country and hopefully, Jessica will have a hard time following them and tracking them down. Andrew was happy and eager to move forward to better things from then on.