Christina Applegate finds traumatic story of abuse in her family history! | WDYTYA (US)

Intro Christina Applegate is in New Jersey investigating her grandmother lavina's unexplained past I'm very excited but I'm a little nervous because I heard from Joseph shamway the genealogist I met earlier and he found a large number of court documents related to my grandparents marriage so now I'm heading to the New Jersey State library to meet with family law professor Meredith the schaik I'm really hoping she can help me decipher the information in these court records okay so the first document we're going Documents to start with is actually a complaint that was filed by your grandmother by my grandmother by your grandmother so she filed a complaint in 1942 okay after they had separated October of 1942 my father was born in November 1942 so my grandparents they separated they separated before before he was born so this complaint is actually her attempt to enforce the separation agreement that they created when they first separated wait a minute when did they first separate well do you want to take a look so complaint Lavina vs Applegate says that following the said marriage she and the defendant resided in the said city of Trent New Jersey until around the 10th day of August wow really mhm okay so for a couple of months and then they separated so the defendant after his marriage to complainant okay wait began to treat her cruy and brutally accusing her of immoral acts charging her that she was guilty of adultery by reference calling her vile and indecent name oh God Grandpa and on various dates struck and and beat [Music] her on account of what she left him on or about the 10th day of August okay in October 1941 defendant left the city of Trenton and took up his residence in Wilmington Delaware yes so my grandpa left okay so but subsequently honor about the 10th day of January 1942 Lavina returned to him in Delaware okay and I think it's important to say that she went back to him upon his promise to treat her properly upon his promise not not withstanding his promise the defendant did not treat her properly but resumed and continued his cruel brutal and abusive treatment of her and did honor about the 13th day of May pack most of plant's clothes at and personal effects and tell her to get back to Trenton so he kicked her out mhm on the following day defendant called for complainant and took her to the office of an attorney in Wilmington where an agreement was drawn and signed by both of them complainant did on the 14th day of May 1942 in consequence of the cruel and abusive treatment leave him and has ever since lived apart under the terms and Provisions thereof defendant Covenant to pay complaint at the sum of $15 per week so he then started giving her money well he was supposed to he had to okay so he was supposed to give her $15 a week defendant has not made any of the weekly payments right he didn't pay for anything at least according to what she's saying it all is just like it's making so much sense now like she probably had my father and she can't take care of him because she's 21 years old MH she can't get work of course my dad has to be raised by his grandmother all right let's see what happens here okay so what we don't have a copy of but what I know from reading these documents is back in the beginning of 1945 they divorced at that time the judge awarded custody to your grandmother and Paul filed with the court asking for custody of your father in June of 1945 so this is what we have is the most complete statement from Paul okay about what's going on and why he thinks he should have custody okay all right an answer to my former's wife petition for alimony and Council fees I say that I have read her petition and affidavit and the contents thereof are not true particularly it is not true that my former wife is without means of support except from her exertions okay so he's saying she is making money she has a job I shouldn't have to pay her out I shouldn't have to pay it okay okay okay so next my grandfather Paul claims that even though he and my grandmother Lina separated in May of 1942 he repeatedly asked her to reconsider but she said no on January 10th 1943 I learned that my wife had moved in with Michael constant so now he's saying that she's now living with this guy and my dad yes they were arraigned on the charges of adultery because at that time adultery was against the law okay so he had them arrested yes this is not even is this like a joke this is insane Christina Court documents Applegate is examining court documents related to her grandparents intense custody battle over her father Bob she is about to find out what happened next in the case according to her grandfather's affidavit she at that time made a statement that she thought she would be happier if I would Grant her a divorce so my grandfather goes on to say that although he agreed to divorce he was still very much in love with my grandmother and hoped to reconcile Paul claims that one night Lina asked him to pick up their son and take him to her apartment While She Was Out so Paul says he waited for her there until early morning at which time Lavina allegedly came home in a drunken stuper and they ended up having sex so clearly they were still having relations according to my grandfather but it also looks like lva was still involved with this Michael constant my God this is just nuts all this time the divorce was pending finally the hearing came on after I refused to support for her she accepted the money from me the support for my son so child support no alimony all right so these are the exhibits that attached to it and then this is the doctor Mo okay to whom it may concern this is to certify that I treated Robert William Applegate for pneumonia mhm it was also my opinion that he was suffering from malnutrition malnutrition I'm just angry at these two people I'm so angry at them okay okay all right let's see what's going on with her so this is Lavina side this is Lina side to the whole thing that's right June 45 1945 so Lavina refutes Paul's accusations claiming that she never did live with Michael constant then she alleges that my grandfather was always drunk and threatening and that he never contributed to their baby's welfare she asserts that she was a good mother that she's never been in a drunken stuper and that in my dad's 2 and 1/2 years of life the bout of pneumonia was the only time he was seriously ill okay but the doctor also said he was had malnutrition and she's saying that she always cared for my they're okay I never left the baby alone and when for any reason I was obliged to go out I placed him in the care of my mother or Mrs an Graham who occupies the apartment above okay she included statements from an Graham this is her neighbor and landlord this is all right sort of background about who she is she's a good tenant she's never had any disturbances she's always paid her rent there's never been any man in her apartment that stood there over that in fact I've never seen any other man there except for Paul Applegate I know that Mrs Applegate idolizes her baby and that she practically lives for him the baby has a Sweet Disposition and is healthy as babies's come what's interesting to me though is in her rebuttal she never makes mention of the abuse anymore wouldn't you think that if you were trying to win a custody battle that you would say this guy is an abusive beat me to a pulp alcoholic that's interesting cuz if it was me I would you know what I mean let's skip on okay this is the last court document we were able to find okay all right goodness so this is the final Order final order from Jun June 1945 after reviewing both sides this is what now the judge has come to an agreement that's right so just what's can happen to my father that's right so just before we go on to sort of what the judge ordered I just a little bit of context at this point in United States when children were young the courts almost automatically always gave custody to the mother so but the only way that Paul could get custody was be to prove lva unfit interesting okay after duly considering the petition it appears that the defendant has failed to show by a preponderance of evidence that the petitioner is unfit and unqualified to retain custody of the infant child and that his welfare is best served by remaining in the custody of his [Music] mother he's going to continue to live with his mother he said he never knew his mother and yet he lived with her for all of these years okay well at least at least until this was signed this is about he's about two and half maybe she is completely unfit and she's they have to take him away from her unfortunately this is the last core order that we were able to find but I want to know how he ends up at his grandmother's I would love to be able to tell you right now here's a cord order from 1947 and this is what happened but unfortunately we don't have that and there could be lots of reasons why there aren't any other orders you know they could be lost um it could have been a private Arrangement the other thing is that Lavina may have passed away and that could be why custody was changing at that point that's what happened so do you know when your grandmother passed away okay my dad said he was probably around 8 so I think that we can go next door to the state archives and I think we might be able to find out when your grandmother passed away if there's a death certificate okay all right so all right we