You Should Be Wearing a GoPro at All Times

By Jedidiah McKeehan

Almost every single day I have conversations with people who will tell me some version of this story, "I received some court documents and the things that are in here did not happen. This person lied!" My response is typically, "I believe you, and I am sure that they did lie."

Then the person will say, "I thought people had to tell the truth when they are under oath or filling out court documents." And I respond by saying, "Well, that is supposed to happen, but almost everyone lies all the time. They do not start telling the truth just because it is a court-related thing."

The situation I run into regularly is when I see individuals lie about a domestic violence incident in order to get someone removed from the home or prevent contact between an individual and a child. The lying is rampant, egregious, and powerful. To be honest, it works. Lying gets these people what they want.

Sometimes I will meet with people who are considering court action and I will ask them, "If your significant other/child's parent finds out you are doing this, will they lie and state that a domestic violence incident has occurred so that you cannot see your children?" Sometimes I will advise people not to return to their house ever again because I have real fear for them that if they are ever in the same physical location as the other party that the police will be called and they will end up in jail.

In that vein, I tell them, "Assume everything from this point forward will be screenshotted or recorded, so mind your matters, and no cussing ever. They may cuss you out ten times in a row, but the second you return fire, that will be the time they record it and that recording is played for the judge."

This is no joke. This is real. I regularly advise clients who have issues with the other party using profanity and inappropriate behavior at child exchanges to purchase a GoPro and start wearing it at all child exchanges. I currently have one client who has worn a GoPro to child exchanges for the last two years because he was accused of domestic violence and had to spend thousands of dollars to clear his name.

I have another current client who has had five different orders of protection and one criminal charge leveled against him by his significant other within the span of a year. The other party files them to gain control of the child, and then dismisses them within a few days. My client currently has his child ninety percent of the time because the other party did not really want to parent, but just to exert control.

I cannot say this enough, individuals will lie within the court system and court cases without thinking twice about it. You have to protect yourself.

Jedidiah McKeehan is an attorney practicing in Knox County and surrounding counties. He works in many areas, including divorce, custody, criminal, and personal injury. Visit attorney-knoxville.com for more information about this legal issue and other legal issues.

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