By Richard Luthmann
In the latest episode of The Unknown Podcast, hosts Richard Luthmann and Michael Volpe explore the complexities of cancel culture, media manipulation, and systemic failures in the judiciary. This week’s guest, Karen Riordan, offers insight into how her life was upended by Connecticut’s family court system and her ex-husband, Christopher Ambrose.
The conversation opened with Volpe highlighting President Biden’s latest comments about Trump supporters, which sparked a media frenzy.
“Biden called Trump’s supporters ‘garbage’ during a video call,” Volpe said, adding that mainstream outlets like Axios picked up the story.
Luthmann believed the “garbage” comments were part of Biden’s payback to Democrats for dropping him from the ticket.
Volpe credited journalist Alex Thompson for reporting the incident without spinning it in Biden’s favor.
Volpe then spoke about President and Civil War General Ulysses S. Grant, who rose from the middle-class ranks to lead America.
Riordan’s Battle in Family Court
The podcast took a serious turn as Volpe introduced guest Karen Riordan, who joined to discuss her legal battles with Ambrose. Riordan faced a unique form of retaliation: allegations of coercive control over her own children.
“Ambrose used the revised Connecticut law on coercive control to label Karen a perpetrator of domestic violence,” Luthmann noted.
This legal twist, which stemmed from Jennifer’s Law—a law passed after the murder of Jennifer Dulos to address coercive control—was supposed to protect victims, but in Riordan’s case, it was weaponized against her.
Riordan explained, “Ambrose claimed I was coercively controlling the kids, convincing them to accuse him of neglect and abuse.”
She said her ex-husband used these allegations to secure a restraining order, preventing her from contacting their three children. The irony, she added, was that her children had gathered independent evidence of his abuse over three years, which had yet to be presented in court.
Volpe played a clip from Samantha Rucki in another notorious abuse case.
Luthmann cut in to emphasize the broader issue, “Christopher Ambrose is a trained lawyer. He’s using the system to his advantage.”
He pointed out Ambrose’s legal background and how his understanding of the system allowed him to manipulate the narrative against Riordan. The conversation highlighted how those with legal knowledge can twist laws designed to protect victims.
Cancel Culture and Cyberbullying
Luthmann and Volpe then focused on the growing influence of online cancel culture. The two hosts have previously discussed the impact of TikTok influencers and citizen journalists on public perception and the justice system.
In this episode, Luthmann referenced a case involving TikToker Danesh Noshirvan (@ThatDaneshGuy), who has gained a following for targeting individuals through social media.
“He engages in doxing and cancel culture,” Luthmann said. “It’s the mob mentality Dr. Phil warned about.”
Luthmann mentioned a case he’s been following in Texas, where a football coach named Aaron De La Torre committed suicide after facing intense online backlash instigated by Noshirvan.
The police did not press charges against De La Torre, but the damage was already done.
“Is cancel culture responsible for destroying people’s lives unfairly?” Luthmann questioned, adding that he was investigating the First Amendment implications of Noshirvan’s actions. “I don’t know. We’ll find out.”
Volpe chimed in, arguing that cancel culture activists often blur the lines between journalism and vigilantism.
“Yellow journalism is still journalism,” he said. “It’s not always ethical, but it’s protected by the First Amendment.”
A Deep Dive into Legal Manipulation
The hosts also discussed the misuse of protective orders in contentious family court cases. Volpe cited Riordan’s experience with ex parte protective orders, which are supposed to be reserved for emergencies.
“They’ve become a playbook tactic,” he said, noting that these orders were repeatedly used against Riordan in Ambrose’s case.
Luthmann linked Riordan’s situation to the high-profile Jennifer Dulos case, which led to the passage of Jennifer’s Law.
“The law was designed to stop coercive control,” Luthmann explained, “but in Riordan’s case, it was twisted by Ambrose and his attorney, Alexander Cuda.”
Luthmann was critical of Judge Thomas O’Neill’s handling of the case, suggesting that O’Neill was either complicit or willfully ignorant.
Riordan described how Ambrose claimed she was using coercive control to turn their children against him.
“It’s a novel twist on parental alienation,” Volpe observed, “accusing the parent of influencing the kids to make false allegations.”
Public Outcry and Potential Judicial Reforms
In a broader context, Luthmann and Volpe discussed the implications of Riordan’s case on judicial reform. The hosts have repeatedly criticized the family court system for enabling abusive behaviors through unchecked judicial power and biased rulings.
Luthmann floated the idea of establishing a public list to track judges accused of judicial misconduct, likening it to an “impeachment list” for those who consistently get it wrong.
Volpe agreed, adding that there needs to be a blueprint to remove judges who abuse their power. He pointed to Judge Diane Walker in Idaho, whose alleged bias against abuse victims has sparked a significant retention election campaign. “If you can get a judge out in a retention election, that’s a blueprint for change,” Volpe declared.
Manipulation in the Legal System
The podcast’s discussion circled back to legal manipulation in family courts. Luthmann underscored the importance of recognizing “legal fiction”—a term he used to describe the court’s ability to warp reality to fit a legal narrative.
“Alan Kassenoff, Chris Ambrose—they’re taking reality and twisting it through the courts,” he said.
Riordan echoed this sentiment, explaining how Ambrose used his legal training to paint her as the villain.
“He manipulated the courts and used the legal system to alienate me from my children,” she said.
The Future of Accountability
As the episode wrapped up, Luthmann and Volpe stressed the importance of transparency and accountability in the legal system. Volpe vowed to continue investigating cases like Riordan’s, while Luthmann called for the legal community to reexamine how protective orders and coercive control laws are applied.
“We need to hold bad actors accountable,” Luthmann said. “If not, the system will remain fundamentally unfair.”
Riordan, who has been at the center of this legal storm, left listeners with a sobering thought: “The laws meant to protect can easily be weaponized. And when that happens, justice becomes just another tool for those in power.”
This episode of The Unknown Podcast offered a candid exploration of the intersections between cancel culture, legal abuse, and judicial misconduct.
With hosts unafraid to challenge the status quo, Luthmann and Volpe are solidifying their podcast as a must-listen for anyone questioning America’s legal system.
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