Full article[...]
Khawam explained her decision to retain Allred as her lawyer saying she did so "in order to assist me and in order to guide me through what has been a very difficult time for me and my family."
"I look forward to the day when I'm able to answer everyone's questions and explain what really happened," Khawam said.
Allred called reports on Khawam's custody battle "erroneous" and said a number of women's groups are filing friends of the court briefs about "significant issues" in Khawam's case, including restricting her attorney from submitting evidence of alleged domestic violence; "onerous" and "expensive restrictions" regarding visitation; and requiring Khawam to pay for a portion of her ex-husband's legal fees.
"Because Natalie's son is so important to her, she felt that she needed to hire attorneys to attempt to reverse what she believes are onerous, unfair and expensive restrictions placed on her by the court," Allred said. "As a result she has been forced into bankruptcy because of the legal fees and costs of complying with the court order and attempting to reverse it so that she once again can have full custody of her son. Natalie is just one of the many mothers in this country who have been forced to suffer because of family court decisions."
Allred noted that Khawam does not have plans to conduct interviews or answer questions from the media in the near future, and Allred refused to answer any questions about Jill Kelley.
Following the press conference, reporters followed Khawam and Allred out of the ballroom and continued to press the two on how the two generals came to write affidavits on behalf of Khawam and questioned whether she was trying to use their prominence to her advantage in the custody battle. Allred and Khawam did not answer any questions.
A representative of Natalie's ex-husband Grayson Wolfe told ABC News that Allred had obviously not acquainted herself with the record.Judge: Khawam 'A Psychologically Unstable Person'
In November 2011, the D.C. Superior Court ruled that Wolfe would get sole legal and primary custody of the child.
The judge in the custody dispute wrote that Khawam had "severe psychological deficits" and was "a psychologically unstable person" with an "unsteady moral and ethical compass."
The judge also wrote that Khawam "has exhibited an utter disregard for the child's interest" in maintaining a meaningful relationship with his father, that she "has extreme personal deficits in the areas of honesty and integrity," and that she has exhibited a "willingness to say anything, even under oath, to advance her own personal interests at the expense" of her husband, the child, and others.
"The court fully expects that Ms. Khawam's pattern of misrepresentations about virtually everything, including the most important aspects of her life, will continue indefinitely," the judge wrote.
It is not currently known if Petraeus or Allen knew about the judge's harsh comments regarding Khawam, but the two wrote letters on Khawam's behalf almost a year later in September 2012.
Petraeus stated that he and his wife had known Khawam for about three years, getting to know her while serving in Tampa, and maintaining their friendship since then.
"We have seen a very loving relationship -- a Mother working hard to provide her son enjoyable, educational, and developmental experiences," Petraeus wrote, according to a copy of the letter posted on Scribd. "Natalie clearly dotes on her son and goes to great lengths--and great expense--to spend quality time with him."
A letter from Allen to the court also painted a portrait of a loving and devoted mother who "places the needs of her son above her own."
Natalie Khawam is also deeply in debt and filed for bankruptcy in Florida in April 2012. In a document filed with the Tampa Division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Khawam cited $350,000 in assets and $3.6 million in liabilities, including $800,000 owed to her sister and brother-in-law. Her listed personal property included six Chanel purses, a Cartier watch, and a trove of diamond jewelry valued at $50,000, including the watch. The items are in the possession of Khawam's ex-husband, according to the court.
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That was a pretty smooth line from ex-hubby's representative.
