I have played out every one of those hands many times, and there is no winning combination. OD isn't a dummy; he has set up the status quo so I would be stupid to do that. That is the problem with leverage. In some respects I have it, and in others he does. I have dirt on him, but if I use it, there is no income to pay support. If he makes me take a default, I get a fraction of what I would get could I litigate the way I need to in order to protect my son. Instead OD dangles the carrot of a settlement that will never come about and in the meantime gladly pays me much more than I could get from pushing it through and more or less leaves my son alone (which causes a different set of problems).
How many of you would pay out everything you have in attorney fees to take significantly less money than you are getting now, with the added bonus that if you push forward, you force your child into a less than desirable custody arrangement?
I think DnJ is right. Being apprised of my options, I choose limbo. I just have to embrace that choice. We all have choices to make. I don't control what cards I get, only the way I play them.
