History Repeating.....I Wonder

Florida Times Union
February 17, 1999
Gordan Jackson
ST. MARYS, Ga. - A lawyer suing his daughter for her choice in colleges has dropped the lawsuit because he was concerned about how the controversy had affected her grades last semester.Stephen L. Berry of St. Marys dropped the lawsuit against his daughter, Katie Berry, on Jan. 28, according to court documents. The lawsuit had drawn national attention, including inquiries from talk shows and analysis in the National Law Journal.Berry said he made the decision after learning his daughter struggled in her first semester last fall at Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon.

''I dropped the suit because I didn't want her to have any more excuses,'' Berry said.

Katie Berry could not be reached yesterday for comment.

Stephen Berry sued his daughter in August - on her 19th birthday - after she insisted on attending Brewton-Parker.Berry wanted his daughter to attend Coastal Georgia Community College in Brunswick as a way to prove she was capable of passing college classes, to develop good study habits and to ''demonstrate an emotional maturity she has yet to fully show,'' according to the lawsuit. Berry is divorced from the mother, Gaila Brandon of St. Marys, who has since remarried. As part of their settlement, he must pay for his daughter's college expenses.Two months after the suit was filed, the National Law Journal reported that its outcome might have ''far-reaching impact on settlement negotiations for divorces.''

In an interview at that time, Katie Berry said her father's actions left her feeling ''really unloved.''

''I really think this is all about money,'' she said.

Yet, even thought her father has dropped his suit,the threat of litigation lingers. Brandon has filed a contempt-of-court lawsuit and is asking for $2,500 in attorney's fees, which Berry said he will not pay. Jerry Brandon, Katie's stepfather, said that suit was filed after Berry refused to pay for his daughter's college. Gaila Brandon could not be reached for comment. ''We certainly didn't have anything to do with filing the first lawsuit,'' Jerry Brandon said. And both sides are arguing about how much tuition Berry owes. Berry wrote a check for $5,800 that he said was fair payment for his daughter's tuition for two semesters.

Jerry Brandon said Berry's check was ''a few thousand dollars short, in my opinion.''His lawyers sent the check back, Brandon said. Berry was obligated to pay for tuition, books, room and board, which, according to the divorce settlement, ''shall not exceed the costs for a state residence student to attend the University of Georgia.'' Tuition, room and board and books for one semester at the University of Georgia is about $4,000. That is about $380 less than the cost of a semester at Brewton-Parker, a private, four year college of 2,000 students. Classes at Coastal Georgia Community College are $658 a semester. Berry said he didn't pay the full amount because his daughter had received some grant money for tuition and because of differences in opinion about what he should pay for tuition and room and board.

But Berry said he never sued because he was trying to save money. (REALLY?)
''I filed the suit because I felt a community college would have better prepared her for a four-year university,'' Berry said. ''I don't take any pride in the fact that I was right.''

Brandon said lawyers representing his daughter were prepared to drop the contempt-of-court lawsuit if Berry would have paid the full amount for tuition, plus $2,500 in attorney's fees he and his wife have paid. ''We didn't file anything until he did,'' Brandon said. ''He should have paid the bill.'' Berry said he regretted filing the lawsuit. His intentions were to make sure his daughter was prepared for a four-year university. ''I'm the scapegoat, I'm the guy to blame it on,'' Berry said. ''If I had known what I know now, I'd never have filed that suit.''

S.O.S'S Thoughts: Hum... I wonder if he should stop his public mud fight with the Sheriff so the Sheriff would not have any more excuses. Or maybe I need to get him the Sheriff's birthday so he can go run the Sheriff's dog...or something along those lines.