The phony child abduction story

I just talked to another lawyer, to possibly represent me. I showed him a sampling of the allegations against me. He didn't think that they were any big deal until he got to the one about me letting the kids run loose in Costco. He said:

The one about Costco is serious. There are child abductions in Costco. My wife was in Costco when a kid was abducted. The parent got the store to seal the exits. They searched the store, and found the child in a stall in the men's room, with a different set of clothes and a disguise.

I tried to tell him that it was an urban legend, and that it never happened. He looked me straight in the eye, and told me that his wife was in the store at the time. He seemed to think that I was a lunatic for disputing him on this point. Furthermore, he said that I was going to lose if I dispute conventional wisdom, whether I am right or wrong. He was clearly sizing me up as a difficult client with an attitude problem.

I may still hire the guy. I don't think that he (or his wife) was lying. Nearly everyone has fallen for a urban legend at least once. His wife probably came home one day and said, "Guess what happened in Costco today ...". She had gotten the story from someone who said that it came from some very reliable friend. That is the way these urban legends spread.

I just can't believe that I am in danger of losing my kids because of gullible people who believe a stinking urban legend.