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Battle of the narcissists! Triple threat! Seriously, though: Allan is clearly a flawed human being, and his (alleged) dead wife was clearly a scary one. I've known a few Catherine's in my time, New York producing them at a higher rate than other places. Scary. Very, very scary. Bobbie Harvey is the real villain in all this, profiteering on the suffering of children. Shame on him.

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Well, a good read for dads involved in custody disputes….when you think your situation is the worst, someone will outdo you by an order of magnitude!

My guess is that this story is far from over. Stay tuned.

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My money is on her being alive and well. I find it curious that the reporter couldn’t nail down the cancer diagnosis or recurrence…

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founding

Not curious in my opinion as with HIPA a patient's assurance that their medical records are private is almost guaranteed. No doctor wants to violate that so how could Catherine's medical records be released unless she consented to their release.

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I 99% believe she is alive and reading this now.

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Although someone as apparently narcissistic as she (allegedly) was would have a hard time keeping quiet.

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The wife-mother was definitely a candidate for a PD. Whether it's NPD or BPD or something else, it really doesn't matter. Most average folks don't understand how a person could have a PD, even a severe one, and still function in a work environment. It is a common paradox how a person with a severe PD will treat acquaintences very well, but treat the people in their most intimate relationships so badly.

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Very well done piece, interesting and something that I'm sure will be made into a movie at some point. Allan is clearly no angel, but I totally resonate with the point around our worst moments being recorded and uploaded (I know I'd be less than proud of mine....) I also doubt Catherine is dead, and this Wayne Baker guy is more involved than he's letting on (just my hunch ;)

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She destroyed the reputations of how many people? That it took the replacement psychologist's 100 page report to finish her professionally is disheartening. Don't adults know that some people are this psychotic? That some people latch on to the virtue issues as parasites? I hope the family finds peace.

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“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”

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I will pray for the children and will for them a happy and accomplished life

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Wow. Bravo, Francesca!

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Sounds to me like this poor guy married a psychopath. Psychopaths can be very intelligent and accomplished fooling everyone around them. What a nightmare. I cannot imagine. I wonder how the girls are doing now especially Ally.

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The anger issue is tough. Angry men are scary, but emotional abuse causes anger. Like taunting a wild animal, and then blaming it for attacking you. This seems even worse because the woman appears to have acted like a chameleon to evince sympathy as a domestic violence victim. Infamous stories like these must be why female victims aren't believed.

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Never air your dirty laundry in public, I always say.

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The word "elope" merely means "to run off", any implications of marriage derive only from its common usage. Thus, one doesn't say "elope in", because that implies they started in that place, and ran off to somewhere else in that place. One "elopes to" a place, with all the concomitant implications of marriage.

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The idea that the family courts were unfair to the mother is lunatic. It is well-known, and established by data, that the family courts in nearly every state are severely biased against men.

In order for Catherine to lose custody, she'd really have to be abusive and batsh*t. That was clearly the case. She drove this poor man to his limits.

I'd be willing to wager she was a psychopath. Female psychopaths are very difficult to detect, because they are great imitators. But they have no empathy, are chronic, even compulsive liars, and are emotionally stunted. They are callous, horrid mothers.

This is why patriarchy exists. This woman never should have had the power to destroy a family like this. The "liberation" of women, which actually made them slaves, is the worst idea in the history of the world.

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While I agree with you in this case, please don’t lump all women together because we choose to be educated, enjoy work and want to live beyond motherhood at certain points in our lives.

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It's a shame how quickly it turns into all when talking about a very specific case.

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And hopefully unusual...

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Truly a tragedy. Who we fall in love with seems so random. I’ve been married 42 years, and stories like this highlight how fortunate I have been.

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She is a monster and it’s very obvious. The kids didn’t want to be near her, the courts agreed. She blamed everyone else and claimed they were all out to get her. Then she killed herself and left a bunch of lies to ruin her husbands life with no concern at all for her children. My ex wife is identical.

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