We hired Doyne to mediate custody, not to conduct an "evaluation". He promised to do so quickly and withing the $5,000 budget we gave him.
He immediately reneged--instead of helping us work out a custody schedule, he encouraged my ex and I to attack each other. She obeyed--criticizing petty issues such as my being late for a drop-off once. She was very manipulative, yet Doyne simply took her at face value, failing to verify her fabrications.
I (probably stupidly) didn't fire back. I wanted to work out a peaceful schedule and move on with our lives.
Doye fell for her lies. He quickly turned what was to be a peaceful, quick mediation into a shooting gallery. He demanded that we both take and MMPI (psychological inventory) and insisted that we would be required to pay $20,000 more for his new plan. I spoke with my attorney, requesting that she intervene and get Doyne back on track to mediation and get the case settled. She (.....--very weak) simply said "if you ever want to see your attorney again you'll pay him what he's asking for and go along with it."
I was floored! This guy was extorting us. It was clear that if we didn't pay him more than what he promised, and go along with his unilateral conversion of a mediation into a full-blown custody evaluation, he would take custody.
At first I went along, but I soon complained. I wrote a lengthy letter reminding him he agreed to mediate--not evaluate-and that he was breaching that agreement. He immediately retaliated by filing a report with CPS claiming I held my son upside down over a balcony. It was a lie. CPS investigated and determined Doyne's report to be a lie, but the damage was done--my ex insisted on switching custody and based upon Doyne's lie, the court complied.
Very simply, Doyne is a quack. He will manipulate parents to attack each other, and tolerates--indeed encourages--liars. He is extremely dangerous to parents and kids alike. Avoid!
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