The Last Days of Mary Richardson Kennedy

When the media last looked at the case, it concluded that Mary Richardson Kennedy hanged herself because she was suffering from a borderline personality disorder. That is, because she was mentally deranged.

In the dominant narrative her estranged husband, Robert Kennedy, Jr. fought valiantly to save her from her mental illness. Sadly, her mental illness won out. There was nothing he, or anyone else, could do.

Until now the story of Mary Kennedy’s suicide has been carefully orchestrated by the Kennedy family to protect the Kennedy name. The voice of Mary Richardson Kennedy has effectively been silenced.

See, however, my previous posts.

We all know that there are always two sides to every story, especially stories involving bitterly contested divorces. So, we should never rush to judgment.

This morning, new information reported by the New York Post paints a radically different picture. The information is contained in a petition filed by Mary Kennedy’s former attorneys, who claim that Robert Kennedy, Jr. has not paid them their legal fees of $278,000.

The lawyers’ petition also claims that Kennedy was employing a “scorched earth litigation approach" against his wife.

It’s a form of psychological warfare. The Post reports that Kennedy had cut his wife off:”… from a $20,000-a-month, court-approved credit card, leaving her unable to buy groceries, gas or even medical care for their son.”

The paper continues:

“Unfortunately, the last months of Ms. Richardson Kennedy’s life were full of daily financial challenges, directly attributable to Mr. Kennedy’s litigation tactics executed through his family office,” according to a petition.

 Already struggling with alcoholism and depression, she was subjected to the humiliation of having her card declined at the local drug store and supermarket. At one point her plastic was denied at her son’s doctor, the source said.

This tactic violated the agreement that Kennedy and his wife had made:

Each warring spouse was supposed to have a $20,000-a-month limit on a joint credit card, with the bills to be paid by the Kennedy clan’s money manager, the Park Agency.

According to the Post:

Cutting her off was a tactic “to squeeze her and make her panic” as important issues — the custody of the couple’s four children, and division of assets — were being hammered out, the source said. Bobby Kennedy also falsely claimed millions in joint assets as his own, according to the court filing.

This report leaves us with one, and only one question.

If you are in the middle of a contentious divorce with a woman who is having a nervous breakdown and you are concerned about her mental health and well-being, would you employ such tactics? Would you try to starve her out and to make it impossible for her to buy food to feed your children?

This tactic does not show a man who is consumed by concern for the well-being of his estranged. It shows a man who will stop at nothing to destroy someone who has gotten in the way.