Ex-husband should go on offensive

Originally published in 2013.

Dear Annie: My son’s estranged wife has reported him to child protective services six times and to the police for various things she’s invented over the past three years. Due to her false accusations, he has been arrested three times. He has been found innocent of all charges, but she persists.

She charged him with violating a restraining order and appeared in court last week flanked by bodyguards supplied by victim services. This charge was thrown out. My son has never touched her, but she has convinced many people that he’s dangerous. She’s such a good liar that she actually believes her own stories, which makes her even more convincing.

My son has become so paranoid, he barely leaves his house. He’s so depressed he can barely function and is unable to work. She’s slowly killing him. Is there anything he can do besides continue to defend himself ? The lawyers’ costs have become a nightmare for our whole family. There must be something more we can do besides waiting for her next dramatic step.

Worried Family Members Dear Worried: Your husband may need to go on the offensive. What his ex-wife is doing is harassment, and he should ask his lawyer about suing her. He also can search for a divorce support group in his area or online and get into low-cost therapy for his own well-being. He needs to get his life back.

Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column.