Rex Butler: Levi Johnston will pay Bristol Palin the outstanding child support "within a week" - UPDATE!

ABC reported just a few minutes ago:

"In a 20-minute hearing Thursday, a judge ordered Levi Johnston to pay child support and retroactive back payments for the care of Tripp, the son he had with Bristol Palin, daughter of former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

On Nov. 3, 2009, Bristol Palin filed a legal petition seeking sole custody of Tripp and child support from Johnston in accordance with Alaska law. She asked for primary custody with visitation rights for Johnston, as well as $1,700 of child support a month.

Rex Butler, attorney for Johnston, told ABC News that his client is eager to make the back payments and will hand over a check within the week.

"The judge decided that Bristol should have child support, which we don't disagree with," Butler told the ABC News Law and Justice Unit. "Fortunately, Levi has put this money aside a long time ago. The back support is going to come out to about $10,000 to $13,000, and he's going to write Bristol a check."

Butler confirmed that Johnston's saved funds came in part from modeling, particularly a much-publicized spread in Playgirl, but said the most important matter going forward was "whether to seek full custody, split custody or whether Levi will be satisfied with reasonable visitation."

"I think split custody is the best of these," Butler said."

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Well, let's hope that the Johnston's get to see Tripp on a regular basis now!

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UPDATE:

The celebrity and media website "monstersandcritics" have an interesting report with new details regarding the custody case, including an interesting new picture of Bristol - check it out! They general opinion in the media now seems to be that Bristol Palin "won the custody case". How on earth could that happen? Didn't Levi originally have the advantage, being faced with an outrageous claim by Bristol in many respects?

They write:

The daughter of Sarah Palin, Bristol, has been awarded interim child support in a court battle with the father of her one-year-old son.

A judge in Alaska ordered Levi Johnston to pay Bristol nearly $18,000 in overdue child support payments, according to reports.

Johnston, a Playgirl cover model, previously claimed his income was too erratic to meet Bristol's original demand of $1,750 per month.

But the 19-year-old teen mum, who is guest-starring in an episode of The Secret Life Of The American Teenager was pleased with the ruling.

Her lawyer, Thomas Van Flein, said: 'Bristol was in court today and she was pleased with the way things went. Levi was not present in court.'

Palin won interim child support for her son, Tripp, and the right to subpoena Johnston's commercial earnings, according to reports.

Van Flein said: 'She still has both physical and legal custody of their son, although she has been working with Levi so that he can see him on Saturdays. The pair are communicating via text and e-mail and are deciding to put their son first – we are actively working with Levi’s lawyer to get a more regular schedule set-up and we hope to have everything in place before the next court date on 23 September.

“The payments amount to around $18,000 and date back to when their son was born, and Levi will be paying around $1,600 a month in ongoing child support payments.'

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Sarah Palin's hypocrisy, an enduring theme: "socialized healthcare" is good enough for the Palin family

Shannyn Moore and earlier the Daily Kos commented on the fact that Bristol Palin's son Tripp Johnston is an enrolled tribal member of the Curyung Tribe and receives health care services at the state of the art Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage.

Recently released documents from the custody battle show clearly Tripp Palin Johnston has socialized health care through Indian Health Services and the Alaska Native Medical Center.

Palin’s family has federally funded health care afforded to them…but if you had, it Barack Obama might kill you. Put this on the list of Palin’s Greatest Hypocritical Hits…Volume 97.

Tripp is eligible to Native health care, according to this document.



Apart from collecting Bristol Bay Native Corporation dividends for himself and his children, Todd has very little involvement in native affairs.



An ADN article gives us some insight into Todd Palin's "nativeness":

Culturally, the Palins live a lifestyle of small-town Alaska. Todd does not take part in Native organizations or tribal politics. He grew up in Glennallen and Wasilla. His Native roots can be seen in his dividends from the Bristol Bay Native Corporation and boyhood visits with his grandma, where he learned to tend fish nets along the Nushagak River.

The Palins are grifters and opportunists as well as world class hypocrites. They are using anything they can to slam Levi at any given opportunity. Levi expected to have to provide health care cover for his son and would have deductions for it, naturally. So the Palins came back with the Native "thingie" to make Levi look bad, reinforcing their hypocrite credentials in the process. After all, Granny Palin is death panelled against socialized health care...

In the meantime, Tripp is receiving free health care thanks to grandad NINO (Native In Name Only).
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Bristol Palin v Levi Johnston, there are too many people trying to get involved...

Dave Smith, Alicia Fix, Eddie Burke and Jessica Beehive should read this report:

A certain Kevin Trudeau, dubbed "The Informacial King" has been found to be in contempt of court and will serve 30 days in prison for asking people to bombard a judge with e-mails.

Trudeau last week put up a plea on his Web site last week telling fans "Kevin needs your voice," and listing the judge's e-mail address, according to the Chicago Tribune.

U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman was not amused when his inbox was subsequently clogged with hundreds of testimonials about the wonders of Trudeau's methods (his "Natural Cures" series has sold millions of books). Some of the e-mails were "harassing, threatening and interfering," the judge said, according to the Sun-Times.

The four people named above did exactly the same thing, using Facebook, Twitter and a radio show to broadcast the e-mail addresses and telephone numbers of two judges involved in the custody case known as Bristol Palin v Levi Johnston, urging their followers to contact the judges. This is the text of the protest, which can be found on Dave Smith's and Alicia Fix's Facebook event page:

" Tripp is not a Political Football "

We want to thank everyone for their time and attention to this matter. Over the Holidays; Superior Court Judge Kari C. Kristiansen issued a ruling under the authority of Superior Court Judge Sharon Gleason. The ruling was a denial to keep the Custody dispute Between Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston over 1 year old Tripp closed.

Judge Kristiansen sited there was no reason to keep this matter private. The Palin's trying to keep the proceedings focused on Tripp, fought for the closing of the proceedings. Levi Johnston argued for an open proceeding. The Decision raises many concerns of Political Hanky Panky; but even more, cannot be justified to be in the best interest of a 1 year old child.

Both of the Judges are appointees of Former Governor Tony Knowles--{ Democrat }. Both of the Judges are up for retention. Fancy for Re-Appointment in 2010. Both have been accused of activist liberal rulings prior.

The Law in Alaska without doubt provides for the closing of a proceeding. The best interest of the child, or other mitigating circumstances is the guide. There is no question both elements are in play here.

We here believe this decision is either one of the worst in Alaskan History; or is in fact: a Politically motivated attempt to harm or perhaps payback Sarah Palin. Perhaps elements of both could also be correct. Barracuda Brigade for Our American Girl! 2012 has decided, since the Judges want a public proceeding; to give them one.

This the address for both Judges.

Alaska Superior Court--XXX. Xth Ave.--Anchorage Alaska-XXXXX - XXXX --Attn: Judge Sharon Gleason/Attn: Judge Kari C. Kristiansen

Judge Gleason's phone#--907-XXX-XXXX
Judge Kristiansen's phone#--907-XXX-XXXX

The Judicial Review Commission of Alaska is set-up in a way, that any protest to them would be handled in this situation by: Judge Sharon Gleason---yep--that is why she had Judge Kristiansen hand down the decision.

The next level up is the Governor, Sean Parnell. His phone# is--907-XXX-XXXX, fax#--907-XXX-XXXX. See link below; under contact: will take you to his e-mail.

The " Tripp is not a Political Football " protest will formally begin on Thursday Jan. 7th at 12pm. cst. We ask all concerned to call, fax and e-mail Governor Parnell: also to call and write both Judges and let them know: Patriots across America find your actions a disgrace to the Judicial system. That our concerns are being directed to the Governor's Office.

The actual Court record will be available shortly, along with the list of retention. We thank you for your time and concern----Dave & Alicia

The protest is ongoing, scheduled to close on May 7.

This protest is rather bizarre. The only political entity involved in this case is Sarah Palin. Levi never had anything to do with politics, apart from being dragged to the Lower 48 to be paraded as Bristol's fiance during the vice presidential campaign. Levi Johnston has no interest in politics, all he wants is to be able to see his child and have a say regarding his upbringing.

It has been reported that Judge Kristiansen received death threats and had to be escorted by state troopers.

The leaders of the protest are not directly involved in the court case in question, so I'm not sure they can be found to be in contempt of court, but I hope there is some legal dispositive to bring these people to book.

As neither Bristol Palin nor her mother saw fit to condemn the actions of these misguided pit bulls on the quitter governor's Facebook page or on Twitter, we must assume they approve of them. Perhaps Judge Kristiansen could find Bristol guilty of something...

At the very least, Bristol is trying to stop her son from having a relationship with his loving father and family by any possible means. Hopefully the judge will be able to see through the Palins' dirty tricks.

They are due in court on February 25. It's going to be ugly...
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Bristol Palin vs Levi Johnston - The art of producing evidence

We have found an interesting timeline of some events surrounding the custody battle between Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston. It was buried in the comments on one of Bree's posts. This post is based on that comment.

The motion for closure of the custody proceedings relating to Tripp Johnston was filed on November 4, 2009.

Bristol Palin's lawyer, Mr Thomas Van Flein, cited Levi's Johnston's Twitter account as a reason to keep the proceedings confidential.

That same night, Levi's tweets were read by William Shatner on Conan O'Brien's show, which really "proved" that Levi's fame and propensity to tweet about private matters would compromise the custody proceedings if they were made public. What a truly extraordinary coincidence...

Conan apologized after Rex Butler, Levi's attorney, pointed out that the Twitter account was a fake.



On November 6, Andrea Gusty, a reporter for KTUU, interviewed Levi and Rex Butler regarding the Twitter incident. Andrea Gusty is the same reporter who validated some photographs taken on April 13, 2008, showing a very pregnant Sarah Palin. Ms Gusty attempted to lead Levi into answering questions about the dirt he had on Sarah.



It seems to me that it's too much of a coincidence that Levi's "tweets" became a comedy item on a popular show exactly on the same day the custody motion, with all its confidentiality clauses, was filed by Bristol Palin. Two days later, a reporter sympathetic to the Palins tried to ambush Levi into talking about the dirt on Sarah Palin, which would reinforce his image as the "bad boy" who can't keep his mouth shut and capitalizes on the Palins fame in pursuit of cheap publicity for himself.

What an amazing coincidence that the "facts" about Levi's indiscretions fit the "evidence" presented in the custody motion!

When it comes to the Palins, do we believe in coincidences?

(H/T to deb in WI)
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Levi Johnston on The Insider (video) - "I am in the process of writing a tell-all book and will tell everything"

It looks like Levi will not be put down or curl up and go to sleep.

Levi has the right to see his son, but the Palins make it very, very difficult, then accuse him of not being involved in Tripp's life. It's a real shame that Bristol Palin is sacrificing her son's emotional health by not allowing Tripp to have a loving relationship with his father.

Bristol has embarked on a PR campaign with her mother. They have appeared as "mother and daughter bringing up their babies together" in a gossip magazine, gave an interview to Oprah, where Bristol emerged as a born again virgin, talking about how she feels so lonely.

Bristol, you don't have to do it alone, Levi is more than willing to participate in all the chores involved in bringing up the baby you share. The baby your mother will not allow you to share.

Shame on you, Bristol Palin. Shame, shame on you, Sarah Palin.
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Bristol Palin and the custody trial: Interested in confidentiality, or hypocrisy as usual? Part 2 - UPDATE

This is a follow-up to a previous post, "Bristol Palin and the custody trial: Interested in confidentiality, or hypocrisy as usual?".

Our friend Older_Wiser had a closer look at all three pdf documents of Bristol's motion for child support and noticed something curious: the documents received by Riehl and ET Online, with time stamps, were created after the document was filed at 4:03 pm on January 21, 2010.

(Date and time stamps on Riehl and ET Online documents)

The TMZ document was created at 14:49 by "chelsea" on January 21 and modified on the same date at 18:28. It has no time stamp. This information can be obtained by right clicking on the pdf and looking at the document properties.

Therefore, the pdf document that TMZ had posted was created before it was filed with the court more than one hour later on January 21!

(No time stamp on TMZ document)

How come TMZ were the only recipients of a document without a time stamp, created before the filing? Who had access to this document before it was filed? Who sent it to TMZ? There are a few possibilities.

1. Thomas Van Flein - All documents contained in the pdf: motion, letter to Rex Butler, Bristol's affidavit and the wishful thinking approval of the motion originated from Van Flein's office, they were all typed by somebody in that office.
2. The Palins - They could have received a copy for approval before the actual filing.
3. The Notary Public, Chelsea Greene - Is "chelsea", creator of the document, a random Chelsea who works for TMZ (highly unlikely) or is she Chelsea Greene, the notary public who seems to work closely together with Van Flein ? TMZ's pdf is covered in their watermark, possibly added at 18:28, when the document was altered, according to the properties of the document.
4. Rex Butler - His office did receive a copy, but it was sent by first class mail, not electronically. We don't know how long it takes for first class mail to be delivered in Anchorage. The TMZ article was posted on January 22, at 8 am (7 am in Alaska). CORRECTION: The article in TMZ was posted already on January 22 at 2.00 am, see the update below!

Two of these people don't appear to have an interest in sending the document to TMZ: Chelsea Greene, who has nothing to gain and lot to lose by doing so, unless she has a close connection to Van Flein's office? Rex Butler, who wouldn't have sent it to people who had been hostile to Levi in previous articles and doesn't appear to have had time to do it, unless Van Flein's office sent another copy by e-mail on the same day the papers were filed. Still, it wouldn't have been in his client's best interests. In addition, Rex hadn't even written a response to Van Flein's motion.

That leaves Thomas Van Flein or somebody from his office and the Palins.

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UPDATE:

carriesblank sent us a correction regarding the time TMZ published the document:

Just one correction. TMZ first posted these docs on Jan. 22 somewhere around 2:00 a.m. not 8:00. eastern time. I saw the post about 3:00 am and sent you and Bree the link around 3:30 a.m. The 8:00 that TMZ has on the post now is because they updated the post with Tank Jones comments.

Thank you for the clarification, carriesblank. This information and series of events clearly rules out Rex Butler as a candidate for the leak.
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Bristol v Levi - the plot thickens... - UPDATE! LEVI JOHNSTON DEFENDS HIMSELF!

Bristol Palin has filed a motion for interim child support in which she asks for 20% of Levi's earnings for 2009, that, on information and belief, were estimated to be in excess of $105,000. She is asking for $1,750 per month, retroactive to December 27, 2009. As Levi had already contributed $4,400, Bristol would be content to receive $18,350.



According to Alaskan law:

"The custodial parent may request child support from the date the parents separated (even if that was long ago).

The order will tell you when you started owing child support, and when payments are due. "

Did Bristol and Levi split up before or on the very day Tripp was born?

She seems to be guessing how much Levi earned:

Our retroactive virgin wants a piece of Levi's cake, but she doesn't want the world to know how big her own cake is.

Please note that Van Flein says that Levi wants ALL OF HIS information pertaining to this case to be public. No, he wanted ALL of the information regarding the case to be public in order to protect himself from Granny Palin's dirty tricks...

We wonder whether Rex and Levi will get the message that the Palin camp wants Bristol's financial information to be confidential. Van Flein repeated it enough times in his letter...

Levi does not appear to have responded to any of it. Is he happy with the proposed amount and the confidentiality stipulation? Or is he preparing a "big strike" for a future permanent order, demanding Bristol's earnings to be disclosed?

Page 8 of the pdf of the court documents shows an order granting motion for interim child support. Please note that it's NOT signed by the judge.

TMZ, the people who published photos of Sarah Palin in Hawaii (they took the nice photos, not the celulite ones), are now having fun mocking Levi, with a succession of unflattering articles. We can only guess how much they took to sell their souls to the Palins.

We should show Levi some support by visiting TMZ and leaving some comments to set the record straight. After all, Bristol earned (on information and belief) considerably more than Levi in 2009. ALL her photoshoots included Tripp, she made her money pimping Tripp all over the place. We don't remember seeing Tripp in the pistachio ad or in the shower with Levi for his "porn" debut.

Mother and daughter are bringing up their bundles of joy in strikingly similar fashion. Poor Trig was paraded at all hours, in any weather, to sell books. Tripp fared a bit better so far, he just had to be cute in the sink and eat some birthday cake as the poster child for abstinence. But give Bristol some time to catch up with Granny Palin, she's a novice. After all, granny had a head start, she has pimped her children for a long time, by now she's a real pro!

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UPDATE (by Patrick):

There is explosive news - the battle is heating up! Rex Butler now basically accuses Bristol Palin of lying.

It seems to me that Sarah Palin tries to play dirty again - just like in the case against Trooper Wooten!

TMZ reports:

Attorney Rex Butler tells TMZ, Levi has told Bristol on several occasions he wanted her to come to his house to pick up checks for Tripp's support. Butler says Levi also told her "it would be nice" if she brought Tripp along when she picked up the checks, because Levi wanted to spend time with his son. Butler says on each occasion Bristol was a no-show.

Butler says Bristol is partly to blame for the fact that she hasn't gotten the support she wants. Butler tells TMZ on one occasion Levi was prepared to hand over $3,000 ... but Bristol never showed.

As for why Levi didn't just put the check in the mail ... Butler says, "Why should he have to do that. He's not dangerous to her."

As we first reported, Bristol filed legal docs late Thursday asking for $1,750 a month in child support from Levi, claiming he's only paid $4,400 since Tripp was born. Levi's manager says the Playgirl model has forked over more than $10K.

Butler would not tell us how much Levi made in 2009, but says it's significantly less than $250,000.

And, Butler says, Bristol's been driving around in a $60,000 Cadillac Escalade that he believes Sarah Palin bought ... and he thinks Sarah is controlling Bristol and is behind the latest legal move.

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UPDATE 2 (by Patrick):

ET Online reports that Levi Johnston defends himself against allegations made by Van Flein and by the media:

In an exclusive interview with ET, Levi says he believes he has given Bristol more than she claims. "I don't really know but my lawyer does. But it's reasonable, what he thought was fair. For them to call me a deadbeat dad's absurd. I attempt to call her all the time and give her texts to make sure he's doing well ... I call her all the time. I try and do everything I can to see my son. I'm making an effort. I'm trying to be there for him."

(h/t) EyeOnYou!

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Bristol Palin hits the tabloids again for six-figure cover-story deal - PALINGATES EXCLUSIVE

Written by Regina and Patrick

We have learned exclusively that Bristol is about to make the cover story for yet another US tabloid magazine. Bristol has posed for several pictures together with Tripp for a six-figure fee, and most of the Palin family will be featured. It seems that it takes a six-figure sum to get the Palin family all together in one room. Apparently Bristol's lawyer Thomas Van Flein was involved in the negotiations with the magazine. Expect the magazine to hit the stands this week.

Bristol’s new foray into the tabloids gives us the opportunity to look back at the sad history of accusations that the Palin family has made against Levi Johnston – for example, that he is seeking “fame, attention and fortune” (Meg Stapleton) and obtaining “money by selling stories to the media about his son Tripp” (Thomas Van Flein).

As usual, the Palins thoroughly deserve the title “hypocrites of the year”.

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Life has never been the same for Levi Johnston since he was paraded in front of the world as Bristol Palin's fiancé, a situation that he never appeared comfortable with when you look back at photos of him on the campaign trail. Alas, and perhaps predictably, Levi and Bristol split up, and an unemployed Levi (thanks to Granny Palin) had to reconsider his options and embarked on a new career in order to provide for his son Tripp and his mother and sister.

As someone who was once close to the Palin family, Levi's opinion was sought by reporters whenever Sarah Palin made the news, he didn't chase them.

On Sarah Palin's resignation:

Levi Johnston told reporters Thursday night that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin decided to resign from office for the money.

Johnston claimed that in December he heard Palin talking about "how nice it would be to take some of this money people have been offering us and just run with it, and saying, 'Forget everything else.'"

Johnston, the former fiancé of the governor's daughter, said the offers Palin was referring to came from "books, talk shows, whatever, things like that."

Levi appeared on some chat shows and gave interviews. The Palin camp was not happy:

"We're disappointed that Levi and his family, in a quest for fame, attention and fortune, are engaging in flat-out lies, gross exaggeration, and even distortion of their relationship," Stapleton said in a statement.

Even Chuck Heath had something to say:

US Weekly: (direct link no longer works, here's an alternative)

"I don't agree with what he's doing right now," Heath told Us Weekly of Johnston's press tour. "It's not right. He's broke, so he's trying to capitalize on this. I wish he’d take some of this money he’s making and buy some diapers with it."

But he took back his words:

RadarOnline:

Heath says he never made those remarks and even defends the unemployed teenager. “I didn’t say most of that stuff—that’s a bunch of garbage. I don’t know how they came up with that. The only thing I said—and that was said jokingly, that was kind of in jest about the diapers,” Heath explained to RadarOnline. As for his feelings on Johnston hitting the media circuit, Heath cuts the teenager some slack. “It’s up to him. He’s a kid. I have no bone to pick with Levi, he’s a good kid.”

Now Bristol Palin is taking the "good kid" to court, seeking sole legal custody of their son Tripp.

In her affidavit, under point 9, Bristol boldly claims:

“I cannot imagine any reason why Levi Johnston would think that having this custody proceeding take place in the media spotlight would be in Tripp's best interests. It appears that the only reason Levi wants this case to remain public is so that he can continue to capitalize on his name and this case by selling stories to the media. To my knowledge, Levi's media exposure is currently his only source of income. That leads me to believe that Levi's interest in keeping this case unsealed is purely financial. Levi's interest in self-promotion has nothing to do with Tripp's best interest.”

Screenshot:


Van Flein had no hesitation to add:

"Further, as the record already demonstrates, scurrilous scandal publications like Vanity Fair and the National Enquirer will pay money for falsehoods or any statement coming from these proceedings. Neither Levi Johnston, nor any member of the Johnston family, should continue to profit off of Tripp Palin by seeking media attention and money for "stories"."

Van Flein also drew attention in the custody trial to Levi's means of earning a living, asserting that he exploits her family and baby Tripp through the media, saying that Levi “has obtained money by selling stories to the media about his son Tripp, ex-fiance Bristol , and the Palin family in general, but otherwise has not gone to school to learn a trade or obtain a degree.”

Screenshot:


Furthermore, Van Flein cited Levi’s commitments as one of the reasons why he would be unable to offer a stable environment for the child, to which Levi responded quite convincingly.

Screenshot of Levi's response:


In his reply from December 23, 2009, Bristol’s lawyer Van Flein went even further:

"In reviewing the Opposition brief, and Mr. Johnston's affidavit, one thing stands out: Mr. Johnston focuses only on himself, he does not mention the impact on Tripp or show any real concern that a public media circus could have on Tripp or these proceedings.

These gravamen of all child custody proceedings is the best interests of the child.

Yet all Mr. Johnston refers to is his own self-interest, his own interest in endless publicity, his desire for press-mongering, and his appetite for self-aggrandizment. This matter is about Tripp.

Nothing in Mr. Johnston's Opposition suggests that Tripp will benefit from daily news accounts and salacious interviews by Levi with scandal hungry tabloids.”

It’s clear that Bristol, Van Flein and the mastermind in the background, Sarah Palin, are not happy when Levi talks to tabloids – because the tabloids should be exclusively reserved for the Palins, who just love to fill their bank accounts with sweet tabloid dollars!

In addition, we can't remember watching Levi on national television with an "out-cold" Tripp on his lap.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Levi posed with Tripp for a few photos for a magazine spread, but Tripp didn't appear on the cover.

Bristol was happy to appear with Tripp on the cover of People Magazine.

Compared to Bristol, Levi has exploited Tripp a lot less.

This pretense of virtue and propriety by the Palins has to stop, otherwise the damage to Tripp’s wellbeing will likely affect him as he grows older. Tripp needs both his mother and his father in his life. He needs to be secure in the knowledge that BOTH his parents shared in the responsibility of his financial and emotional welfare on an equal basis and that need can be recognised through shared custody.
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Palin-Johnston custody trial: Some inconvenient facts - The case of Diana Palin - NEW PICTURES! - UPDATE 2

Thomas Van Flein knows how to do his duty.

In his petition for custody on behalf of Bristol Palin, he dutifully points out all negative facts which could speak against Levi Johnston (including messages from Levi's fake twitter account). For example, he strongly emphasizes the fact that Levi Johnston's mother, as everyone knows, had been convicted for dealing drugs and writes:

"Ms. Johnston is a convicted felon. She is also a chronic pain patient and undergoes daily, regular, and sustained narcotic infusions. The side effects of such narcotics are well known, but often include sleepiness. The baby cannot be left with Sherry Johnston without someone else there to supervise, as Ms. Johnston could fall asleep or be too drowsy to appropriately monitor the baby. Further, in light of the illegal drug dealing by Ms. Johnston, there is a risk that she may re-offend, keep medications around the house which could be accessible to the baby, have illegal drug users come to her house (or she could take the baby in her car during a drug sale), or otherwise engage in behaviour (criminal or negligent) which could result in a variety of harms to the baby. For these reasons, any visitation schedule for Mrs. Johnston should be conditioned on a neutral third party supervisor, paid for by Ms. Johnston."

Screenshots (click to enlarge):



Accordingly, we here at palingates feel that we have to do our duty, too!

Which is to continue to expose the truth behind the deceitful facade which Queen Sarah has created!

There is one subject on which our team has done extensive research, starting several months ago, and we have patiently waited for the right time to publish these inconvenient facts. This right time has come now, as the Palins use the conviction of Sherry Johnston as an argument in the custody battle.

I am talking about the subject of Diana Palin.

Diana Palin is the half-sister of Todd Palin. Apparently they share the same father, Jim Palin. We are not aware of the identity of Diana Palin's mother at this point.


Diana Palin in November 2008:

Diana Palin around November 5, 2008 at Biltmore Hotel Resort in Arizona, holding Trig Palin. In the background Sarah Palin's sister Molly with one of her sons. Diana Palin posted this picture on her myspace-account.


Diana Palin in April 2009:

(click on pictures to enlarge)

On April 2, 2009, Diana Palin, Todd Palin’s half-sister was arrested after police say she broke into a Wasilla home for the second time in a week to steal money. The ADN reported the story on April 3, 2009 and followed up on April 13, 2009 with a report about the indictment by a grand jury on burglary, theft and trespass charges related to three break-ins at a Wasilla home:

"Police say she broke into a home on West Mill Site Circle owned by Theodore Turcott to steal cash. Turcott told investigators he'd lost nearly $2,600 in two prior burglaries, so when he saw an unfamiliar car pull into his driveway, he waited in a bathroom for Palin and confronted her after she headed straight for a cabinet where he kept his money, according to a police affidavit filed by officer Jentry Crain. Palin's 4-year-old daughter came into the home as her mother was being detained by Turcott, who was armed, police and prosecutors say.

On April 2, police arrested Palin for that day's break-in and also for a burglary March 31 in which nearly $400 was taken from Turcott's home.

The grand jury on Friday indicted Palin for those break-ins, and also for one March 26 in which $2,200 was stolen, according to court documents."

Since then, not too much else has been reported, although the court dockets for Diana Palin's criminal trial show that the proceedings are still "in full swing". From the court dockets it is also apparent that Diana Palin was granted a privilege which Sherry Johnston didn't enjoy: Confidentiality. In December 2009, a "confidential presentence report" was presented to the court.

In addition, Diana Palin also didn't have to wear pink handcuffs which are designed to humiliate the accused person - unlike Sherry Johnston.

The visible dramatic deterioration of Diana Palin's appearance from November 2008 to April 2009 and the repeated burglaries can in my opinion only be explained the the abuse of hard drugs. This graphic, detailing the horrible effects of the use of methamphetamine, shows what I am talking about.

However, we don't know for certain which drugs Diana Palin has taken, as no reports seem to be available - convenient for Sarah Palin, who of course didn't mention Diana Palin in "Going Rogue". What doesn't fit into Sarah's picture of a model-family has to be erased from memory.

However, "Alaska Dispatch" thankfully reported more details on October 2, 2009:

"Palin's bail was set at $10,000, but she served five months in jail, the majority of the time at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in Eagle River.

Josh Fannon, Palin's attorney, successfully filed multiple requests to delay her court appearances, and on May 19 wrote, "Ms. Palin has appointments with a treatment center at Hiland and if she is moved for a court hearing she will miss her appointments."

Fannon declined to talk about Palin's case except to say that, "Without commenting on her, some people stay there for longer because of classes or treatments or other objectives they might have."

The Wasilla Police Department declined to comment, as did Sarah Palin's spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton.

On Aug. 29, Palin was released into a residential program at Akeela House, an Anchorage nonprofit that provides treatment for alcohol and substance abuse. Under her terms of release, she must finish the residential program."

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How close was Diana Palin to the rest of the Palin family?

More screenshots from her myspace-account give us some hints - Diana Palin with Sarah Palin, Todd Palin, Willow Palin, Wendy Palin, Miranda Palin - and Piper Palin! In addition, Diana Palin also posts a group picture which shows Bristol Palin and Lauden Bruce (daughter of Sarah Palin's sister Heather).

Click to enlarge:


Apart from that, we have another screenshot from her myspace account which is one of my favourite screenshots of all times:



Diana Palin:

"I really love dysfunctional families. Especially mine - crazy thing is - the more you go through - the better it gets. That is if you hang in long enough!!"

This has to be the first blatantly honest statement I have ever heard from a Palin. It's really like a breath of fresh air...

How do we know that the picture in which Diana Palin holds Trig was taken at the beginning of November 2008?

The ultra-conservative Washington Times reported on November 6, 2008:

"Superstar Gov. Sarah Palin spent Wednesday poolside at the luxurious Biltmore Hotel Resort and Spa, surrounded by her children, would-be "first dude" (aka husband Todd), and a slew of family and friends. Dressed in a pair of gym shorts, a Pittsburgh Penguins T-shirt and some big, dark sunglasses, the Alaska governor drew a nonstop flow of the curious, and graciously posed for photos with fans bold enough to speak to her (some poolgoers simply stopped by, took a few snaps and left) Her unruly mob of children, led by the precocious Piper, 7, spent much of the day slipping down a huge water slide. "Piper! Piper!" the other kids yelled as she led a gang up the steps to the top of the slide. They hardly slowed for lunch, and apparently, the governor over-ordered... (Palin's sister walked over to your blogster and said, "Do you by any chance want a cheeseburger? Sarah ordered way too much food and I hate to see it go to waste." Your blogster ate said burger, dubbed by another reporter on hearing the story a "Palin Burger." No, it wasn't moose)."

Here are two pictures from the pool at Biltmore Hotel Resort in Arizona:




Here is the comparison with the picture of Diana Palin holding Trig:


Sarah Palin's sister Molly and her son (who, as we believe, is called "Heath Wooten") are also pictured here, together with Sarah Palin, Willow and Bristol:


The picture above which was taken on September 14, 2007 shows, by the way, Bristol Palin while she was pregnant with Trig. But that is an entirely different story...

EDIT: In the comments, the question came up whether the picture above really was taken on September 14, 2007. The answer: YES, it was. This photo album on flickr will answer all your questions regarding this picture.

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UPDATE:

I had mentioned that we didn't yet know the identity of Diana Palin's mother. This has changed, therefore an update is necessary, also thanks to our resourceful readers! In addition, the research of Diana's mother's background led us straight into the "twilight zone" again, surprise, surprise! It seems that this is what you inevitably have to deal with if you research facts surrounding "the Palins" (poor Michael Palin - Monty Python, of course - he will ask for a name change if this is all over...).

Ok, here we go:

Diana Palin's mother was Elayne Ingram.

One of our readers (thank you!) sent us the text of the two marriage announcements of Diana Palin, which were published in the ADN:

Anchorage Daily News (AK) - Monday, June 20, 1994

Diana Dee Palin and Howard Peterson III were married May 14 at Matanuska Lake in Palmer.

Both Diana and Howard are Wasilla High graduates. Their parents are Howard and Gloria Peterson of Wasilla; and Elayne Ingrim of Barrow and James Palin of Wasilla.
___

Anchorage Daily News (AK) - Monday, August 25, 2003

Diana Dee Palin and Scott James McLean were married June 7 in Cooper Landing.

Diana is the daughter of Elayne Ingram of Dillingham and Faye and Jim Palin of Wasilla. She is a 1992 graduate of Wasilla High School and is employed as a major account executive at ACS Wireless. She enjoys fishing with her husband and reading.

Scott is the son of Linda and Mike Quamme of Grand Forks, N.D., and Jim McLean of Prescott, Ariz. He graduated from Red River High School in Grand Forks and works as a ramp agent for FedEx. Scott enjoys fishing, coaching, hockey and flying.

The couple met through parents of players on Scott's hockey team.

The ceremony was at Kenai Lake Baptist Church in Cooper Landing, the bridegroom's favorite fishing area. Willie Johnson officiated. Wendy Palin was matron of honor, and Kraig Rygg was best man. Bridesmaids were Melanie Hoff, Ashley Barney and Laura Young, and Denali Peterson was flower girl. Groomsmen were Donny Taylor, Corey Anderson, Brian Olson and Cody McLean, with Keanan Vivian as ring-bearer.

The reception was at Kenai Princess Lodge. The couple honeymooned at a riverfront cabin on the Kenai River and enjoyed fishing.

Therefore we know that Elayne Ingram and James (Jim) Palin are the parents of Diana Palin.

On a sidenote: Blanche Kallstrom and the same James (Jim) Palin are the parents of Todd Palin.

Let us continue:

In addition, we have the obituary of Jeremy Andrew Lewis, who died in July 2005 "at home in Glennallen", just 23 years old. The obituary in the ADN reads:

GLENNALLEN

Jeremy Lewis, 23

Lifelong Alaska resident Jeremy Andrew Lewis, 23, died July 22, 2005, at home in Glennallen.

A graveside ceremony will be at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Lake Nerka in Dillingham, where he will be laid to rest next to his mother. A potluck will be afterward at the home of his aunt, Shirley Murphy. Call Diana Palin-McLean at 1-907-715-8165 or 1-907-745-3036 for details.

Mr. Lewis was born Sept. 17, 1981, in Glennallen "to loving parents Elayne Ingram and Paul Lewis, and four adoring big sisters," his family wrote. "Throughout his life, he was a resident of Dillingham and Glennallen, where he loved to play hockey, listen to music and hang out with friends and family. He left this world too soon. ... He is deeply missed and will be thought of every day, forever."

He is survived by his father, Paul Lewis; sisters, Dana Bartmen, Margaret Wallona, Laura Lemons-Young, and Diana Palin-McLean; grandmother, Lillian Ingram; and many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins.

Arrangements are with Evergreen Memorial Chapel.

There are several things to mention here:

Jeremy Andrew Lewis was the son of Elayne Ingram and Paul Lewis.

Paul Lewis was the third husband of Elayne Ingram. The name of the first husband we don't know yet, the second husband was James (Jim) Palin.

Why do we know that?

Because Elayne Ingram had four daughters. The youngest daughter was Diana Palin (see below). Elayne had three daughters in her first marriage. Therefore James (Jim) Palin apparently was her second husband.

In addition, Jeremy Andrew Lewis was therefore Diana Palin's half-brother.

What did he die of, at the age of 23, at home? I rather don't want to speculate.

From this obituary we can also see that Elayne Ingram is not alive anymore, as Jeremy "will rest next to his mother."

But now comes the most interesting part:

Elayne Ingram gave a long, taped interview in 2001 to the "Center for Alaska Native and Health Research", which is still available online (audio and transcript).

In this interview, Elayne describes in detail her battle with alcoholism and also the alcoholism of her husbands.

In the interview, Elayne said:

"(...) Then I got married at age 19 and had my first daughter at age 20. And at that point in time we still weren't heavy drinkers. But we moved out to Oregon and when my husband at the time was with his buddies then the drinking escalated. I still don't feel like I was an alcoholic at that point in time. I was definitely a battered wife at that time. And I ended up leaving him briefly and then going back to him. We finally divorced after three kids. After I saw that in that marriage that somebody was going to die, because the beatings by then were so bad that I weighed 96 pounds, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, my mind was racing. I had attempted suicide I thought if I committed suicide that would be a way out but then at the last minute I envisioned my kids growing up with him and that thought was horrifying. It was at a point where I figured it was going to be me that died and somehow, someway God gave me the strength to get up one morning and just pack our stuff and then away we went me and the kids. But I was so emotionally distraught at that point in time. I don't know, I didn't have the strength personally to do what I did. You know to get out.

Shortly thereafter I was remarried. I dated this guy who could provided better financially for us. Hindsight is 20/20 and we lived so poorly in my first marriage that I was looking for security. And I found it. And then I worked on the pipeline. And when I became financially secure I left him. By then the drinking… it was alcoholic drinking by then.

DANTE: For both of you?

ELAYNE: For both me and my second husband … It was, the drinking had escalated and by then I had four kids. It seemed like every time I got a divorced I ended up with one more kid and less money than when I went into the marriage. (...)"

In conclusion, following Elayne Ingram's own words, her second husband, James (Jim) Palin, who is also the father of Todd Palin, was an alcoholic, at least during the time when he was married with Elayne.

Never a boring moment with the Palins. I don't enjoy researching these tragic details, but I feel that it is our duty to do it, as we are currently the only ones who seem to be interested to get to know the truth about Sarah Palin's "model-family".

+++

UPDATE 2:

One of our wonderful readers found a page from the Daily Sitka Sentinel from November 20, 1995 which proves that the name of Elayne Ingram's first husband was Larry Lemons.

Screenshots (click to enlarge):





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Bristol Palin vs. Levi Johnston: The Custody Battle - UPDATE: COURT DOCUMENTS PUBLISHED! READ THE AFFIDAVIT BY BRISTOL PALIN! +++MORE UPDATES+++

If you mess with a Palin, you might need a good lawyer - and you should expect the worst.

Trooper Wooten found this out the hard way in 2005. He learned that Sarah Palin has no hesitation to use the courts for a nasty "pre-emptive strike".

Andrew Halcro reported the story in 2008:

"In 2005, Palin and her sister Molly went to the Palmer Courthouse while Mike Wooten was in Portland with his stepson. They convinced a judge to grant Molly a domestic violence restraining order against Wooten. This was done so Molly could retain full custody of the children.

When Wooten returned from Portland, he realized that there was a order prohibiting him from seeing his kids. Three weeks later, Wooten was granted an appearance in front of the couple's divorce judge.

In front of Judge Suddock, Molly testified that Wooten never hit her or never physically abused her or ever touched the children. She told the judge she was feeling pressure from her family to file the order.

Suddock immediately dissolved the order because there was no proof of any domestic violence and called the order an abuse of the legal system. He then scolded Palin's sister for keeping Wooten's kids away from him."

Now I have the feeling that we might be able to watch "Troopergate Reloaded". As it was reported today in the national media and already extensively discussed in the comments of the previous thread, Bristol Palin filed for sole custody of "Tripp Johnston-Palin" on November 4, 2009.

Here is the link to the court records.

My feeling is that Sarah Palin, this time impersonated by Bristol Palin, revived her old strategy - and it looks like it will be her Waterloo, again.

The commenter Stephanie, who is a lawyer, if I recall correctly, posted interesting first observations of the events on Immoral Minority:

"A couple of observations from the docket entries:

The initial motions were filed ex parte--that is, initially without prior notice or any opportunity to respond afforded to Levi.

Before Levi's attorney even had a chance to enter an appearance on his behalf, Van Flein already had filed, and the Court had denied, a slew of motions seeking: (1) to have Levi held in contempt; (2) to have Levi pay Bristol's legal fees & costs; and (3) to shorten Levi's statutory time to responsd to the petition for custody. (See 11/09 entries.)

On December 9, Rex Butler filed an answer to the petition for custody. That of course has not been ruled on, and will be the subject of the custody proceedings Van Flein unsuccessfully sought to close and keep from the public record by use of pseudonyms.

Following that, on December 23, there was a flurry of filings: the Court received from Van Flein a reply to Butler's oppositions to the ex parte motions (and appears to have denied Van Flein's request for oral argument on those motions), but denied all of Van Flein's ex parte motions--not only the motions to substitute pseudonyms, but also the motions to close the proceedings and for protective orders.

It is not entirely clear from the docket entry, but it appears that on December 23 Van Flein also applied for an extension of time in which to file his own reply to Butler's answer to the petition for custody. If so, it appears that Van Flein is asking for more time to respond to a (responsive) filing for which he unsuccessfully asked the Court to shorten the period of time granted to Levi to respond.

Let's just say it's my impression that an extraordinary amount of lawyer hours are being devoted to generating a flood of procedural motions against a nineteen-year-old boy."

Then, Andrew Sullivan weighed in.

The latest details were published by "Alaska Dispatch":

"On Nov. 4, Palin filed for sole custody of Tripp Johnston-Palin, the former couple's son, who celebrates his first birthday today. Kristiansen initially issued temporary orders limiting access to the case file and allowing the parties to file under pseudonyms.

Johnston wasn't playing along, however. In an opposition to Palin's motion for a gag order, Johnston's attorney, Rex Butler, said: "Simply put, this matter is public in nature, the courts are not refuges for the scions of the elite to obtain private dispensation of their legal matters because the public at large has an interest in the proceedings."

There's another factor in the mix, of course: Palin's mother, former governor Sarah Palin, with whom Johnston has repeatedly locked horns in the press, and from whom he claims to fear retaliation.

"I do not feel protected against Sarah Palin in a closed proceeding," Johnston said in an affidavit accompanying Butler's filings. "I hope that if it is open she will stay out of it. ... I think a public case might go a long way in reducing Sarah Palin's instinct to attack and allow the real parties in this litigation, Bristol and I, to work things out a lot more peacefully than we could if there is any more meddling from Sarah Palin."

Johnston's affidavit did not disclose exactly what "meddling," if any, the former governor has engaged in during the custody case's brief lifetime; however, he theorized that the closed proceedings might be intended to conceal some "fairly aggressive" tactics."

(h/t EyeOnYou - thanks!)

I cannot help thinking that it's quite funny that Palingates never needed a lawyer to defend ourselves against Sarah Palin - despite the fact that we published very embarassing facts about her, like the fact that Sarah Palin faked her pregnancy with Trig!

Why is that?

Because facts are facts - challenging them is a futile exercise, a no-win situation.

Even a Palin understands that.

But the Palins seem to love their custody battles - and luckily, Levi Johnston apparently has what he needs: A good lawyer.

I just don't understand at this point why Levi didn't strike first and started the custody proceedings himself. Did Team Levi underestimate Sarah? If this was the case, they should better not make this mistake again.

+++

UPDATE (h/t again EyeOnYou):

The original court documents have been published by Alaska Dispatch!

Here is the DOWNLOAD LINK.

EDIT: The download link given above is for the document which contains 64 pages and in which Van Flein pushes for closed custody proceedings. The affidavit of Bristol Palin is included in this document. For the complete set of all 5 documents from the custody proceedings which are available, see Update 4 of this post below!

I haven't had the chance to look through the documents yet, but I am sure that they will be a fascinating read, as the Palins always understand how to provide good entertainment!

How is it possible that the documents are now publicly available? Is there a lawyer who could explain? Is this a leak or standard procedure?

EDIT: The commenter Stephanie, who I mentioned above, just sent me an email and explained why the court documents are public - thank you, Stephanie!

She says:

"In answer to your question about why the custody documents are available: as court filings they are presumptively public documents. Such documents always are public unless a Court grants a motion to seal or impound them. Their availability to the public temporarily was forestalled while the Court had under consideration the plaintiff's motion to seal them (the apparent subject of the rejected "protective order") and use pseudonyms. When those motions were denied, the documents reverted to their presumptively public status (and you'll note that at that point the parties' actual names seem to have been pasted into the documents, without regard to the appropriate part of the sentence and thus tend to be missing the possessive form, etc.; they must originally have been filed with pseudonyms, and some poor clerk probably had to print out the parties' names and paste them in at all of the appropriate spots without regard to grammatical content)."

I will provide another download link for the documents in a minute, just in case.

EDIT: Here is now the second download link of the same document.

For the download links to all available documents, please see Update 4 below!

+++

UPDATE 2:

As expected, Van Flein plays dirty and babbles about "Levi Johnston's foray into the porn industry."

In addition, Team Levi's contacts to Gryphen are also heavily featured.

Screenshot (click to enlarge):

+++

UPDATE 3:

More strong stuff! Bristol was homeschooled by Sarah alright, it seems!

The documents include an affidavit by Bristol Palin herself, signed on December 22, 2009!

Not a nice Christmas present.

In this document, Bristol Palin testifies under oath (if this is the correct legal term):

"1. I am the mother of Tripp Johnston-Palin.

2. Due to the overwhelming media interest in my family and in Levi Johnston, I believe it would be in Tripp's best interest for this custody matter to be closed, and for everyone associated with this case to refrain from talking to the media about this case.

3. My mother, Sarah Palin, is not involved in this custody matter other than as a grandmother, so Levi Johnston has no need to be "protected" from her. This case is between me an Levi; my mother has nothing to do with it.

(...)

7. As can be seen by all of the previous media publications cited in my original Motion to close these proceedings and for a gag order, Levi Johnston has used the media to cause my family (and myself) embarrassment. Levi's family (Mercedes (sic) Johnston in particular) has previously attacked my character in the media and made disparaging remarks about me and about custody issues.

8. I believe that Levi Johnston will soon be filming a reality show in Alaska. I do not believe it would be in Tripp's best interest for Levi's reality show to be filming this case as it unfolds, or for Levi Johnston to be capitalizing off of this custody case through his reality show.

9. I cannot imagine any reason why Levi Johnston would think that having this custody proceeding take place in the media spotlight would be in Tripp's best interests. It appears that the only reason Levi wants this case to remain public is so that he can continue to capitalize on his name and this case by selling stories to the media. To my knowledge, Levi's media exposure is currently his only source of income. That leads me to believe that Levi's interest in keeping this case unsealed is purely financial. Levi's interest in self-promotion has nothing to do with Tripp's best interest."

Screenshot (click to enlarge):

+++

UPDATE 4:

Here are the complete court documents, as published by Alaska Dispatch (click to download):

1. Levi Johnstons's answer to custody petition.

2. Levi Johnston's opposition to closed proceedings.

3. Palin's push for closed proceedings.

4. Judge's order.

5. Palin's arguments to secret proceedings.

+++

UPDATE 5:

This is hilarious! Van Flein uses a twitter-message from Levi Johnston's FAKE TWITTER ACCOUNT as evidence!

This part can be found in document No 5 (see my update 4 above).

Screenshot (click to enlarge):

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UPDATE 6:

I just cannot stop reading! Van Flein really gives it all:

"Further, as the record already demonstrates, scurrilous scandal publications like Vanity Fair and the National Enquirer will pay money for falsehoods or any statement coming from these proceedings. Neither Levi Johnston, nor any member of the Johnston family, should continue to profit off of Tripp Palin by seeking media attention and money for "stories"."

Screenshot (click to enlarge):


Vanity Fair is a "scurrilous scandal publication"?

Profiting from Tripp Palin, by seeking media attention and money for "stories"?

Does Van Flein mean something like that?

+++

UPDATE 7:

It's getting crazier and crazier! I think Bristol/Sarah might need a new lawyer soon!

From the court documents, it can be seen that this whole Palin PR-disaster might have happened in the first place because Palin's lawyer Van Flein FILED AN UNTIMELY REPLY - 9 DAYS TOO LATE! See the order of judge Kristiansen from December 24, 2009 (click to enlarge):


+++

UPDATE 8:

Is anyone surprised that Sarah/Bristol were extremely agressive in the custody proceedings right from the beginning?

On November 9, 2009, Van Flein filed a "Motion for immediate hearing ordering defendant to show cause why he should not be held in contempt and fined for violating for November 6th court order and motion for fees and costs" (in THIS DOCUMENT starting on page 35).

In this motion, Van Flein claims that Levi had violated the court order from November 6 which stated that Levi was prohibited to speak about the custody matter in public. According to Van Flein, the violation occured during Levi's TV-interview with "The Insider" on November 9.

Van Flein wrote on November 9th, 2009 (p. 39):

"Mr. Johnston is now out of state on another media tour - a tour that consists of giving interviews about the Palins and the baby. It appears from his statements that he does not care about the court order and is indifferent to its application. He should be ordered to promptly appear and show cause to answer why he should not been held in contempt of court. If he fails to appear for the show cause hearing this week, an arrest warrant should be issued to ensure his compliance.

(...)

Plaintiff further requests that this Court, upon finding the Defendant in contempt, sanction the Defendant in the amount of $ 5,000 for his violation of this Court's order (to be paid to the State of Alaska), admonish and instruct the defendant to strictly comply with this Court's November 6, 2009 order, and order the Defendant to pay full and actual attorney fees to the Plaintiff which were incurred in bringing this motion, and attending any hearing."

Later in the proceedings, in Van Flein's reply from December 23, 2009 which he delivered 9 DAYS TOO LATE (the court had already finally ruled on the morning of December 23 and notified the parties immediately via fax, and Van Flein then handed in his reply several hours later in the afternoon of December 23) he has some things to say about Levi Johnston which I find just despicable and which seem to come straight out of Queen Sarah's vindictive big mouth:

"In reviewing the Opposition brief, and Mr. Johnston's affidavit, one thing stands out: Mr. Johnston focuses only on himself, he does not mention the impact on Tripp or show any real concern that a public media circus could have on Tripp or these proceedings.

These gravamen of all child custody proceedings is the best interests of the child.

Yet all Mr. Johnston refers to is his own self-interest, his own interest in endless publicity, his desire for press-mongering, and his appetite for self-aggrandizment. This matter is about Tripp.

Nothing in Mr. Johnston's Opposition suggests that Tripp will benefir from daily news accounts and salacious interviews by Levi with scandal hungry tabloids.

(...)

Tripp deserves better than this. The Court can ask this fundamental question: does the Court want the parties to try this case in court, or does it want the parties to engage in daily press briefings, accusations, recriminations and grandstanding by Levi and his entourage?

The track record of Levi and his retinue suggests strongly that publicity, and the sustained character assassination of Tripp's maternal family, are the end, and this proceeding is to be used as a pretext and means to that end."

Screenshots (click to enlarge):


+++

UPDATE 9:

(h/t vivienneajones)

Rex Butler released the following statement to ET Online:

"Now we feel that we can fight this case on level ground. When you look at what they're saying, and their attempts to put him in jail, there were no attempts to have a fair and reasonable custody fight. When you're asking to put an 18 year old in jail, they clearly wanted to stop his forward progress, whatever they thought that forward progress was. It's clear to us that they wanted to shut Levi up."

+++

UPDATE 10:

I still find it hard to believe that a lawyer can be so stupid to submit excerpts from a fake twitter account as evidence. It's just surreal that Van Flein didn't hesitate to accuse Levi Johnston of possible "substance abuse issues" based on fake twitter messages!

Screenshots from Van Flein's documents (click to enlarge):



Guess what, Mr Van Flein, I have more screenshots for you (click to enlarge):




These are screenshots from Bristol Palin's REAL myspace messages! The full set CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE.

EDIT: Here is a second download link for Bristol Palin's collected myspace messages, in case there is a problem with the first link.

.