OurSuccess Stories

Disclaimer: These examples do not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter

A complicated divorce matter in which the husband claimed an inability to obtain gainful employment, sought to receive the lion’s share of community assets, substantial spousal support from the wife, and large contributions to his attorney’s fees. Mr. Mesnik successfully defended wife against the husband’s demand for attorney’s fees and succeeded in reducing the amount of spousal support husband received by more than half due to husband’s refusal to obtain employment despite evidence to the contrary including a vocational evaluation. Husband’s spousal support was further reduced due to his cohabitation with his girlfriend pursuant to California Family Code.
M r. Mesnik helped a mother litigate and, eventually, successfully negotiate a move away order to relocate the child to another state when the mother relocated to be near her family despite the father’s initial insistence on “fighting it all the way.
M r. Mesnik helped a father retain custody of his children and protect them from the mother who was in and out of jail for international drug trafficking, and grand theft auto. The mother frequently requested substantial custody of the children; however, she never provided a stable and healthy environment for them, which was successfully proven in court.
T he parties separated over two decades prior to filing for divorce when wife abandoned husband and the children. The husband worked hard, supported the children, and lived a modest lifestyle to save for retirement. After wife’s new boyfriend died (who supported her for 20 years) wife sought to obtain division of ALL of husband’s assets asserting they carried on a marital relationship throughout the years even after she left the home. Mr. Mesnik was successful in litigating an earlier date of separation and thus limiting wife’s claims to division of assets owned prior to separation, despite wife’s attorney’s extremely aggressive litigation tactics.
T he mother retained custody of her child when the father a, member of the United States Border Patrol, falsely accused her of domestic violence in order to obtain an advantage in the custody proceedings. The mother’s relationship with the father was frequently volatile and the father thought he could use the court system to obtain custody. Mr. Mesnik successfully blocked the father's tactic and kept the child's relationship with the mother intact.
M r. Mesnik represented a father who was frequently accused of and investigated for sexually abusing his daughter by the child’s mother, who was the child’s primary custodian. Mr. Mesnik successfully disproved the mother’s accusations and obtained a change in custody in favor of the father due to the mother’s abhorrent conduct. Mr. Mesnik also obtained a judgment for thousands of dollars in sanctions against the mother under California Family Code Family Code §3027.1, due to the mother’s false allegations.
H usband obtained a fair and reasonable division of all retirement assets after wife attempted to at first hide the fact that she owned a San Diego County Employees Retirement System (SDCERS) pension, and then once discovered asserted that husband had no claim to an interest in the SDCERS pension. Much discovery and joinder of SDCERS was necessary and resulted in a settlement satisfying all of the client’s goals.
H usband became single long before the divorce was completed through Mr. Mesnik's assistance by a process called bifurcation of marital status. The bifurcation was necessary because the wife was not being cooperative in the divorce proceedings which drastically increased the amount of time to complete the divorce. Husband was then free to remarry and begin his new family.
M r. Mesnik was successful in obtaining substantially more parenting time and a more specific visitation plan for a father who lived out of state when the mother frequently restricted his contact and even went so far as to force the child to adhere to a timer during his phone contact with the father. The custody evaluation revealed the mother’s “gatekeeping” and alienation of the child from the father, which has been greatly reduced by the new custody and visitation orders.