How to navigate a court proceeding when the opposing party is a Sociopath or Cluster-B disordered individual.

1. HOW TO NAVIGATE A
COURT PROCEEDING WHEN
THE OPPOSING PARTY IS A
SOCIOPATH OR CLUSTER-B
DISORDERED INDIVIDUAL
Megan M. Lyons, Esq.

2. OBJECTIVES
1 - Predict what the adverse party may do or say in
court.
2 - Take control of your case with assertiveness
and strategic thinking.
3 - Choose a lawyer who understands your case and
exemplifies certain traits.

3. OBJECTIVES
4 - Gain confidence and assume the position of
power instead of victimization. The tactics are
predictable.

4. WHO AM I ?
Megan M. Lyons, Esq.
Sarasota Attorney Megan Lyons handles Family Law in
Sarasota County, Manatee County, Orange County, Osceola
County, and some adjacent counties.
When it comes to a legal case, you want to have a firm you
can trust and rely on. In addition to the experience and
successful track record of cases, Sarasota Family Law
Attorney Megan Lyons possesses more than just legal
knowledge. Ms. Lyons has developed a niche practice,
focusing on high conflict personality disorders such as
Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Borderline Personality
Disorder, and other “Cluster B” personality disorders in her
family law cases. She has acquired a lot of experience in
successfully navigating cases in which there is a personality
disordered adversary in the litigation.

5. EXAMPLES OF CIVIL CASES
▪ Debt Collection
▪ Breach of Contract
▪ Personal Injury
▪ Property Damage
▪ Family Law

6. PARTIES IN A CIVIL CASE
• Plaintiff – person suing
• Defendant – party being sued

7. STEPS IN A TYPICAL CIVIL LAWSUIT
1. Complaint filed by Plaintiff
2. Service of Defendant
(Summons/Complaint)
3. 20 days to answer
4. Discovery
5. Trial
6. Settlement

8. COMMON PERSONALITY TRAITS OF CLUSTER B
(Highly Persuasive)
• Blame shifting
• Refusal to assume personal liability
• Black and white thinking
• Dramatic/exaggerated emotional
outbursts and accusations
• Lie at any cost
• Seeks allies
• Attention seeking behavior and
emotionally evocative orchestrated
performances
• Vindictive, vengeful behavior
• Projectors and deflectors
• Punitive

9. EMOTIONAL PURSUASION:
WHY IT IS EFFECTIVE
• Cognitive distortions and grandiosity tend
to solicit sympathy of others
• Aggressive emotional outbursts are
difficult to combat and defeat
• Dramatic emotional outbursts provoke
responses in judges, other attorneys,
adversaries, and jurors – and distract from
the truth

10. TACTICS
1. Smear campaign
2. Pathological lies
3. Emotional Abuse
4. Violence/Acts of Moral depravity

11. TACTICS (cont..)
5. Threaten violence
6. Projection & Deflection
7. Dispossess EA of phone, computer, or any
perceived tool
8. Use of physical violence, kidnapping, false
imprisonment and other threatening tactics

12. TACTICS (cont..)
9. Threats to call employer, licensing board, client
base, family members – including elderly parents
10. Destruction of property
11. Extreme stalking or harassment
12. Lies to the court projecting the behavior that they
in fact engage in.

13. EXPOSE THE ABUSE
• Self incrimination and express contradictory statements are common in the
court record
• Obtain court reporters and court proceeding transcripts to showcase lies.
• Have faith and trust the process that the abuser’s inability to control
emotions will eventually cause self-sabotage and result in the demise of the
abuser.
• Always maintain your cool, because the abuser will not
• Learn the methods to manage your emotions in a healthy manner in and out
of court

14. HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE COURT BATTLE
• Get a counselor seasoned in NPD
(Andrea Schneider)
• Assess your own cognitive distortions
or dissonance
• If you are diagnosed with PTSD – this
can be used in conjunction with ADA
in court
• Obtain diagnoses for children (PTSD,
C-PTSD, or NVS)

15. HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE COURT BATTLE (cont..)
• Surround yourself with positive people,
experts, family, and friends
• Join support groups. Engage in self-
care
• Warn employers, friends, and family
for smear campaigns
• Change passwords, protect documents,
and copy records.

16. GATHERING EVIDENCE ABOUT YOUR BLAMER’S
PRIVATE PERSONA
• Show a history of pattern of abuse
• Undermine the credibility of the abuser
• Refute false statements made by the
abuser – exaggerated/dramatic
• Be prepared to show Court objective
fact to demonstrate morals, integrity,
and consistent honesty.
• No need to prove the personality
disorder – demonstrate pattern of
conduct

17. GATHERING EVIDENCE ABOUT YOUR BLAMER’S
PRIVATE PERSONA (cont..)
• Depositions – show contradictory
statements due to pressure on
abuser
• Cross Examinations – refute prior
statements, testimony, affidavits,
etc.
• E-mails and text messages which
show abuse and/or extreme outrage
• Recordings of abuser’s outrage (with
consent) can be highly damaging

18. WHAT TO CONSIDER DURING THE CASE
• Protect yourself
• Typical tactics used by EDs
• To Settle or not to settle
• Mediation

19. PROTECT YOURSELF

20. REMEDIAL MEASURES AGAINST TACTICS
• Have an exit strategy and
emergency protection plan
• No contract rule – set boundaries
• Use a third party
• Use a phone as a recording device

21. REMEDIAL MEASURES AGAINST TACTICS (cont..)
• Keep record of all
communications
• Compile list of witnesses to
combat heresay
• Advise the court of PTSD and
request a separate room
• Seek counseling

22. REMEDIAL MEASURES AGAINST TACTICS (cont..)
• Monitor your social media and
bank accounts
• Install camera systems
• Obtain a court injunction
• Do NOT discuss with children

23. REMEDIAL MEASURES AGAINST TACTICS (cont..)
• Make sure your attorney
understands the disorder
• Educate friends and family as
much as possible

24. IN SUMMARY

25. THANK YOU !!
For further information, please
visit:
Megan’s website:
http://www.fiercelaw.com