TN - Gail Nowacki Palmgren, 44, Signal Mountain, 30 April 2011 - #4

[glorias]

From all I hear, I think BH is a smart fellow. My theory is that he's looking at the big picture and the divorce filings are just a technicality. It's not hard to win a case by default.

I wonder if the firm felt this would be a high profile case for some reason other than Gail's disappearance. It seems like Matt must have retained them prior to her disappearance, given how fast he got the paperwork filed on May 6, just 4 days after she was reported missing. Maybe it was a financial thing? Two highly educated people with significant assets and salary/salaries might mean a large fee for the divorce attorneys who would obviously have a lot of financial details and agreements to work out.

 

[carolinagirl56]

No, I disagree there. Somebody IS inside and would come out to investigate. Who knows where 911 would send an officer. Dispatchers don't know the roads.

There was no one there when we went to return the property. We had to wait for an officer. The fire station is right next door and there is always someone there.

 

[happy409]

I wonder if the firm felt this would be a high profile case for some reason other than Gail's disappearance. It seems like Matt must have retained them prior to her disappearance, given how fast he got the paperwork filed on May 6, just 4 days after she was reported missing. Maybe it was a financial thing? Two highly educated people with significant assets and salary/salaries might mean a large fee for the divorce attorneys who would obviously have a lot of financial details and agreements to work out.

Those attorney's, especially Lee Davis (past DA) have pull and remember these were emergency temporary motions, and I am surprised it was pushed out like it was. Nonetheless, they are completely reversible.

In my opinion, it was just a show to make people think he thought she was coming back...hopefully she does and the true story comes out, or actually doesn't, but as long as she is safe, it's all good. I just have a feeling it goes WAY beyond an affair. :twocents:

 

[JBean]

Can any of you locals confirm that this law group is typically used for family law? I find it very unusual, but perhaps this group often does this? I saw on their website that they handle some civil cases, but didn't see anything about divorce law.

Also, if you guys have some family law questions, gitana1 practices that specialty here in CA. I can ask her to pop over, but want to make sure you guys have some questions.

 

[MacGyver]

In all fairness, it's not so different from what happens all over the county. In most communities, there won't be a dispatcher right around the corner. I think the biggest problem is that so many people are not aware the "system" has changed. When people believe they are speaking with someone who is a VERY local local, they give information differently than if they know the real deal. This wastes precious time and causes confusion in my opinion.

The "in the parking lot" situation is unique though. I'd still blow the horn and maybe get on the phone at the same time.

Let's not forget the fire department is right there too. Maybe a fireman could run out and hit somebody over the head with a fire extinguisher?

Ok. Time for me to go to bed before I get in trouble. fftobed:

Just as an FYI, any time an incident occurs in our town--even on our fire company property--it has to be called in to 911 to be recorded. The firefighters can do it, but Fire Control prefer anyone with any connection to the incident to be on record with whatever information they have.

 

[gitana1]

I was notified that ya'll might have some questions for me about family law issues. Rather than dig through the thread, would you be able to quote this quote when asking so I can find the questions easily?

Thanks!!!

I will look around a little bit though, but it would be great if you could re-ask whatever questions you might have. TIA!!

 

[Willow57]

It may simply be that this attorney and MP are friends and as a friend he decided to help and/or advise his friend. Or a friend of a friend of....you know?

 

[JBean]

Thanks gitana.
For starters we have a missing woman. he dh filed for legal separation,TRO,temporary custody of their 2 kids and exclusive use of the marital home within a few days of her disappearing.

He has hired a criminal defense attorney for his family law issues. How unusual is that?
The woman cannot be served of course because she is missing. Can all these requests be granted on an emergency basis until she can be notified? or how does that work exactly?

thanks gitana.

 

[JBean]

also gitana if no on has questions right now maybe you could check back periodically Thanks!

 

[gitana1]

Can someone summarize this case for me? This lady was heading home about a month ago and never made it? She seemed sort of upset in a call to her sister while letting her know she was heading home? Other questions I have:
1. Where were her kids at the time?
2. Is she divorced? Is she separated?
3. Where was her husband or ex husband at the time she went missing?
4. Any leads on her car?
5. How old are her kids?
6. What did her husband/ex file for and when?

TIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[JBean]

Can someone summarize this case for me? This lady was heading home about a month ago and never made it? She seemed sort of upset in a call to her sister while letting her know she was heading home? Other questions I have:
1. Where were her kids at the time?
2. Is she divorced? Is she separated?
3. Where was her husband or ex husband at the time she went missing?
4. Any leads on her car?
5. How old are her kids?
6. What did her husband/ex file for and when?

TIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gail made 3 911 calls for domestic disputes between Novemeber 2010 and April 2011. The final call resulted in a number to a safe house for her and she left that day with her 2 children to stay in their lake house in AL and the dh stayed at the marital home in TN
She brought the kids back the next day and dropped them off about noon.
She was supposed to meet her dh there but he says when he arrived she was not there. The neighbor said she drove off without acknowledging the neighbor.
Gail has not been seen or heard from again and that was over a month ago. She was in contact with her friends and neighbors consistently up until that time. She left various valuables and documentation with different friends for safekeeping/
more to come giving you this for now

 

[JBean]

Can someone summarize this case for me? This lady was heading home about a month ago and never made it? She seemed sort of upset in a call to her sister while letting her know she was heading home? Other questions I have:
1. Where were her kids at the time?
2. Is she divorced? Is she separated?
3. Where was her husband or ex husband at the time she went missing?
4. Any leads on her car?
5. How old are her kids?
6. What did her husband/ex file for and when?

TIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It seems they were planning a divorce, she was getting her ducks in a row as far as wecan tell and according to friends.
Her dh reported her missing 2 days after she disappeared at the urging of Gail's sister.
She was reported missing 5-2 and her dh filed for separation, TRO, temp custody and exclusive use of the home on 5-6-11 using a high profile defense atty. he says she is delusional and paranoid and was getting increasingly worse. her friends do not corroborate that and say she had her wits about her. from what I have seen she certainly did. he is basing part of his request on the fact that she has abandoned her children and home.

Kids are 9 and 12 and we do not think the police have been able to interview them. There have been some sightings but nothing has panned out. they did some water searches and some land searches but there is no trace of her.

 

[glorias]

I hope this will help:

Gail and her husband were in some domestic situation on the 29th (which may have been at the police station itself). She was given the number to a safe house but went with the kids to a lake home in AL instead. Early on the 30th, she and the kids came back home and got back to TN around noon. At 12:15, she was seen driving off by a neighbor named Susie. Gail had her phone but no driver's license, credit cards, or her passport. She has not been seen since.

She was upset and frightened for a while before her disappearance. We think she called her sister moments before disappearing, but it may have been earlier in the morning. The sister says it was an odd call and she seemed scared.

1. The kids were with her until she dropped them off at the house before she disappeared.

2. She and her husband were in the middle of a legal separation, but it appears they lived in the same home most of the time.

3. Her husband says he was at his mom's house 25 minutes away and went to meet Gail at their home, but she was gone by the time he got there. We're not sure of the time he got to the house.

4. No leads on the Jeep as far as we know. No sign of it.

5. The kids are 9 and 12.

6. He filed an ex parte motion which is here:

http://www.hamiltontn.gov/courts/Chancery/dockets/data/052311.pdf

it's on page 25. Gail went missing on the 30th, he reported her missing on the 2nd, the motion was first filed on May 6. I think this is the first article we saw about the filing:

http://timesfreepress.com/news/2011/may/12/missing-womans-husband-seeks-custody-children/

 

[gitana1]

Thanks gitana.
For starters we have a missing woman. he dh filed for legal separation,TRO,temporary custody of their 2 kids and exclusive use of the marital home within a few days of her disappearing.

He has hired a criminal defense attorney for his family law issues. How unusual is that?
The woman cannot be served of course because she is missing. Can all these requests be granted on an emergency basis until she can be notified? or how does that work exactly?

thanks gitana.

I did some research reading articles on the case so I am a bit more updated. Three recorded arguments with police involvement? Hubby is accusing her of mental illness? This does not sound good to me.

I would think that the proper response would be to speak with LE extensively about her "issues". But if no one but the husband is stating this, there is a problem.

I find it unusual that he filed for separation and custody right now. If he could show evidence that she actually was planning to flee with the kids, then maybe it would make sense but she just disappeared.

It is not usual to hire criminal defense attorney for a divorce unless the attorney is a friend. That does happen occasionally. But added to the other issues with this case, something doesn't smell right.

Yes, he can file a TRO and he does not need her to be present to get it. However, if he can't find her to serve her, he would have to serve her via "publication" after a while, getting permission by the court to do so and then putting the summons and petition up at the court house and in a newspaper. He can then proceed and get a default judgment.

I smell a rat but if he really had nothing to do with this and thinks she ran off, this (filing for custody) would be a good way to fish her out.

 

[JBean]

I did some research reading articles on the case so I am a bit more updated. Three recorded arguments with police involvement? Hubby is accusing her of mental illness? This does not sound good to me.

I would think that the proper response would be to speak with LE extensively about her "issues". But if no one but the husband is stating this, there is a problem.

I find it unusual that he filed for separation and custody right now. If he could show evidence that she actually was planning to flee with the kids, then maybe it would make sense but she just disappeared.

It is not usual to hire criminal defense attorney for a divorce unless the attorney is a friend. That does happen occasionally. But added to the other issues with this case, something doesn't smell right.

Yes, he can file a TRO and he does not need her to be present to get it. However, if he can't find her to serve her, he would have to serve her via "publication" after a while, getting permission by the court to do so and then putting the summons and petition up at the court house and in a newspaper. He can then proceed and get a default judgment.

I smell a rat but if he really had nothing to do with this and thinks she ran off, this (filing for custody) would be a good way to fish her out.

Well he is implying that she might take off with the kids, because their passports were removed but the fact of the matter is she had a 24 hour head start, and still brought them home.

Gitana if you wouldn't mind popping in from time to time that would be great. there were some on last night that were wishing for someone like you to answer their questions.
Thanks so much.

 

[gitana1]

I hope this will help:

Gail and her husband were in some domestic situation on the 29th (which may have been at the police station itself). She was given the number to a safe house but went with the kids to a lake home in AL instead. Early on the 30th, she and the kids came back home and got back to TN around noon. At 12:15, she was seen driving off by a neighbor named Susie. Gail had her phone but no driver's license, credit cards, or her passport. She has not been seen since.

She was upset and frightened for a while before her disappearance. We think she called her sister moments before disappearing, but it may have been earlier in the morning. The sister says it was an odd call and she seemed scared.

1. The kids were with her until she dropped them off at the house before she disappeared.

2. She and her husband were in the middle of a legal separation, but it appears they lived in the same home most of the time.

3. Her husband says he was at his mom's house 25 minutes away and went to meet Gail at their home, but she was gone by the time he got there. We're not sure of the time he got to the house.

4. No leads on the Jeep as far as we know. No sign of it.

5. The kids are 9 and 12.

6. He filed an ex parte motion which is here:

http://www.hamiltontn.gov/courts/Chancery/dockets/data/052311.pdf

it's on page 25. Gail went missing on the 30th, he reported her missing on the 2nd, the motion was first filed on May 6. I think this is the first article we saw about the filing:

http://timesfreepress.com/news/2011/may/12/missing-womans-husband-seeks-custody-children/

Thanks alot! So she was seen leaving of her own volition. The plot thickens.

Well he is implying that she might take off with the kids, because their passports were removed but the fact of the matter is she had a 24 hour head start, and still brought them home.

Gitana if you wouldn't mind popping in from time to time that would be great. there were some on last night that were wishing for someone like you to answer their questions.
Thanks so much.

Okay, so he does have some evidence then. We'll see.

I would not mind popping in now and then but if someone has a question, just PM me. I will answer as soon as I can.

When I clicked on this thread and saw a photo of this lady without makeup, I don't know, I just thought, "Oh no." I can't explain but something about her looked fragile and real sweet.

 

[JBean]

gitana, we will pm you thanks so much!

 

[hollyblue]

I was notified that ya'll might have some questions for me about family law issues. Rather than dig through the thread, would you be able to quote this quote when asking so I can find the questions easily?

Thanks!!!

I will look around a little bit though, but it would be great if you could re-ask whatever questions you might have. TIA!!

:clap:Thank you for coming over to Gail's thread. My ?: Can Gail's family (siblings) have a say at all in the upcoming hearing on the children's behalf, scheduled for this Friday? Or her close friend in AL who she gave important docs to hold and was helping her with the divorce process.? TIA

In the beginning he did not allow Gail's sister from NY to even have company with the children or enter his house; as far as we know, that remains the same. She arrived 5/2 and he filed with the firm of Hoss & Davis on 5/6. He is also on administrative leave from his Director's job at BCBS of TN....[rumors of affair in MSM--(with subordinate, also placed on leave)]

Domestic calls to LE were 11/10 and two in April, on the 22nd and 29th.
He stated in his report to LE that she had past psychiatric issues.... depressed, delusional and paranoid, yet allowed Gail to take the children 4 hrs away from the family home overnight on the 29th.

 

[glorias]

Thanks alot! So she was seen leaving of her own volition. The plot thickens.

Okay, so he does have some evidence then. We'll see.

I would not mind popping in now and then but if someone has a question, just PM me. I will answer as soon as I can.

When I clicked on this thread and saw a photo of this lady without makeup, I don't know, I just thought, "Oh no." I can't explain but something about her looked fragile and real sweet.

She did leave on her own, yes. There are theories that someone else unseen was in the Jeep with her, and of course she could have gone to meet someone. The problem is we don't know when people started to miss her. We do know that within 48 hours of Gail driving off, her sister Diane was worried enough to call police herself and file a missing person's report. Only after she did so did Matt call LE himself.

The only person who has mentioned the children's passports is Matt, and I think it was believe09 who said that was in the legal paperwork. It hasn't been in the media. Since Gail gave her own passport to Susie Button who still has it, I don't personally know what to think.

 

[JBean]

She did leave on her own, yes. There are theories that someone else unseen was in the Jeep with her, and of course she could have gone to meet someone. The problem is we don't know when people started to miss her. We do know that within 48 hours of Gail driving off, her sister Diane was worried enough to call police herself and file a missing person's report. Only after she did so did Matt call LE himself.

The only person who has mentioned the children's passports is Matt, and I think it was believe09 who said that was in the legal paperwork. It hasn't been in the media. Since Gail gave her own passport to Susie Button who still has it, I don't personally know what to think.

Yes the information about the passports being gone from the family safe is from the filing by Matt.

>>within the last few days, the Plaintiff was examining the contents of the marital safe and noticed that the defendant had taken the children's passports>>