Perhaps the best explanation of institutional legal bias is to read the exact words of the Family Law Committee guidebook published some years ago
 in Minnesota:

"Except in rare cases the father should not have the custody of the minor children of the parties. He is usually unqualified psychologically and emotionally nor does he have time and care to supervise the children. A lawyer not only does an injustice to himself but he is unfair to his client, the state and to society if he gives any encouragement to the father that he should have custody of the children."


Judge David Duffy's visitation arrangement from the default hearing 97-02-20.



The Court report  from 970115

The Order from 970115

The Court report  from 970220

The Order from 970220
 


This is how my ex-wife explaines the "kidnapping" in the deposition 96-01-10.

My ex-wife accuses me of kidnapping the children from Sweden to Spain in 1989 when she had left us for another Swedish man.
We had planned a vacation to Spain that summer to let our children spend time at the beach and meet their grandparents. We had aggreed that she would take her things and move while I and the kids went to Spain. After 1 week she shows up in Spain and convince her family that she does not have any boyfriend and wants the kids to stay in Spain. Only by promising to not divorce her did they let me return to Sweden with the kids. When we got home I insisted on divorce and then she used the old fake suicide trick.

This accusation was already presented and dismissed in the "Order for protection" trial signed by Judge Catherine Anderson 96-01-25. It was presented again and dismissed in the "Order for Temporary Relief" trial signed by Judge Howard 96-02-28.


Q. You have described in your petition what you believe to be a threat of abduction and I believe it's in part based on something that occurred in '89 when he went to Spain, and I think you were talking about the same incident we talked about a few minutes ago, correct.?

A. Yes.

Q. When Axel took the children with him to Spain, correct?

A. Yes.

Q. Now, at that time he went to Spain, he went to your parent's place. Is that correct?

A. For a day.

Q. Okay.

A. Then he took off to the beach with some friends.

Q. Okay.

A. So he was actually in Seville I think overnight only.

Q. Was it your belief that he was going to stay there indefinitely?

A. I didn't know what he was going to do.

Q. But the two of you had an argument and he went back to where your parents were, correct?

A. Mm-hmm.

Q. I need a Yes or No.

A. Yes.

Q. In part because he wanted to talk to them about them intervening to try to save the marriage, correct?

A. Yes.

Q. And did you ever have any trouble locating him or the children?

A. Yes, after they left Seville I couldn't get hold of him or the children until I went there myself. I knew the town they were staying at by the beach but I didn't have an address or a phone number or anything like that.

Q. How did you know the town they were at?

A. Because while I was on my way --- I'm sorry -- How did I know the town? Okay, I'm sorry. Because ---

Q. I wont even need the names of the friends.

A. Because our friends in Spain usually vacation in that town although they stay in different apartments and stuff, whatever they can rent, depending the month they go. So we had talked --- several months before we had talked about vacationing together and nothing was concrete or determined or anything like that, so at the end we had not rented an apartment with them.

Q. I see.

A. So they were there on their own so I knew the town was there.

Q. I see. And how did you know that Axel would go there with the children?

A. Because my mother told me that he had gone there.

Q. Okay.

A. You know, he got on a train and left, so --

Q. So he told your parents that that's where he was going?

A. Yeah.

Q. So during this entire time he was either with your parents or at a place where he had told them, correct?

A. Yeah.

Q. So at all times during this, your parents knew where he and the children were, correct?

A. Yes, they were there without my permission though.

Q. So what you're saying is he didn't get your permission to go to Spain.

A. No, he didn't get my permission to take the children with him to Spain. He could have gone to the end of the world for what I cared really, at that point.