Giggio's Defense (3 year update)

Hello! Thanks so much for stopping by :)

I opened this GoFundMe project three years ago - to gather support and raise funds for the unexpected legal costs of defending my 10 year old son and my right to remain in the US. A Spanish court awarded me full custody of Giggio in May 2020, and we moved back to the United States, to our hometown in St Charles MO that fall.

The money raised in that first campaign was very helpful in securing a Spanish law firm. And since that time I have been able to pay the costs myself while living here in the US.

Since December of 2022 I have been in and out of court in Spain and the US as Giggio's biological father continues to lie, manipulate and stalk us via the court system in both countries.

2 years ago we returned to Spain in an attempt to obtain immigration status and health insurance while we waited for the Spanish proceedings. After these attempts failed we cam back to the states again, and I have spent the past year saving funds and representing myself in an attempt to remain here and keep Giggio safe and happy.

I am reopening this fundraiser because I am honestly at such a loss I don't know what to do except ask again for your support. The time and expense related to these cases is crazy and becoming insurmountable. I need to have an additional $15000 in order to travel back to Spain in January, and pay for legal representation for a hearing that Giggio's father has requested will end with my imprisonment.

I have filed an appeal with the Supreme Court as well as spoken with The Human Rights Commission in the US and EU, but these processes take time and I cannot afford to walk into court in Spain again without legal counsel.

The Hague Convention - which I have been accused under - has undergone 3 revisions since these charges were falsely brought against me, mostly because of how it is used by wealthy - abusive fathers to trap and limit the rights of their children's mothers.

I would welcome all of you to read my Supreme Court case to understand the state of this convention internationally, as well as my specific defense against it.

For most of you that I have been in contact with over these years, I know it is a shock as I was quite confident the past two years in handling things on my own and coming to an agreement with Giggio's father. However, despite his assertion that he will honor Giggio's desire to remain here, he has decided to continue to use the court system to bully us into living in Spain - a country where Giggio has no family or community or security- I am not legally able to work or live - and his father is not even employed there any more.

So as I scramble to work more, research more and defend our civil liberties, I need to ask for your support so that I can be confident in my ability to defend myself in these unjust proceedings as well as insure we have a home to return to.

I know this is a difficult year for so many of us, but I pray that the years to come will bring a lot of positive change and growth. It is difficult and embarrassing to me to reach out for support - but I hope if you are able to lend a hand you know that any energy you can share with us today will not just benefit Giggio and my case, but also set precedent so that this kind of injustice cannot be inflicted on other mothers and children like us.

Thank you so much for taking the time, and although I am keeping this campaign private on GoFund Me, please feel free to share it with individuals you think would be interested.

Here are a few updates on the Gig man and why he so desperately wants to stay in the US...

Giggio is in 7th grade now. He is at the same MS in 6th grade and has a great group of friends and supportive teachers.

 

He spends every moment possible outdoors and looks forward to the day we can stop pouring our money into court costs but instead into a family farm.

He is an avid fisherman and hunter...

As well as an entrepreneur who moved his talents from a lemonade stand to window washing this summer :)

He plays Baseball and has been weightlifting in preparation for trying out for football next year.

I have poured every financial resource I have into creating a safe home and providing every opportunity possible here for Giggio. I was simply not prepared for the cost of another legal battle at this point.

These past years I have been far too quiet, embarrassed and compliant about a legal process that has directly endangered my son, and I would like to use my mistakes and experiences to help other parents and children who are suffering under the same limitations overseas.

 

I intend to set precedence and document my own proceedings to show how a foreign court attempted to restrict the rights and movement of an American mother and her child, directly endangering him as they do regularly under The Hague Convention. I cannot tell you how many parents I have met over the past 5 years who have been placed in my position... Being denied travel, having their passports revoked, being unable to work or provide for their children while being forced to live in a foreign country at the mercy of a painfully slow court process that has no regard for the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness of their children.

Most of us push through and make the best of it, so our children don’t feel the strain and our friends and families will not think poorly of us, but the limitations imposed upon us are not just unfair, they are unjust. I would like to use this humble moment in my personal history to talk about my experiences, and continue to build a network for parents like me to provide support, legal advice and financial resources to those who are also lost in this process.

I hope that everyone who supports me in this path will continue to engage in my journey forward. I have no doubt that justice will prevail, and I will be able to share the experience and legal precedence to help others move more gracefully through their own restrictions and court battles.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to read a bit about our story today. I thank you so much for your words of encouragement, support, consideration and inspiration.

 

With love and respect,

Erica