The divorce negotiations became difficult when Garrett claimed Iris had promised to fund Priscilla’s business.

His attorneys sought reimbursement for certain expenditures that he described as marital investments.

Iris denied the claim and offered records showing that the loans she’d actually agreed to were limited and specific.

Celia did not ask Iris to recount every insult from the marriage.

The court needed documents and testimony relevant to the legal issues.

The emotional history mattered to Iris, but it was not a substitute for evidence.

At one meeting Garrett’s lawyer produced an email that appeared to contain Iris’s approval of a proposed business account.