When They Come After You—The Cost of Exposing the Truth

Today, we’re diving into a harsh reality: when standing up for the truth doesn’t just cost you relationships—it makes you a target.

What happens when people don’t just dismiss you, but actively try to destroy you? What happens when exposing wrongdoing leads to retaliation?

The Backlash of Speaking the Truth

Years ago, I stood behind a client who had discovered child pornography on her husband’s computer. Worse, she found a hidden drive behind a ceiling tile, under a gun, with even more child pornography—including photos of their own four-year-old daughter.

The FBI got involved, but through a legal technicality, this man was never charged. Furious and determined to get even, he decided to ruin me. He created a website in my name, posting lies and derogatory information about me, twisting my divorce and the estrangement from my daughters into a weapon against me. He kept this up for ten years—until he finally stopped paying for the domain.

This is the price of standing up to powerful, manipulative people. And it’s a price too many of us are forced to pay.

The True Cost of Truth

• Exposing the truth doesn’t always mean people will thank you—it often means they’ll come after you.
• People in power will do anything to protect their status, even if that means silencing you.
• Retaliation can take many forms: smear campaigns, online harassment, legal threats, and even character assassination.

The Full-Scale Retaliation

Howard didn’t just lie to the children—he enlisted the legal community to work against me. He spoke privately to City Prosecutor Josephine Townsend, telling her that I was a narcissist who had no respect for authority. This made her all the more determined to punish me.

His divorce attorney, Danni Liebman, was so convinced that I was evil that she called my attorney, Bob Yoseph, and screamed at him, ‘How can you represent that Bitch!?’

Howard was so influential that even 20 years later, his former law partner, Mike Roe, told one of my clients that I was ‘bat-shit crazy.’

But he didn’t stop there. Howard filed complaints with my licensing board, trying to destroy my professional reputation and career. Then, in his annulment petition with the Catholic Church—despite not being Catholic himself—he described me as:

• An unfit mother who alienated her own children.
• A narcissist with undiagnosed mental disorders.
• Someone totally incapable of a loving relationship.

He was so convincing that the local Archdiocese planned to hold a Catholic trial, with witnesses lined up to testify against me.

It didn’t seem to matter how outrageous the complaints against me were—people ran with the gossip, and Howard capitalized on it. Once a rumor takes hold, people will believe what they want to believe, no matter how absurd.

This was not just about revenge—it was about erasing my credibility, my work, and my identity. Retaliation can escalate beyond gossip—it can infiltrate legal, professional, and religious institutions. When an abuser is highly persuasive, they enlist others to attack their target.

How to Survive Retaliation

For ten years, I had to endure a man publicly smearing my name, distorting my life story, and trying to turn my pain into his entertainment. But over time, something surprising happened. People started calling me—not to harass me, but to book appointments. They saw what I had survived and wanted to work with a therapist who had that kind of resilience.

The truth has a way of resurfacing—even when people try to bury it.

Retaliation can feel overwhelming, but it’s designed to break you—don’t let it. The people who attack you want you to react emotionally and impulsively. Instead of fighting fire with fire, step back and choose a response that protects your dignity and your future.

Key Lessons

• Document Everything: Keep records of harassment, threats, or false accusations.
• Stay the Course: The more you live your truth, the more their lies will lose power over you.
• Find Your Support System: Isolation makes retaliation more effective—don’t face it alone.
• Recognize the Long Game: Retaliation isn’t just about hurting you in the moment—it’s about making you quit. Refuse to quit.

Reclaiming Your Power

The ultimate revenge is not winning a battle—it’s living well despite the war. You don’t have to clear your name to move forward—you only have to be true to yourself.

The best way to silence your enemies isn’t to fight them. It’s to thrive so loudly that their lies become irrelevant.

People will try to rewrite your story. They will twist your words, turn your past into a weapon, and make you the villain in their own narrative. But here’s what they don’t realize: They don’t get to write your ending.

You do.