[Related link, SEE:  PART 6 – April 2026]

First Conference

In Washoe County, the 2nd District Court establishes a First Conference between the parties and their attorneys. I had been waiting for five months for the divorce to move forward. When Cassie and her attorney continued to stall, I filed in early March. Our First Conference was scheduled for 12 May. The purpose of this was to bring the parties together to establish temporary orders, if needed, and to plan how the divorce proceedings would be handled. A Settlement Conference would be scheduled at this time to bring the parties together for final (hopefully) negotiations.

Before the First Conference, both parties file statements of the issues in the case. In a case with no minor children, the focus should be on the division of financial accounts and property. Cassie’s attorney didn’t see it that way. She continued making personal attacks and mischaracterizations of my actions from her March and April filings.

Her first filing of May was a Motion to Strike. It was an argument that I should be required to pay for everything (attorney’s fees, etc.) It preceded her 5 May filing, which was largely a reiteration of her 17 March filing, and her 17 April email to my attorney.

4 May Filing – Motion to Strike

Excerpt 1

“…Paul had removed most of his personal property items from the home in the preceding days.”

I had removed personal memorabilia (archived mementos, items of childhood memories, etc.) and most of my clothes. I had NOT moved out my tools, any household items, etc.

Excerpt 2

“…Paul decided to embark on international pleasure travel, as well as pleasure travel to visit family and friends throughout the United States.”

As stated before, removing myself from Cassie and her family during the holiday season was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life; however, it was a solo trip to spend time alone. I arrived in Denver two days before my flight to London, England, in case I was delayed by weather. I stayed one night each at my daughters’ homes, then flew out. Upon return, I stayed at my daughter’s house one night and left early the next morning. There was very little time to visit.

Excerpt 3

“On December 29, 2025, Paul briefly returned to Reno to care for pets while Sara went on a previously-scheduled trip from December 31, 2025 – January 9, 2026. Paul packed his remaining personal property items and left Reno again on February 7, 2026. He communicated that he did not intend to return to the home, and he was seeking to move elsewhere within the United States, possibly to the southern U.S. where he has connections.”

Again, her attorney glosses over the fact that I was living in our marital home for five weeks (28 December to 7 February.) That would contradict that I spent all my time traveling the world for three months.

The second sentence is to give the impression that I moved out of the home completely. Both Cassie and the attorney know that I did not; however, it gave Cassie the freedom to claim the house and everything in it for herself.

The third sentence is a lie. I told Cassie my plan, and it was to scout for homes. [SEE: DWM Part 5] I did not say that I didn’t intend to return home. This seems to be a cover story to avoid revealing to the Court that they were the ones who told me I could not return home.

Excerpt 4

Cassie’s attorney referred to the 20 March email I sent regarding my return home. I told her:

As you now represent Cassie, I am informing you that I am wrapping up my trip and will be returning home soon.

In reference to that email, and my response when she told me I couldn’t return home, Cassie’s attorney stated:

“He failed to provide any date for his anticipated return, and he refused to provide details about where he had spent approx. the past two months while traveling around the world. He would not disclose his current location.”

1. This is irrelevant. I didn’t need to provide a date. It was the home I lived in for over 30 years.
2. I didn’t need to provide details of where I spent the past two months. I had given Cassie my rough itinerary, and at any time she could have called me and asked where I was at that moment.
3. I hadn’t been traveling for two months. I had been on a scouting trip for a little over two weeks.
4. Regarding the last sentence, they never asked where I was, and they could have at any time.

Excerpt 5

“When Cassie declined for Paul to return to her home, given the context of Paul planning divorce, taking off without explanation, refusing to disclose details, and wasting as-yet-undetermined amounts of money on his pleasure travel…”

Everything after. “…Paul planning the divorce…” are lies or mischaracterizations of what I said.

Excerpt 6

“Paul – who had no trouble spending untold amounts of funds on pleasure travel and spending time with friends and family – suddenly cried poverty and claimed he was in an “emergency situation.” Then, he said he had secured housing within a week. His claims were self-contradictory as well as universally self-serving. To date, Sara does not know Paul’s whereabouts, employment status, income, etc.”

1. I was very judicious in spending my money as it was all coming out of my personal Social Security savings account. None of the money came from our joint accounts.
2. I was not on pleasure travel. I was not spending time with friends and family.
3. When I was told I could not return home, I was staying in inexpensive hotels, without any prospect of permanent housing. I was in an emergency situation as I was in North Carolina and not allowed to return home.
4. I did not claim I secured housing within a week. This is complete fiction on her attorney’s part. I do not know what her source is, but it was not me.
5. Left without any option, approximately a week after my response to her email, I did, in desperation, accept my daughter’s invitation to stay at her house in Denver. By her attorney’s own statement, neither Cassie nor her attorney knew this…and yet, two sentences earlier, her statement claimed to know I had secured housing.

Excerpt 7

In my response to Cassie’s attorney’s email telling me I could not return home, she dictated to me that I should come and pick up the items that Cassie had determined I could have. She told me that I needed to tell her when I would be returning to Reno.

I gave her conditions under which I would be willing to do that. I also told her that my items were to be properly handled. Her mischaracterization of what I said was as follows:

“Additionally, Paul had the audacity to try to dictate who could/could not be present in Cassie’s home (including the Parties’ adult son, and Cassie’s brother), and to direct Cassie as to how he wished his additional items to be packed and stored for his future use. Paul coupled these demands with a threat tha the would interpret refusals as “a deliberate act to escalate the conflict.”

Her attorney spent almost a page talking about whether or not I had a right to file for a divorce in Nevada because I had not lived in the State for the six weeks immediately before filing for the divorce. She accused me of perjury.

The discussion was pointless, as:

1. She had already conceded that Cassie had been living in Nevada for the six-week period, which was the requirement.
2. I was a resident of Nevada for over thirty years and had only been absent because of the direct actions of Cassie and her attorney.
3. My only permanent residence was our marital home.
4. The cause of action for the divorce, the house ownership, was in Nevada.

5 May Filing – Charges of Purjury and Attack On My Spending

My Alleged Perjury

The statement that Cassie’s attorney filed the next day prior to the First Conference was largely a copy of the 4 May filing. She accused me of perjury by claiming to be “Homeless” when I filed my Complaint for Divorce. She continued to mischaracterize the actions that led up to the filing of the divorce, ignoring that Cassie’s and her attorney’s actions prompted me to file.

All this was an attempt to have the Court order me to pay all Cassie’s legal fees and Court costs.

My Alleged Financial Spending

She also mischaracterized the spending in my personal Social Security bank accounts. In November 2025, I created a second checking account with another banking service and moved $7,000 from one account to the other. I also purchased all my European plane and train tickets, all my lodging, and a ticket to a tourist attraction. Also, during that month, I scheduled a consultation with an attorney to discuss my situation and how I should move forward. I did not retain the attorney. All this came out to be about $11,000, with most of it the transfer of money, not spending.

Her attorney then targeted the spending of money through the States I traveled in February. She avoided mentioning that this trip was for purposes of scouting job opportunities and housing costs. She also didn’t mention that part of those costs occurred when Cassie and her attorney stranded me in North Carolina.

I also had major expenses from my personal accounts in March. Almost $8,500 was for legal fees. Over $1,000 was for a rental truck and related expenses in removing my personal items out of storage in Reno and taking them to Denver for storage. She mischaracterized all of these expenses that were a direct result of Cassie and her attorney’s actions.

The First Conference

As anxious as I was about the First Conference, it became a temporary relief. The Court ruled that Cassie had to pay temporary support and held off on other issues for the Settlement Conference. Neither Cassie nor I spoke.

My attorney had apparently expressed concerns to the Court regarding the tone of Cassie’s attorney’s inflammatory filings. I’m not clear when this happened because I didn’t see it in her Pre-Conference statement. The judge mentioned this issue to Cassie’s attorney, and she became aggressive with the judge. She demanded to know what she had done wrong. It was disturbing to watch, as Cassie’s attorney showed little control or remorse.

Her Attorney’s Email Response

The day after the First Conference, my attorney sent an email to Cassie’s attorney. She noted that she was not making a personal attack. My attorney felt the inflammatory filings were inappropriate for the task at hand.

She also said that she would like to move forward with negotiations on a settlement.

Cassie’s Attorney Fires Back

Cassie’s attorney responded, claiming that I had refused to disclose my location in a 25 February email:

Judging the Judge

Another False Accusation

Down the Rabbit Hole

June and July were a break from Cassie’s attorney’s attacks. That meant a continued stall in moving forward with the divorce. Cassie, however, decided that the Court wouldn’t be telling her how to divide the joint checking and savings accounts. She was going to do that before the Court got involved.

¹Some names and places have been changed.

NEXT: Divorce Without Mercy Part 8 – June 2026

[NOTE:  This is a series focusing on my experiences during a divorce with a difficult person and her attorney. I am not a licensed psychologist nor an attorney. If you are dealing with a divorce situation, you should consult an attorney for legal advice and seriously consider seeking mental health support from a licensed counselor to deal with the trauma.]