It’s All Your Fault: High Conflict People

In this classic episode from the archives, Bill and Megan sit down with retired Judge Bruce R. Cohen, who spent 24 years as a family law attorney and nearly 20 years on the bench in Arizona's Superior Court, for a rare look at family court from both sides.
Judge Cohen pulls back the curtain on how judges actually weigh a case, why the old assumptions about gender bias no longer hold up, and what separates a parent who gets heard from one who doesn't.
Judge Cohen unpacks how the "best interests of the child" standard actually gets applied in the courtroom, sharing personal stories — including the memorable "Bonnie story" — that show how presence and genuine humanity shape better outcomes for families.
The conversation turns practical: rather than laying out a chronological case history or trying to prove who's "right," Judge Cohen explains that success in family court comes down to demonstrating your ability to meet your children's needs. Bill and Megan dig into how understanding your jurisdiction's specific factors — and letting go of assumptions about judicial bias — can make or break a case.
Judicial Insights Addressed:
How judges actually determine a child's best interests
Why gender bias in family court looks different today than it used to
What separates a "high conflict" case from a routine one
How jurisdiction-specific factors shape a judge's decisions
Courtroom Strategies That Work:
Focus on your children's needs and your ability to meet them, not a blow-by-blow of the past
Show up authentically rather than playing to assumed bias
Know your jurisdiction's specific best-interest factors before you walk in
Credibility grows when you acknowledge your own weaknesses, not just the other side's
Aim your case at future solutions, not past grievances
Drawing on decades on both sides of the bench, Judge Cohen offers a rare, practical look at what actually works in family court — insight you won't get from most legal advice. Combined with Bill and Megan's expertise, this is a conversation worth revisiting anytime you're preparing to walk into a courtroom.
Additional Resources
Books & Expert Publications:
Managing High Conflict People in Court
The Future of Family Court
Meet the Judge:
Judge Bruce R. Cohen (ret.) bio
Classes & Consultations:
New Ways for Families® online class for parents
Conflict Influencer™ online group for parents or anyone
1:1 Consultation with Bill Eddy/Megan Hunter
Stay Connected:
Sign up for our newsletter
Visit High Conflict Institute
Submit a question for Bill and Megan
All of our books can be found in our online store or anywhere books are sold, including as e-books.
You can also find these show notes at our site as well.
Note: We are not diagnosing anyone in our discussions, merely discussing general patterns of behavior. Nor are we providing legal or therapeutic advice. Please seek the assistance of your local professionals to seek help.

(00:00) - Welcome to It's All Your Fault

(01:02) - Welcome Judge Bruce R. Cohen (Ret.)

(01:29) - Judge Cohen’s Background

(06:01) - Connecting

(08:28) - The Bonnie Story

(13:18) - Time in Court

(14:20) - Bill’s Time in Court

(16:59) - Communicate Simply

(27:29) - Best Interest Factors

(29:50) - Gender Issues

(35:31) - Control What You Can Control

(37:07) - Identify Needs of Child

(39:22) - High Conflict Cases

(43:55) - Reminders & Coming Next Week: Answering Listener Questions

One of our most-asked-about topics, revisited: two listeners write in about parental alienation and when to stop fighting in family court. Bill and Megan's answers hold up just as well today.
Tackling Listener Questions on High Conflict Personalities in Family Law
In this episode of It's All Your Fault, Bill Eddy and Megan Hunter address questions from two listeners about high conflict personalities in family law. They dive into the complexities of parental alienation, domestic violence allegations, and when to stop fighting in court.
Listener Question 1: Understanding Parental Alienation and Estrangement
The first listener asks about the confusion surrounding parental alienation. Bill defines key terms: "refuse and resist," parental alienation, and realistic estrangement. He explains the differences between alienation caused by one parent's behavior and estrangement resulting from a parent's own actions, such as domestic violence or child abuse.
Listener Question 2: When to Stop Fighting in Court
The second listener, from Australia, asks when to give up the fight with a high conflict ex-partner who continues to violate court orders. Bill and Megan address the issue of "legal abuse" and the limitations of the court system in handling these situations effectively.
Questions We Answer in This Episode:
What is the difference between parental alienation and realistic estrangement?
How common are false allegations of abuse in family court?
When should you stop fighting in court with a high conflict ex-partner?
Key Takeaways:
Consider all possibilities in each case without presumptions.
Parental alienation and domestic violence both exist and require careful assessment.
Fighting in court for more than two years may be counterproductive.
Obtain transcripts of court hearings to address false statements or bad decisions.
This episode provides valuable insights for anyone navigating high conflict personalities in family law. Bill and Megan offer a balanced perspective, emphasizing the need for an open mind and case-by-case analysis.
Links & Other Notes
BOOKSDon’t Alienate the Kids: Raising Resilient Children While Avoiding High-Conflict Divorce
The High-Conflict Co-Parenting Survival Guide

COURSESNew Ways for Families Course + Coaching for Co-Parents
Conflict Influencer Class

OUR WEBSITE: https://www.highconflictinstitute.com/
Submit a Question for Bill and Megan
All of our books can be found in our online store or anywhere books are sold, including as e-books.
You can also find these show notes at our site as well.
Note: We are not diagnosing anyone in our discussions, merely discussing general patterns of behavior. Nor are we providing legal of therapeutic advice. Please seek the assistance of your local professionals to seek help.

(00:00) - Welcome to It's All Your Fault

(00:36) - Listener Questions

(01:18) - Question 1: Parental Alienation

(21:54) - Question 2: When to Give In

(30:37) - Reminders & Coming Next Week: More Listener Questions

High conflict behavior at work rarely stays contained to one person or one incident — it spreads across teams, drains HR's time, and quietly drives turnover and burnout long before anyone names it as a pattern. The real question for most organizations isn't how to handle the next individual case. It's whether the organization itself is actually ready to prevent, assess, and respond to conflict at all.
Bill Eddy, LCSW, JD, and Megan Hunter, MBA, close out this four-part workplace series — and the show's current season — with returning High Conflict Institute trainer Michael Lomax, JD. Together, they walk through the policies, training, and leadership role modeling it takes to move from case-by-case conflict response to a truly conflict-ready, conflict-smart, or even conflict-proof culture, including the real financial cost of leaving conflict unaddressed.
It's All Your Fault is produced by TruStory FM. A new season starts later this fall.
Full Show Notes & Resources
Submit Questions | Bookstore | Website
Watch this episode on YouTube
Important Notice: Our discussions focus on behavioral patterns rather than diagnoses. For specific legal or therapeutic guidance, please consult qualified professionals in your area.

(00:00) - Welcome to It's All Your Fault

(02:02) - Becoming Conflict-Proof

(03:14) - Becoming an Organizational Problem

(12:38) - Developing New Practices

(17:29) - Role Modeling

(20:34) - Training

(25:05) - Helping Organizations

(26:19) - Is It Possible?

(31:32) - Wrap Up

High conflict behavior doesn't just disrupt your team—it follows leaders home, costs organizations hundreds of thousands of dollars, and gets worse when managers react without a plan. The question Part 3 of this four-part workplace series answers is the one every leader eventually faces: once you know conflict is in the room, what do you actually do?
Bill Eddy, LCSW, JD, and Megan Hunter, MBA, co-founders of the High Conflict Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona, are joined again by Michael Lomax, JD, lawyer, mediator, and HCI speaker and trainer. Together they walk through the BIFF response for hostile emails and verbal exchanges, EAR statements for de-escalating in the moment, the CARS method—Connect, Analyze, Respond, Set Limits—for structuring any high conflict conversation, and New Ways for Work® coaching as a measurable alternative to suspension. Whether you're managing a difficult employee, caught between HR and your team, or working under a difficult boss, these are the tools that shift the dynamic without making things worse.
It's All Your Fault is produced by TruStory FM.
Full Show Notes & Resources
Submit Questions | Bookstore | Website
Watch this episode on YouTube
Important Notice: Our discussions focus on behavioral patterns rather than diagnoses. For specific legal or therapeutic guidance, please consult qualified professionals in your area.

(00:00) - Welcome to It's All Your Fault

(02:02) - Why Smart People Get Drawn Into These Conflicts

(08:00) - BIFF Method

(12:46) - Other Ways It’s Applied

(17:20) - CARS Method

(25:50) - What If It's the Boss?

(29:11) - Solutions and Methods of Application

(39:37) - Wrap Up

High conflict at work rarely announces itself. By the time it becomes a formal HR complaint or a leadership crisis, the patterns were visible much earlier—and the tools most organizations rely on to stay fair often make things worse, not better.
Bill Eddy, LCSW, JD, and Megan Hunter, MBA, co-founders of the High Conflict Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona, are joined by Michael Lomax, JD, HCI speaker, trainer, and attorney, for Part 2 of a four-part workplace series. They break down the WEB method for early conflict assessment—Words, Emotions, Behavior—and explain why HR's focus on neutrality and incident-by-incident handling can inadvertently protect the person driving the conflict while penalizing the target.
It's All Your Fault is produced by TruStory FM.
Full Show Notes & Resources
Submit Questions | Bookstore | Website
Watch this episode on YouTube
Important Notice: Our discussions focus on behavioral patterns rather than diagnoses. For specific legal or therapeutic guidance, please consult qualified professionals in your area.

(00:00) - Welcome to It's All Your Fault

(01:48) - Assessing Workplace Conflict Early and Accurately

(04:53) - Potential Costs of Getting It Wrong

(09:13) - Patterns of Behavior

(18:56) - Documenting Impact

(20:38) - Personality Disorders

(21:57) - Reactivity Drives Response

(25:29) - Managing Difficult HCPs

(31:02) - What to Assess First

(35:30) - Wrap Up