Like it or not having a controling parent is actually a good thing. Go walk out on the street of a major city and take your own poll, you will find most of the hoolums have no father involved in their lifes. When kids are left to run wild and make their own descisions 9 times out of 10 they will screw up.
The fact is you cousin, simple doesn't like being told what to do and is being selfish, putting her needs above that of her child. Is the same attorney who told you about social class determining denial of visitation? Maybe if in her work, she woudl investigate a little to eralize she is servicing self centered women who are delusional she would get a clue. DH's ex for example has her own reality were she is convinced he is evil and tells people this, including the children. Problem is eventually they stop believing her, and the only people who have suffered have been her own children. Her attorney believed her too.