After weeks of bluster and threats, Christopher Ambrose finally emailed me the file-stamped First Amended Complaint in his defamation lawsuit against me and asked me to sign a waiver form.
This is the same complaint he claimed he’d sent “more than 30 days ago.” This time he stapled on a link to the AO 399 waiver form (the standard federal waiver-of-service form).
Clock Starts Under Rule 4(d)
I agreed to accept service by email on the condition that my deadline to respond is 60 days from the date of his email under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4(d)].
I also agreed to waive service of the extra boilerplate court orders he listed — the protective order, electronic filing order, disclosure notice, etc. They’re all on PACER [the federal courts’ online docket system; filings are accessible to the public for a fee].
The case is alive.
Service is complete as of today and my answer is due November 16.
Round Two Begins
This is Round Two with Ambrose.
Round one — his 2022 state-court defamation case — ended in federal court when Judge Michael Shea dismissed it for failure to prosecute.
Ambrose did not respond to my motion to dismiss. After two years of nothing, the judge dismissed the case.
The Pattern He Projects
Now he’s back. He lives in a $2 million beach house, sues his ex-wife, brothers, doctors, bloggers, journalists — and calls the cops when his children beg to see their mother — the woman who raised them from infancy —their primary caretaker until he lost his high-profile job in Los Angeles and returned to Connecticut — and then set about removing the mother from the children’s lives.
The Children’s Loss
It is a hard thing to lose your mother as a child — to live with your mother every day of your life for 13 and nine years respectively — with a largely absent father — and one cruel day — your mother disappears from your life — by court order — and you find yourself with a stranger determined to destroy your mother and prevent you from ever seeing her.
Where Things Stand for the Children
For years they fought to return to their once-happy lives. Two of them have aged out of family court orders, but one child is 15.
In all his lawsuits, Ambrose brands himself a victim.
His children are the real victims — and their mother.
Ambrose disputes everything I said above.
What This Case Is About
So that’s what this defamation lawsuit is all about. My stories describing the suffering he has caused his children and their mother, according to affidavits, court records and interviews.
He calls it defamation. I call it reporting the truth.
What’s Ahead
Interrogatories – Written questions, answered under oath, designed to lock in each side’s version of the facts.
Depositions – Sworn, in-person testimony outside of court, with a court reporter recording every word [and often video-recorded].
Discovery – The exchange of evidence: documents, emails, texts, financials, and anything else relevant.
Trial – The presentation of evidence and witnesses before a judge and jury, ending in a verdict on liability and damages.
Ambrose won in family court and his children lost. So did their mother. Also in the winners circle – family court lawyers and custody evaluators and let us not forget the paid-by-Ambrose Guardian ad litem, Jocelyn Hurwitz.
Who Will Testify
If this case survives motions and reaches discovery, I expect to call witnesses who will do more than defend me — they will expose the truth about Ambrose, as they have experienced it.
His Two Oldest Children – now 18 (turning 19/20 during the case). They have already signed sworn affidavits describing what they endured.
On the stand, they will testify to the truth of what I reported.
The Youngest Child – now 15, also a sworn affiant. His earlier statements will be introduced, his voice preserved even if Ambrose tries to silence him.
Expert Witnesses – professionals who have examined the children and documented their suffering. They will tell the court what years of family court whitewash concealed.
Ambrose’s Litigation Targets – some of the very people he has sued will testify about his pattern: intimidation, paper harassment, and control through lawsuits.
Dr. Bandy X. Lee
Dr. Bandy X. Lee – the psychiatrist who examined the children, studied the case, observed Ambrose and opined that he is dangerous and, in her professional view, likely exhibits psychopathic traits. [Ambrose is suing her for defamation].
Her testimony will anchor the medical truth as she sees it.
The Children’s Mother – who suffered alongside her children, deprived of contact, stripped of her rights, and vilified for resisting him.
From Family Court to Federal Court
In family court, Ambrose boxed out the mother and beat down the children, according to their statements. He won because they had no weapons. Now, he faces a man with subpoena power.
If he thought family court was his playground, wait until he meets federal court. This time, his pattern of intimidation, alienation, and lawsuits will be subject to open cross-examination.
If ever a man set himself up for exposure, it is Ambrose.
He silenced his family. He won by attrition. He took all the marital assets by stealth, according to court filings and family statements, leaving his spouse of 17 years penniless. That allowed him to win custody, as they contend.
But he cannot silence them all under oath, in open court, with the First Amendment on the table.
If this case proceeds to trial, for the first time, Ambrose’s pattern of abuse won’t be hidden behind closed doors.
