Although divorce is often the best solution for couples who have significant and irreconcilable differences, in certain isolated cases, some divorced couples may experience continued friction even after the divorce is finalized. A notable Oregon politician has recently been accused of continually harassing her ex-husband, even though their divorce in 2007. Some of her ex-husband’s complaints have involved physical violence while others have centered around child custody.
Monica Wehby — a Republican Senate candidate from Oregon — was accused of using a pad of paper to slap her ex-husband in the face in December 2007. The pair was locked in a verbal argument at the time that the slap is alleged to have occurred, and a report stated that the pair’s four children as well as Wehby’s mother were all asleep in the house at the time. Wehby may have been intoxicated, as the couple had attended a Christmas party prior to the argument, although she denied touching her ex-husband with the paper. Instead, she claimed that he was the one who tended to be physically violent, and he had apparently been so with her in the past.
Two years after that incident, Wehby’s ex-husband made another phone call to police due to her alleged behavior. According to an agreement that the two had, neither party was permitted to go to the other’s house without previously arranging the visit. He accused Wehby of entering his home without permission on multiple occasions, and on the night that he phoned the complaint in, she apparently banged on the door until her children — who were reported to already be in bed — came to the door to tell her goodbye.
At the time of the initial complaint, Wehby and her ex-husband were still living on separate floors of the same house, pending the finalization of their divorce. In instances such as this, when there are accusations of violence and arguments concerning child custody during or after a divorce, it is possible to obtain legal protection from an ex-spouse. Obtaining an order of protection can sometimes provide a substantial amount of protection from a volatile or potentially dangerous ex-spouse.
Source: The Oregonian, “Monica Wehby’s ex-husband accused her of ‘ongoing harassment’ during divorce: police report“, Yuxing Zheng, May 19, 2014
