Broderick Case
Betty Broderick is an unfortunate woman who was finally driven to a desperate act by the callousness and cruelty of her husband, and by the barbarous divorce laws of the state of California, which promote divorce and make a mockery of marriage.
Dan Broderick destroyed his wife’s life. He betrayed his marriage vows and cheated on his wife with his young legal assistant. He abandoned his wife, sold the family home and took the children.
He gave her what support he felt like, withheld it when he wanted to punish her (there was no legal settlement made at the time of the divorce) and openly lived with his girlfriend.
Finally, he left Betty Broderick with nothing to show for the nearly 17 years she had put into her marriage.
Sadly, the actions of men like Dan Broderick are supported by the law and social climate of these times. They suffer neither legal nor social sanctions no matter how heinous their treatment of their wives and families.
MIMETTE EHRENFREUND, La Jolla
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