Dean Pappas builds a girls’ rugby program for his daughter. Later, he says, friends have to film her matches because the custody process prevents him from attending.
How does a father go from coaching his child to watching her life from another room?
On Richard Luthmann Live, Pappas discusses the personal ordeal behind his novel, Love and Tyranny. He recounts a medication dispute, a guardian ad litem’s intervention, and private arbitration that, in his telling, transforms an involved father into an “alienator” facing a no-contact directive.
His novel follows three fictional parents who respond differently to family court. One runs. One trusts the process. One complies with everything. Through their stories, Pappas examines evaluations, referrals, expensive treatment programs, and the professional relationships that can shape a family’s future.
Jill Jones-Soderman, founder and executive director of the Foundation for the Child Victims of the Family Courts, joins the discussion to challenge the system’s handling of abuse evidence, parental-alienation claims and coercive reunification practices. She argues that accountability must reach the judges and professionals making the decisions.
The conversation covers:
• How parenting concerns become accusations against a parent.
• Private arbitration and the loss of meaningful scrutiny.
• Parental-alienation claims and custody reversals.
• Forced transport and reunification-program concerns.
• Financial conflicts, referrals, and sealed records.
• Kayden’s Law and the difference between passing protections and enforcing them.
• What parents should understand before entering family court.
Pappas’s family history is his firsthand account. The novel’s families and characters are fictional. The guests’ broader accusations are presented as their arguments, not judicial findings.
READ LOVE AND TYRANNY:Dean Pappas’s book on Amazon
CONNECT WITH FCVFC:Foundation for the Child Victims of the Family Courts
FOLLOW RICHARD LUTHMANN:YouTubeThis Is For Real? on Substack
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