The Diverted Verdict

Monday, April 7, 2008

Auto Biography " The Diverted Verdict "

My book is about myself, a single gay father. The rejection of my family and members of the community. It deals with relationships both family and personal. It also deals with my mother's Bi-Polar Mental Illness. Was my mother's death a suicide or murder?

Press Release

Grieving Son Attempts to Find the Link between Family Secrets and His Mother’s Mysterious Death
The Diverted Verdict expresses a story of hope and courage in the face of mental illness, grief and homophobia
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (distribution date) – Lance Solomon has turned his pain into an inspiration for others in The Diverted Verdict, a book about depression, death and betrayal. Living through his mother’s mental illness and eventual suicide, Solomon discovered that his pain and hardship were only beginning. His struggle with his mother’s psychiatrist, the court that investigated her death, and even his own family is dictated in this wrenching memoir that will speak to anyone who has lost a family member.
Discovering his mother’s first suicide attempt when he was only a teenager, Solomon was shocked when she shot herself after years of successful medication gave her a new lease on life. The Diverted Verdict is his story of how he tries to keep his family together and ultimately to move on with his own life after tragedy and suspicion divide not only his biological relatives but also his relationship with his wife.
The Diverted Verdict deals with a host of issues, including Solomon’s coming to terms with his own homosexuality and the struggle to maintain a healthy relationship with an HIV-positive partner. This book exemplifies the courage of one man who refused to give up in the face of adversity.
For more information or to request a free review copy, members of the press can contact the author at Lsolo50928@aol.com. The Diverted Verdict is available for sale online at Amazon.com, BookSurge.com, and through additional wholesale and retail channels worldwide.
About the Author
Lance Solomon is a human resource manager with a degree in health services and gerontology and a certificate of gerontology. The proud father of two, he lives in California.
About BookSurge
BookSurge Publishing is a DBA of On-Demand Publishing LLC, a subsidiary of Amazon.com Inc., (NASDAQ AMZN). BookSurge is a pioneer in self-publishing and print-on-demand services. Offering unique publishing opportunities and access for authors, BookSurge boasts an unprecedented number of authors whose work has resulted in book deals with traditional publishers as well as successful authorpreneurs who enhance or build a business from their professional expertise.

The Diverted Verdict

My story takes place in a small farm community in Corunna, Michigan. I was raised in a middle class family with a mother who suffered from a Bipolar Disorder.
Her sudden death left many questions unanswered. My mother and I were very close. My father worked very long hours. He had just retired from the auto industry. Looking for the truth, I asked my father and siblings to make me the legal representative for the family. If I only had known how this decision would change my life forever.
My mother’s death was ruled a suicide. The answers to the unanswered questions would later come out in a wrong full death lawsuit against a psychiatrist. The defendant brings out secrets unknown and introduces a new theory of her death. She was murdered!
My mother’s death changed my life forever. The theory of murder sent family members on a quest to stop the lawsuit. I was unable to stop the lawsuit. The theory became very real. The outcome of the jury trial is surprising and divides the family.
Years pass after the trial. I came out to my family in 1999. My gay lifestyle was not accepted by my family. My life begins to prosper and I find love and happiness. A series of strange events begins to happen. I am spinning in a spiral downward trend. I am being consumed with custody battles, lawsuits and governmental agencies.
Someone was behind the scenes pulling the strings. Questions began to come up. Could my mother’s suicide/murder and my life destruction be part of a master plan? I brought out secrets that family members wanted buried. Sixteen years had passed. The suicide/murder theory still remains unsolved. Or does it

Between The Lines Article

Flint Man’s Custody Endangered
Flint- Education goes a long way, especially in the world of lgbts, HIV and Aids. Many gay men have had the unfortunate experience of automatically being labeled as "disease spreader" just because of their sexual orientation.
In one man’s case, the ignorance went so far as to harm his future relationship with his two children.
Lance Solomon, of Flint, divorced from his wife in 1993 in Shiawassee County. His ex-wife resides in Corunna with their two boys.
"I have had joint custody with physical care going to my ex-wife" said Solomon. "I have always been a loving and caring father who put his kids’ lives first."
In 1999, six years after the divorce, he said, he decided to tell his children and family members that he was gay and partnered. He followed the announcement with a holy union ceremony in August 2001. "At the time everyone seemed supportive, including my ex-wife.". he said.
This past August though, the tables turned. Solomon’s ex-wife filed change of custody papers in Shiawassee County, the location of the divorce, asking the court to suspend Solomon’s visitation with the children.
"I was served papers that I was meeting with a Friend of the Court referee, so I did not seek legal counsel," Solomon said.
"Upon entering the courthouse, my ex-wife had my father, grandmother and sister all there to testify against me. I was shocked-these people have not been a part of my life since I told them I was gay in 1999. They have no idea what my lifestyle is like or what kind of home I have."
The court granted Solomon supervised visitation every Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. at his sister’s house. The decision was a temporary order, pending further investigation of the case by Friend of the Court.
Solomon agreed to this arrangement on September 24. 2002.
"My entire family was there to testify that I am an unfit role model for my children," he said. "My sister asked me to go along with it until Friend of the Court investigation, so that the family members would not be forced to join sides with my ex-wife. So I agreed."
On December 5, 2002, Solomon said, he went in for his Friend of the Court investigation- and experienced a rude awakening.
He said his investigator, immediately asked him if he was HIV positive and focused most of the interview on that topic. When Solomon refused to release his status, she asserted that it was her right to ask about his status, he said.
"She asked me if I was HIV Positive. I was shocked," he said. "I asked her if this was a standard question. I also asked if she asked my ex-wife if she was HIV positive. She stated, "Considering your choice of lifestyle, I have every right to ask you about any communicable disease which you might have that can infect the children."
"I replied, "Whether or not I am HIV positive has no impact on my ability to be a loving and caring father." She said it does because I could be putting my kids at risk in my care."
Solomon said his own area of specialization makes the court worker’s prejudices even more ironic.
"I have a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Health Services & Gerontology," he said. "I am very educated in the ways in which you can transmit HIV. I would never put my children in such a position."
Jay Kaplan, staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union-Michigan LGBT Project, said that asking someone abut his or her HIV status is a gray issue.
"Can the Friend of the Court ask if a parent is HIV positive? I don’t think there’s a blanket prohibition on this in all instances," he said. "If she is only asking this because the father is gay- that’s another matter, and her apparent statement is highly inappropriate."
Kaplan said that all visitation decisions are based on the "12 factors of Best Interests of the Child," a Michigan statue, defined under the Child Custody Act of 1970.
Chris Davis, an attorney for the public interests Michigan Protection and Advocacy Services, also expressed concern.
"We emphasize the idea of best interest of the child. This man already has a custodial relationship with his children, and HIV status shouldn’t be the topic of the case."
Solomon’s investigation results are still pending; meanwhile, he said, he was unable to spend any Christmas vacation with his children
"I truly believe these proceedings are based on the fact that I came out to my father about my relationship, and my family does not accept my lifestyle," said Solomon.
"I believe that my ex-wife told Friend of the Court investigator that I was HIV positive in hopes that I would have my visitation revoked. I am truly afraid that my relationship with my children will never be the same. (That) I have little or limited contact will influence their love and affection for me, especially if they believe or are influenced by my family."
The Shiawassee County Friend of the Court did not respond by the press deadline.
If you would like more information about agencies and organizations that may be able to assist in these types of cases, and a definition of the "12 factors of Best Interests of The Child," visit the BTL web site at www.pridesource.com.

The Diverted Verdict

Monday, April 7, 2008

Auto Biography " The Diverted Verdict "

Press Release

Where Can I purchase "The Diverted Verdict?"

Blog Archive

About Me

The Diverted Verdict

Between The Lines Article