I interviewed Elbert and Josephine Wells, for instance, who are 89 and 83 respectively. They have settled out of court, primarily because of their advanced age. Other accused fathers, such as Jack Collier of California, refuse to give in to false allegations. At great expense, Collier won his case, but he has still lost his daughter. Still others lose their cases and find themselves in jail, massive debt, or both.
Some parents are so devastated that they can barely drag themselves out of bed every morning.
In his 1994 book, What You Can Change and What You Can't , psychologist Martin Seligman offers the bleakest prospects for those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The mother is suicidal, and the father can't talk about it. The situation of accused parents is analogous and, in a way, worse. At least with death comes closure, finality. Accused parents live with the constant knowledge of loss that is needless, angry, and on-going.