Legal Question in Family Law in New York
Blackmail
My ex is being blackmailed by a woman who he had a child out of wedlock with. He has been supporting her for over 3 years now (paying all of her bills) and just recently cut back due to unemployment. She is now threatening to send letters to our daughters school containing porograhic pictures of the two of them together as well as information on his arrest for marijuana a few years ago if he does not send $2,500 within the next week. She has also threatened to send a letter to the athletic department(my ex is our daughter's basketball coach) informing them of his arrest. I am really worried for my daughter who is only 12 years old. Please send advice.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Blackmail
If you & your ex perceive there to be a real risk that this other woman will in some way expose negative information about him in ways that would be damaging to him / you / your children *if* the information were "so-exposed" - -
the only real option you have is that your ex put his "better credibility" on the line and go to the police and file a complaint against the other woman alleging blackmail.
Altho' it is possible that the negative information will still come out, at least it will come out in the context of your ex having taken appropriate steps to prevent himself / yourself / his children from becoming victims of someone's criminal act perpetrated against him / you / them. Too, it is probably the only way to try to get a handle on this other woman in terms of being able to stop her from doing the same / similar thing time and time again.
Good luck.
Regards, etc.,
J.M. Hayes
>>--> The foregoing amounts to musings and observations based on some years familiarity with the 'day-to-day' operation of the law with regard to the issues involved In The Most General sense; my remarks should not be thought of as "legal advice and counsel" in the formal sense of that phrase, since there is, in fact, no 'attorney / client' relationship existing between us. <-<<