Coming Soon | Collateral Damage

“With our hearts and hands all busy with our private little wars, we stand and watch each other now from separate shores; we lose the way.” –Joe Wise

Private wars fought in family court, just like those waged by nations, impose harm and loss on bystanders who did not choose to be a part of the battle. Forced to watch, to hide as best they can, they most often have no vote in the conflict, no blame for the issues driving it, nor any choice in the terrain which the struggle overtakes. These are the ones who lose their homes, their peace, even their lives, who are without resources to leave or a refuge to which to escape; there is a name given to these casualties of war: Collateral Damage.

Keri, unexpectedly involved in a long distance romance, is blind-sided by a strident reaction from her oldest child driven by more than teenage angst. Will, her ex-husband, violates the tepid detente of their post-divorce relationship to capitalize on the rift between Keri and her older daughter. Simultaneous to the upheaval of what had seemed to be a personal life neatly folded at the corners, Keri must maintain calm professionalism and aggressive vigilance in a grueling case of alienation which is costing a returning veteran his relationship with his only child.  A shocking suicide of a young girl in Jacksonville, a divorce case that makes stomach churning headlines, a terrifying disappearance, combine with these personal and professional stresses, threatening to unravel Keri’s confidence in herself as a parent, a lawyer, and a woman. This time no amount of careful investigation or clever courtroom maneuvering can prevent the collateral damage.