Man trying to cut off his 18-year-old daughter's insurance kept looking off-camera in court. The judge saw who was ‘coaching’ him — and called it out

When in court, people are expected to speak for themselves. Trumbull County Domestic Relations/Juvenile Division Judge David L. Engler (@judgingdavid2) gave a man permission to "appear" in court on Webex (a virtual platform like Zoom). While concluding the hearing, Judge Engler was going through the agreements but noticed the man was distracted by someone offscreen. While concluding the hearing, Judge Engler noticed that the man kept looking off-camera and realized someone else appeared to be influencing the conversation. He addressed the situation on TikTok on August 8, 2026, and the video racked up 572,300 views, 53,000 likes, and 2,014 comments.

Whispers in the ear

Judge Engler had just completed a hearing with a man through Webex, and what happened on the call made him angry. He was going through the agreements with the man when he noticed the latter kept looking up to his left. Apparently, his new girlfriend was standing by his side. Judge Engler said, "The new girlfriend [was] hanging off on the outskirts of the Zoom call, trying to give him suggestions and tips as to why it's a good idea to kick his 18-year-old daughter off the insurance as soon as he can, as soon as she becomes 18."

Dad's new girlfriend

For context, the daughter had been estranged from her father for about a year and was angry with him and his new girlfriend. According to Judge Engler's explanation, the new girlfriend's involvement led to her parents' divorce. Judge Engler believed that stepparents or a parent's unmarried partner should not overstep their boundaries. "To let some new woman in your life dictate your relationship with your child is despicable," Judge Engler concluded.

Why insurance matters for young adults

The dispute over the daughter's health insurance comes at a time when many young adults still rely on their parents for coverage. According to a 2024 analysis by KFF, 72% of young adults ages 18 to 25 with employer-sponsored insurance were enrolled as dependents, compared with 32% of adults overall. The Affordable Care Act generally allows young adults to remain on a parent's health plan until age 26, making parental coverage an important source of insurance for this age group

'I would ditch the girlfriend in a heartbeat'

Netizens praised Judge Engler for calling out the man and his new girlfriend. A few others shared their stories of things their ex-spouses have gotten away with because of their new partners. @crystalharris1712 commented, "Been there, my ex and his girlfriend tried to take my son, at the time he was 6, away from me. When he cheated on me with her, I was the sole provider. Horrible people. But the judge ruled in my favor. I was so happy." @locochaosuprising added, "I could never let anyone ever come in between my kids and me. I would ditch the girlfriend in a heartbeat."

You can follow Judge David L. Engler (@judgingdavid2) on TikTok for more legal advice content.

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