Familiy CV / report of Dr. Rolf Fritz and his wife Rula Fritz (Billeh) Feldbergstrasse 3 A, 78532 Tuttlingen - Germany
Overview: Fritz / Fritz up today dated July 2024
Dr. Rolf Fritz, born1956 in Buchheim, district of Tuttlingen, Southern Germany.
He was lucky enough to grow up in an intact farming family with a younger brother and sister.The family ties and the connection to his homevillage are still very strong today.
1976 High school diploma from the Aufbau-Gymnasium, Meersburg, Lake of Constanz
1986 License to practice as a veterinarian in Munich
1988 Not married, his son, Andre, was born North-East of Stuttgart after a relationship out of that time. Today Andre is 36 years old and has his own family. Thanks to his mother, there was never a problem between the parents. Despite different paths in life, they always agreed on their son Andre. He, the father, was always invited to spend time with Andre as much as wanted.
During the 2004 holidays, he and his son Andre went on a 5-week trip through North America together, which further strengthened their ties.
They still maintain a strong and very good family relationship today. His son already has a little daughter and will have a second daughter in the fall of 2024.
1990 Assistant at the University of Munich, Dissertation in veterinary medicine.
1993 Founded a company (Dr. Fritz Endoscopes) in Tuttlingen, Germany to produce endoscopes for human and veterinary medicine. This company is now 30 years later continued in Buchheim, his birthplace, by his niece Linda Wax.
2000 He married Mrs. Brigitte Birk, who brought 2 sons aged 10 and 12 into the marriage. Unfortunately, the marriage was short-lived despite having many things in common. The marriage was amicably dissolved with a shared divorce lawyer.
2007 At a conference in Egypt, he met the veterinarian Lena Billeh, the sister of his current wife Rula Billeh. Rula was the eldest daughter of an Orthodox family from Jordan.
2008 In June, at the age of 52, he married Rula Fritz (born Billeh), who was 9 years younger than him, in his home town of Tuttlingen-Möhringen in catholic church and at the registry office. In addition to her Jordanian nationality, Rula had become an American citizen through her studies in the USA. Rula gave up her job in Florida and sold her house to move to Germany. Their common goal was to start a family. What was strange for him however, was that the divorced mother from Jordan always lived with her daughter Rula in the USA. The mother had followed her daughter from Jordan to the USA, although the family itself continued to live in Jordan. Rula hated her father, even though he now had his own family again and was always looking for contact.
Within one year, Rula learned the German language and was able to start work. During this time, Mrs. Fritz was an employee in the company Dr. Fritz Endoscopes and had her own income.
2010 After many medical examinations, it became clear that they were not able to have children naturally. In addition to her relatively advanced age (45), Rula also suffered from a genetic defect (thrombophilia) and had a severe lactose intolerance, which ultimately reduced the chances of a natural pregnancy to "0". Through business relationships, medical knowledge and an internet network, they were able to seek help worldwide.
2010 In summer, they were in India (Mumbai) in vain.
2011 In spring, they found a clinic in South Africa with egg donation options. The first attempt failed, but the second attempt was successful. In order to prepare for all of this, they each time stayed in Cape Town for around 10 to 14 days.
2012 In May, their son, Leo Reinhard Fritz, was born by Caesarean section in the hospital in Singen, Germany. Professionally, this was a balancing act for Mr. Fritz. But his connection with his wife was the highlight of his life, he says! It was the greatest and most beautiful time. He personally swore to respect his wife until her death and to protect his son until the end of his life. Soon after the birth, Mrs. Fritz took a job at the University of Freiburg in the ENT department as Audiologist. A special employee of the Dr. Fritz company and Mr. Fritz himself took over the care of little Leo for that time, as the apartment and company headquarters were next to each other in the same building.
2013 In the fall, they found another fertility practice closer to Germany, in Athens, Greece. After joint and targeted preparation, Mrs. Fritz became pregnant with 3 embryos on the first attempt. But due to the great risks for everyone involved and the later consequences, they decided together to terminate the pregnancy. This was a hard blow for both of them and a painful procedure for Mrs. Fritz.But their love was strong enough for that.
2014 In spring, Mrs. Fritz became pregnant again at the age of 46 with the last remaining embryo.
2014 In November, the second son, Mark Artur Fritz, was born by Caesarean section, again in the clinic in Singen, Germany. The happiness they shared was indescribable.His humility and inner gratitude were boundless, is how he describes the situation at the time. Such happiness was denied to many younger couples who had met the couple during this time. Sexual intercourse was no longer an option after the operations because his wife had been injured and was in pain.But this was never a problem for him, because the other tenderness and daily interaction and respect for his wife and family were more than satisfying and a constant incentive.
2015 In order to free up the previous company part of the building for renovation, the company moved to a nearby rental property.This meant that the family would had enough space on the large owned private property.Son Leo went to the local daycare center and later, as soon as Mark could walk, his little brother did too.His wife worked part-time for the company.The couple also often traveled to conferences together as a complete family.
It was important to his wife that both children also received an American passport. They had each applied for at the embassy in Munich.However, they had to provide false information regarding the egg donation, because, purely formally, this would have ruled out US citizenship for the children.
2016 In the fall, Mrs. Fritz traveled with both children to Atlanta, GA, where her Jordanian mother lived, until Christmas.Mr. Fritz himself was able to continue the renovation here at home and devote more time to the company.Shortly before Christmas, he picked up his family from the USA.The renovation was complete.
Later, his wife was working temporarily at the University of Zurich in the ENT department.
2017 By summer, their two sons were in the daycare center in Tuttlingen -Möhringen during the day, 5 minutes’ walk from her house. They were already able to walk home on their own. They were happily integrated into the neighborhood and kindergarten, because there are no fences in this residential area and the road traffic is light and limited to 30km of speed.
Mr. Fritz had noticed that his wife became internally dissatisfied, even partially depressed, after the hormonal change. She suddenly made derogatory remarks about Germany, even though this country had given her everything she had ever wanted. Including the possibility of naturalizing her younger sister and her family, who had moved to Stuttgart, Böblingen, Germany, from Jordan with their help.
The local kindergarten in Möhringen was suddenly no longer good enough. Local friends she had were a nuisance to her. The annual street party with the neighbors and their children in our courtyard was too open for her. She was looking for a new job, so he suggested that she set up her own company in Tuttlingen- Möhringen under the umbrella of the existing company. This would have allowed her to hand over all the bureaucratic work and concentrate purely on her area of audiology, programming hearing aids. A license in this hearing aid area would not have been necessary.
2017 September, his wife traveled to the USA again with both children from Stuttgart airport and he himself traveled to a conference in Great Britain on the same day. He can still see the big, questioning eyes of his little son, Mark, looking at him questioningly at passport control and asking: "Daddy, why aren't you cowing?" “I´ll be back soon”, he told him, “and will pick you up again. I'll never leave you alone!”
2017 For business reasons, he was unable to pick up his family that year, but the return flight tickets had already been booked for mid-December. However, Rula had announced at the beginning of December that she would like to stay in GA over Christmas to visit old friends in Florida. She would return in January after a planned training course. Suddenly, the communication that usually took place daily reduced. Despite repeated requests for her to return, she did not want to give a specific date.
2018 In February, Mr. Fritz finally called the local family court in Tuttlingen via his lawyer Walter about child abduction.
2018 At the beginning of March, he made a surprise visit to his wife and children in McDonough, GA and stayed overnight there. His wife still assured him that she would definitely come back at the end of March, but had accepted a substitute in an ENT audiology practice because a colleague was absent due to pregnancy.
After his return, he had the family court proceedings suspended. But this was reactivated again at the end of March because there had been no return despite a mutual agreement.
2018 mid-April. Sudden unannounced return of his wife and children, but no longer to the shared house, but to Stuttgart / Böblingen to his wife's sister (Lena Billeh). He tried to reach an agreement.
He suggested that they move to the USA together the year after, because a company move would not be so easy to do overnight. He provided her with a car so that she was able to move regularly between Family house in Möhringen and her Sisters house in Böblingen. He then ended the family court proceedings at the local court in Tuttlingen, due to child abduction, because he was seeking an amicable settlement and did not want to live in conflict with his wife.
What he didn't know was, that Rula had filed a lawsuit with the family court in Tuttlingen to obtain the right to determine the child's place of residence.
2018 May, during his 5-day business trip to China, Mrs. Fritz completely and secretly moved out of the shared house. The state of living apart since September 2017 was declared by his wife's lawyers with an application for an interim order - right to determine the child's place of residence for Rula Fritz's children applied for at the family court in Tuttlingen.
17.7.2018 Transfer of the right to determine the child's place of residence to his wife by the decision of the family court in Tuttlingen without an expert and without taking into account the fact that his wife planned to abduct the children. Shared custody was decided but without visitation rights and access rights.
3.8.2018 After only 14 days; confirmation by the Higher Regional Court of the decision of the family court in Tuttlingen - without the possibility of appeal and without a detailed review and without a hearing.
This is the start of an on-going legal dispute
16.8.2018 His wife and children were leaving Germany towards USA
15.8.18 A lawsuit for child access was filed at the court of Böblingen, by his lawyer.His wife had secretly changed the official residence with the children to nBöblingen to her sister's family.
2018 September. His wife files for divorce in McDonough / Atlanta GA, although she had assured the court in Germany, weeks before that she did not want a divorce. The US lawyer raised suspicions of abuse at the first hearing.The court in McDonough then issued a travel ban until the matter was clarified later.
2018 November. Settlement proposal on visitation arrangements by the family court in Böblingen
2018 December. Despite the settlement proposal, his wife refused to allow him to see the children.Return flight from the USA without children.
2019 January. Decision of the Böblingen District Court on the handling – Appeal to the Higher Regional Court
2019 July. Decision by the Higher Regional Court that Germany continues to be responsible for the children.
2020 January, McDonough, GA court confirms that access remains in principle with German courts.The divorce filed by his wife could take place there in the USA. Knowing this, the lawyer of his wife did withdraw divorce file immediately.
2020 March. The Higher Regional Court in Stuttgart announces a settlement on the exact contact and parenting time with the children. Before that, however, Mr Fritz had to accept the ruling on the right to determine the child's place of residence. Otherwise, the Higher Regional Court would not decide on contact.
2020 April. The court in McDonough, GA recognizes the settlement decision from
Stuttgart
2020 April. Contact with the children could not take place due to unclear Corona entry regulations. There was Facetime contact with the children but only every 3 weeks. However, mostly outdoors in the garden in the sun at the back entrance of the house there. Further contact was again refused.
Only Mr. Fritz's renewed lawsuit in McDonough, GA, USA for violation of the contact arrangement finally brought success for the first contact on site in the USA
2020 May, start of the holidays in GA.Surprisingly for Mr. Fritz, the children are actually handed over on time for the planned date in the USA.: The plan was: 3 weeks of holidays in Tuttlingen, Germany and then another 2 weeks in the USA.
Due to the high cost (approx. $6000) of the return flight tickets for three people, he was only able to book one-way tickets on his 2 credit cards. This fact was later considered as evidence of an attempted child abduction.
2020 June, Due to the suspicion that the children had corona virus, the return flight to the USA was to take place a few days later (information from Mr. Fritz to Ms. Rula Fritz). Just 2 days later, Mrs. Fritz was standing in front of the family property with the police to get back the children despite the agreement.
On the last day of the visit in Germany, his wife visited the friendly neighboring family where the children were playing.At the entrance to the house, Mrs. Fritz refused access to the neighbors' house, which led to a provoked scandal with the intervention of the police and the youth welfare office.
2021 November. Despite the neighbors as exculpatory witnesses, the district court in Tuttlingen sentenced Mr. Fritz to a 17-month visitation ban until February 2022 in addition due to the fact that he only has bought 1 way tickets, with the stipulation that a further decision on visitation be made.
The complaint to the Higher Regional Court remained unanswered for months.An application was made to the Higher Regional Court to leave all matters concerning the children to the courts in GA, USA.
This application has remained unresolved up to this day because Mrs. Fritz's lawyers are thwarting this.
In the meantime, Mr. Fritz had traveled to the USA several times but was unable to see the children and also could not meet them by chance, as he mostly lived nearby.
2022 May. In Germany, all proceedings were suspended because the Tuttlingen court requested a further clarification of jurisdiction in the USA.
Therefore, Mr. Fritz attempted to enter the USA illegally using the stolen passport of his brother Arno, who physically looks very similar.His own tourist visa was time-limited and his brother had a 10-year visa.
This attempt to enter the country under false pretenses was discovered and ended with 3 months in US prison in NY. A ban on entering the USA and Canada was imposed for the next 10 years.Mr. Fritz returned from the USA at the end of August.
2023 Nov. After 3 years, the Higher Regional Court finally set a date in the fall firmly, but was torpedoed by his wife.
2024 July. All proceedings in Germany have been on hold for now 4 years. Mr. Fritz has neither seen his sons nor spoken to them via video nor had any contact with them.
Mr. Fritz is actively involved in parent organizations to advocate for equal rights for both parents when it comes to dealing with children.
Family law in Germany seems unfair and discriminatory for fathers and consequently for children! He asks himself: How can a local family court in Tuttlingen, Germany together with the responsible youth welfare office and the responsible higher regional court in Stuttgart, simply send children born here to a country 6000 km away using the so-called right of residence, without checking, despite the child removal suit being filed.
And in doing so, completely ignore the father, the adult brother, the grandparents and the social environment.
The tragic consequences for the children are very sad.All the people making the decision probably never thought that it could also affect their own children and grandchildren.
Mr. Fritz will never stop fighting for his sons.