John Anthony Ward had a large “false advertising” ad in the Yellow Pages,
so I called his office. (“Tough”! “Dedicated” at ripping you off?) He
was out of town that day but his secretary had me fill out some forms
and to come back Friday. I filled out that I wanted partial custody of
my other five children that she took.
That Friday Ward told me, for me to even get anything that I need to
file for a divorce. I told him that I didn’t want a divorce, but I wanted
only to see my children. He then told me that he or any law wouldn’t
be able to do anything for me until I file for divorce. I asked him for
other options. He then gave me legal separations as an option, (which
I didn’t want either), but persuaded me that separation is a very messy
and unresolved status. If she ever has an accident or bankruptcy, the
authorities can and will always come after me yet. That is all eliminated
with a divorce. I remember asking him several times and in different
ways if there isn’t anything else available or options where I could
just get to be with my children, and he said NO! He lied.
He then crossed out my desire for partial custody and said
because of this cult he will not except a partial custody but will fight
for full- custody, and wrote that down instead. He sounded like a fighter!
I was deceived. A few days later he asks for more money so he could hire
a private detective to investigate the Cult. I was charged another $1,500
and the final on that, before Ward called it off, was 4 pieces of paper
of four different interviews that I had provided the names for.
document one - document two
I remember vividly the day when things were called off, silenced and
I believe Ward was bribed or bought out. He called me in the middle of
the day on my cell phone and said he urgently needed to talk to me. When
I arrived in his office he began preaching to me, literally, and told
me that we need to behave Godly in this fight if we are ever going to
win Shereen back. Also, we will no longer pursue trying to prove that
they are a Cult. Who is to decide which church is appropriate and which
one is not? So be happy at seeing your children 12 hours (at the time)
a week on every Saturday. If we start becoming too aggressive you might
lose the two oldest boys with you.
We will continue to fight but with more of the Love of God in it. Then
he expounded by giving me more of his views on religion. He urged me
to go to his church and to check it out. He told me according to his
extensive research it is the best church out there. Attorney or Preacher?
In the beginning he had given me a financial statement to fill out.
I filled it out with all my equipment payments and expenses listed, from
advertising to fuel expenses per month, to repairs. I needed to make
$4000 a month before I could meet all those obligations. And yet when
the $430 a week in child support occurred Ward avoided the issue. Sure
he casually mentioned it in court, but his true attitude toward it was
displayed in the court hallways or in his office. He argued against me
and totally dissolved the numbers on my financial statement I had filled
out.
Figures don’t lie, but liars figure? I paid for a financial
explanation sheet from my accountant and gave it to Ward and
told him my accountant is expecting a call from him. Ward never called
him, but charged me a ridiculous amount (like $90?) to read or look at
the sheet, but made no charges or calls.
I used to own a home on 20 acres in Stone Lake, Wisconsin. It had been
appraised for $130,000 before we moved to Kenosha. However we had renters
in it that depreciated the resale value of it. They had basically scattered
bags of garbage all over the place. Ward forced me to sell the place.
He said if I can’t pay the $430 a week in child support then I will not
be able to keep the place. Check the Marital Settlement Agreement. (see
page 4)
However, if I paid the full support and wanted to clean the place up
before I sold it, I probably could. Then he made it clear though that
I have to maintain paying all the payments, taxes and clean up expenses,
but in the end Shereen will get 50% of the profit, only after the subtraction
of the mortgage balance and real estate fee. My payments and expense
will NOT be reimbursed to me. And yet that option was only available
if I paid the $430 weekly.
The mortgage was about $80,000. The taxes owed was about
$4,000. The selling cost was about $6000. I was forced to sell at $90,000.
The investor put into the property ( I heard) about $20,000 and then
resold it for about $190,000. Compliments of a “Tough and Dedicated” attorney!
And then one day I sat in the courtroom again, wondering what is going
to happen this time. Curiously we all were dismissed immediately into
the next rooms joining the courtroom. My wife and her attorney went into
one room, while Ward and I went into another.
It was then that John Anthony Ward produced a Marital
Settlement Agreement that I knew absolutely nothing about. Everything was typed up ready for
me to sign. It was decided on that form that I would get the children
only one time a month, only the 4th Friday evening from 5:00 p.m. to
Saturday 8:00 p.m.! Basically one day (minus sleep) only a month! I was
shocked knowing that I could never take the children up North to see
their Aunts, Uncles, cousins, or my Dad. I looked at the other pages
in that stupid form with disgust.
There was a list of our possessions. She gets all the pictures and photos.
She wanted the big Kitchen Aid mixer that my Dad and my deceased Mom
gave me. There was a whole list of things and who gets what. I didn’t
give Ward the list of things we owned, he never even talked to me about
it. How did he get it?
The only reasonable conclusion that makes any sense is that Ward must
have been talking to his client (my wife) Shereen to get this one sided
detailed agreement. It was all pre-arranged by both attorney, Shereen
and the Cult, but myself totally left out. I started strongly resisting
to sign anything. I had to aggressively argue against the man that I
had hired to represent me. He tried his best to convince me to sign that.
I refused to accept only one day a month so he said he needed to talk
with Shereen and Attorney Anderson.
He left the room for several minutes. After a while he came back telling
me how difficult it was to get a few more hours out of them. He told
me the best we can change it to , is the 4th weekend of every month,
from Friday noon until Saturday at 8:00 p.m. Now I could go up north
if I wanted to.
He then urged me to sign the form or I might even lose the two boys
that re in my custody over to her. I told him that they will become Juvenile
Delinquent if forced there, because they will do whatever necessary to
get away from that abusive cult. He then again urged me to sign the form
to prevent that from happening to the boys or from being taken away from
me. I was scared and believed in fear that he might be telling me exactly
of what will happen if I don’t sign.
I felt I was getting a horrible deal so I asked him if we could fight
it anymore later offer today, if I signed. He said Yes, we can fight
it later, as long as I make the right decision today and stop this long
costly delay and just sign that form. It now had all the changed, crossed
out, and re-phrased words or sentences. I then asked him how much longer
before the final divorce date? It was then for the very first time that
he ever told me that, TODAY was that date! I didn’t know. He never informed
me.
If you saw an agreement typed out, but now with a lot of changes, cross
outs and hand written in, would that be convincing that I am telling
you the truth of what happened? Would that be the evidence you need?
Check it out then.
When he told me that we could fight this later, I decided I would sign,
but I will also fight, later... with a different attorney! However, Ward
lied or at least deceived me. My signature locked out any fighting or
changes for two years. I found out the disastrous finality of my signing
from several other attorneys that I contacted after that swindle. They
shook their heads in disbelief and asked me why would I ever sign something
like that? I explained the crooked process and how it all happened, how
Ward urged me to sign, for this was the best he could do for me and supposedly
a very good deal. They replied saying “You did not get a good deal, you
got screwed!” I heard that from a lot of people after that, which prompted
this website’s name.
Another thing I remember from the back room deception meeting and signing,
was the area of support. When Ward was urging me to sign, he said, “Everything
may not be right now the way I want things, but that he worked very hard
at lowering my child support. He has changed it from the ridiculous $430
a week to almost $200 a week now (if I signed the form). What a trap.
I remember asking him about the several thousands of dollars that I was
behind in the arrears. It was the $430 a week that put me there! He then
told me that all of the arrears get dropped and that I start with a clean
slate, but I needed to sign to make that change. I signed but once again
he had lied. On the next statement the arrears were still there.
I cringe at all the lies and manipulation John Anthony Ward did to me
and I pity the person that uses him. I like humor and I will give you
MY opinion also.
Choosing Ward as your attorney doesn’t mean that you have automatically
lost your case as bad or as much as me. I Believe your odds might be
the same way as if you flip a coin “Heads ...you lose!”
“Tails ... ,” your case might not go as horrible as mine, but you might do
better without him, or by yourself and last, if it lands on “Edge,” you have
a good chance at winning! Wish you the best at choosing your attorney, and
yes, keep practicing tossing your coin!
The Attorney General and the Governor both responded to my letters.
Both gave the identical advice to contact the Offic of Lawyer Regulation,
110 East Main Street, Suite 315, Madison, Wisconsin 53702. (608) 267-7274,
if I have a problem with an attorney. However I had contacted them but
here is the problem with that.
The Lawyers Regulations have access to the transcripts, but nothing
to the lies told by an attorney in his own office or in the side room,
or in its hallways. So it is just my word against his and to the Lawyers
Regulations Office, he must have done a better job at lying or convincing--whatever
you might want to call it, than me.
This website is to inform and possibly- hopefully bring more justice
into Kenosha. How else would that happen unless you became aware of stories
like mine or some others that I have gotten emails from. One of the emails
was headlined “Weasel Ward,” and it continued with complaints. Too bad
all of them wanted to remain anonymous. Are you convinced yet? You have
been warned and informed.
Please read my transcripts now, knowing this Ward information, and see
how Wagner holds me to the signing and how it was accomplished. Can you
see the impact that Ward placed on me by his pernicious ways?
I am including in this section of my website two of the four interviews
that cost me $1,500, but was never used in court. The other two interviewed
wanted to remain anonymous.
Also included will be my Marital Settlement Agreement. Most of the scribbles,
cross outs, and handwritten additions happened in the court adjacent
room. However, after that I added my thoughts on page five which was
not part of the final court event that day, nor on that sheet at that
time.