They were originally in France, and she didn’t apply to live there either - based on stuff I’ve read about international custody cases, she’s been advised that doing that would damage her chances at full custody in America. So that’s her gamble: don’t see your kids with the hope that you can make it seem pitiful…

And once again you completely ignore the kids. You made it all about him.

There is of course the possibility that he WAS involved in some sort of shady shit, and having been flagged he really doesn’t want to reapply for a visa given it might uncover stuff he’d rather leave alone.

I feel pretty damn bad for the dad, honestly. He’s been relatively silent about all of this, but his lawyer’s response to Rutherford’s claim of being barred from access sounds like the guy is genuinely scared that either Rutherford is going to kidnap his kids, or some nutcase who’s been ginned up by the media will do…

Oh, and lastly: if it’s so easy for him to just move to Canada on a visa, then why didn’t she move to France? Technically they’ve got 50/50 custody, or at least did at the start, but she made the choice to stay in the US, which is at least partially a calculated (and logical) move when gunning for custody that would…

Him barring her from seeing the kids is detailed in the above article.

I haven’t seen anything about him barring her from seeing the kids. And why the hell should he move to a third-party country where he’d have to get a visa, especially as that might subject him to a custody environment where he gives up any advantage? She’s able to go to the countries he’s living in, and he’s…

Honestly, I haven’t seen much about him being horrible. If anyone’s got evidence of it, let’s see it, but all I’ve seen is her on an endless round of media interviews and legal gambits, and short statements from his lawyers reading “Mr Giersch will not be publicly commenting on this private matter involving his…

I’ve been extremely interested in the entire Sean Goldman/Hague application stuff, largely because I’m dual and I’ve lived (and dated) in a lot of different countries. This is not one of those cases - the father didn’t abscond with the kids, he’s not in violation of Hague, it’s just that the mother created a scenario…

Okay, it is hardly torture to “uproot” pre-school age children, which is what these two were when the custody deal went down. Preschool age is kind of ideal for shifting kids around, it’s later years when they have firm friendship networks that things get sticky. In fact, being “uprooted” is exactly what’s going to…

He didn’t take them. He was banned from the US and so had no choice but to live elsewhere, and when he got custody, he went to France - at which point he paid for Rutherford’s plane tickets and other travel expenses for custodial visits, if I’m recalling correctly.

From what I recall, these are some of the Kelly Rutherford highlights:

Doubt they’d be putting on that civil rights play in NZ.

Whole thing’s a bit silly, if you do have a good relationship with your mom - mine usually uses it as a day to request that we do any medical stuff we’ve been putting off. Literally, “get a your yearly physical, that’s present enough for me”. One year she asked that my siblings and I all get colonoscopies (there is a…

Wait. WAIT.

I swear to god, I grew up in some sort of beta testing environment for this generation’s high school experience. We had it all: gay prom dates (two tables full of ‘em), celebrated mathletes, genuine rallying round pretty much anyone who was doing something unique. At one point some lunkheads from the football team who…

Heartily endorse suggestion #2: Mail him his watch. If you want to include a note, then fine, and dear god make it some sort of registered mail so it doesn’t get lost, but don’t make this watch exchange a big thing. The whole date was a mistimed misfire, write it off.

His ego is probably bruised, but it’s not about him, it’s about you and your comfort.

I think you need to consider this one a regrettable, educational write-off - he definitely wasn’t over the top in a very mixed-messages situation, but you also were in a weird mental space that cuts you some slack. The guy liked you, but it was clearly too soon for you and he got dragged into a place where you were…

Evening Shade (!) resident Susie Clark