Tell me about it, a friend of mine went through absolute hell ended up paying $250,000 in legal fees alone fighting for custody of the kids, then visitation, his ex-wife was a total b**ch who wanted him gone totally out of his kids life, and he didn’t do ANYTHING abusive to them at all, she just wanted a new guy and she went full psycho and totally wiped him out, and yep, he is paying child support.
I got out light in comparison. Thankfully, she was as stupid as she was mendacious and conniving. Fortunately, she cared about what the kids thought of her. Were it not for that, I’d be hanging on a cross right beside your friend.