My MIL came to us 3 years ago, stating they wanted to pay my attorney bill as an investment in their new grandchildrens lives. I have a contract with attorney that says $800 must be paid on or before the 10th of month. If not paid attorney may withdrawal without court hearing.

We are in court 6-15 times per year. We have an EXTREMELY CONTENTIOUS CASE. We did not ask for help. She came to us, saying she wanted to do this, as an investment. She loves my kids, wants to protect the relationship, it's a way of tithing, etc. We at first said no, bc we felt we would become dependent on it, etc. Well with talking we accepted. Now the bill is far greater than $800 a month, that's just the contracted amount, for attorney to not withdrawal. My MIL will go into attorney, talk for 2-8 hours a month at $200 an hour & write a check in full for that & the $800. I've signed a paper allowing that. But they are to not give any documents to her... They can talk to her all they want. Go for it, but she pays for that upfront.

So we have this big 3 day trial coming up. I call attorney a week and a half ago to touch base with emails & texts I'm forwarding. & attorney lets me know the firm had a financial meeting at the first of the year... My bill hasn't been paid on in 7 MONTHS!!! My attorney didn't know. I didn't know. Firm says withdrawal. That's what contract says. My attorney says she told firm no, this woman has been thru hell with this man, I have to see her thru these last two court dates, she just had a stroke, with the repository she's looking at a 10k retainer with a new attorney. (I've called around, that's true 10-14k actually)

I thank my attorney & tell her I had NO IDEA, say I will talk to husband. Call husband, tell him. He calls his mom. She says call your dad. Hangs up. His dad had no idea. He says.

I am so incredibly upset. She knew the contract. This was malice. I text her asking why would she seek out to destroy my relationship with my children. No response.

My husband's birthday was last week. I included them. But fought back tears the entire time. I have not had my kids around them since finding this out.

We have made an $800 payment. But cannot catch up the months of missed payments. We have court this week and my attorney will probably withdrawal. I don't know. I did tell her, if she does I will have to file bankruptcy, bc i'll need to get 10k to hire a new attorney. But if she stays on, i'll sell some things to get the payments caught up. She said she would discuss with the firm. The total bill is over 30k.

My mother in law has a $10k a month gambling budget. They are well off. It's not an addiction. It's a hobby. She has many other expensive hobbies. She didn't stop paying bc she couldn't. If she didn't want to pay that was fine, she hid it from us. In the past 2 months on 2 occasions my husband & I sat with her, thanking her for paying it, telling her how much it meant to us, she said NOTHING. Not, "I am not paying that anymore, I stopped months ago." She did this to hurt me. To try to destroy me. My in laws are multimillionaires. It's not about having the money. I'm thankful for the help they gave, for the investment in my kids. But to stop. In secret. To jeopardize the most precious relationship on earth. Who does that?

Regardless of what my attorney does... I have decided my in laws will never see my kids again. They did this in malice & I cannot forgive it, nor will I allow them to hurt us in anyway. I will support my husband in his relationship with them & his children (supervised, bc my MIL is insane) but they will NEVER be around my kids EVER. No holidays, birthdays, graduations, at our home NOTHING.

I haven't wrote about this for this long bc I'm still in shock over it. Who does this?!