Parkinson v. Parkinson

No one ever accused Don Quixote de la Mancha of being a practical man; but much of what he said and believed most of us nevertheless hold dear. He said, for example, what every witness in court swears or affirms: “I must speak the Truth, and nothing but the Truth....” 1 He also said, as later in a different context did our nation’s first President, “Honesty’s the best Policy.” 2 This case sorely tests that last statement, though hopefully not to the breaking point.

Barbara and Edwin Parkinson were married in 1965. By 1970 they had three children — a son and two daughters. The parties separated…