Help Laura advocate for her boys
Donation protected
I'm asking for help for the family I nanny for. They have been through an unfair amount of trials since January. I'm going to give as much information as I can without jeopardizing the case they have with the courts.
Laura and Ronnie both had emergency surgeries earlier this year. Ronnie required emergency spinal surgery after collapsing and Laura required hiatal hernia surgery after an unknown incident that pushed half of her stomach into her chest. Days after Laura came home from the hospital, her 9-year-old son Luke ran away from his father's home to get to her home at night (2 miles away!). There were other incidents leading up to this and out of concern and guidance from counselors and advisors from the school, as well as by trusting her gut, Laura hired an attorney to seek an emergency order to restrict parenting time. Days later, the emergency order was granted. Weeks went by and another hearing took place. Again, without giving too much information, Laura's attempt to protect her children from concerning allegations was shot down and she was shamed in Court. She was just simply out-lawyered in Court. Those she put trust in to advocate for her children did not do their jobs. The order was reversed. Laura was ordered to pay for the other party's attorney fees.
In addition, Laura was just sent a bill from her attorney for this appearance in Court that was not well-prepared for in the eyes of many and she has been billed for her attorney's time to fight to have to pay the other party's fees. She was dealt another loss and the order was granted. Here we are 2 months out from when her son ran away (again, there were many other things that happened), and She has to come up with almost $7,000 in fees for her attorney, plus $5,000 for the other party. She has to come up with this $7k by May 31st.
She had given up until recently and decided that she would just let the CFI (Child and Family Investigator) do his due diligence and that she would let the chips fall as she couldn't afford to keep paying for legal representation when it wasn't helping. After speaking with numerous attorneys who listened to her situation, she has now found someone who has made her realize that what she did was what any other mother would have done to protect her children. She has hope again. Unfortunately, to continue to advocate for her boys, she is going to need more money for attorney fees. There is a hearing set for October which could change the lives of her sons forever. She is desperate but at this point, she has drained all of her financial resources after paying for surgeries. She is working toward a teaching certification that would allow her to work teaching English to students overseas. However, this will require that she begin her workday at 3 am daily. If you know Laura, you know that she is already burning the candle at both ends. I am concerned that she is going to get burnt out very quickly. There is no way she can do this job, help her husband run his business, and be able to enjoy spending time with her family.
They are estimating that this advocacy is going to require another $10,000 in legal fees. She has found one of the top family attorneys in the state and he wants to take her case on. He wants to help steer the ship to fight for her boys. Laura is not wanting to ask for help because she and her family have already received so much help through meal trains and folks taking care of her kids while she and her husband Ronnie were having medical emergencies. In order to secure this new attorney and finish paying off the previous one, all funds need to be available by June 1 (12k due by May 31 and at least 5k due to the new attorney as soon as possible so they can begin working on the case).
We can't let her give up at this point. I'm hoping that by putting this story out there, we can give Laura some hope by proving help for her and the boys. This is a very sweet family, but who is also very private about this situation. If you have more specific questions, please reach out to me. Please share this with as many people as you know. This would mean the world to Laura, her husband Ronnie, Eric (11 years old and has Autism), Luke (9 years old) and Sydnee (2 years old). This is an incredibly dire situation and while the family hasn't shared most of this with the public, they are quite terrified that they won't have the resources needed to protect the boys!Thank you for your help.
Laura and Ronnie both had emergency surgeries earlier this year. Ronnie required emergency spinal surgery after collapsing and Laura required hiatal hernia surgery after an unknown incident that pushed half of her stomach into her chest. Days after Laura came home from the hospital, her 9-year-old son Luke ran away from his father's home to get to her home at night (2 miles away!). There were other incidents leading up to this and out of concern and guidance from counselors and advisors from the school, as well as by trusting her gut, Laura hired an attorney to seek an emergency order to restrict parenting time. Days later, the emergency order was granted. Weeks went by and another hearing took place. Again, without giving too much information, Laura's attempt to protect her children from concerning allegations was shot down and she was shamed in Court. She was just simply out-lawyered in Court. Those she put trust in to advocate for her children did not do their jobs. The order was reversed. Laura was ordered to pay for the other party's attorney fees.
In addition, Laura was just sent a bill from her attorney for this appearance in Court that was not well-prepared for in the eyes of many and she has been billed for her attorney's time to fight to have to pay the other party's fees. She was dealt another loss and the order was granted. Here we are 2 months out from when her son ran away (again, there were many other things that happened), and She has to come up with almost $7,000 in fees for her attorney, plus $5,000 for the other party. She has to come up with this $7k by May 31st.
She had given up until recently and decided that she would just let the CFI (Child and Family Investigator) do his due diligence and that she would let the chips fall as she couldn't afford to keep paying for legal representation when it wasn't helping. After speaking with numerous attorneys who listened to her situation, she has now found someone who has made her realize that what she did was what any other mother would have done to protect her children. She has hope again. Unfortunately, to continue to advocate for her boys, she is going to need more money for attorney fees. There is a hearing set for October which could change the lives of her sons forever. She is desperate but at this point, she has drained all of her financial resources after paying for surgeries. She is working toward a teaching certification that would allow her to work teaching English to students overseas. However, this will require that she begin her workday at 3 am daily. If you know Laura, you know that she is already burning the candle at both ends. I am concerned that she is going to get burnt out very quickly. There is no way she can do this job, help her husband run his business, and be able to enjoy spending time with her family.
They are estimating that this advocacy is going to require another $10,000 in legal fees. She has found one of the top family attorneys in the state and he wants to take her case on. He wants to help steer the ship to fight for her boys. Laura is not wanting to ask for help because she and her family have already received so much help through meal trains and folks taking care of her kids while she and her husband Ronnie were having medical emergencies. In order to secure this new attorney and finish paying off the previous one, all funds need to be available by June 1 (12k due by May 31 and at least 5k due to the new attorney as soon as possible so they can begin working on the case).
We can't let her give up at this point. I'm hoping that by putting this story out there, we can give Laura some hope by proving help for her and the boys. This is a very sweet family, but who is also very private about this situation. If you have more specific questions, please reach out to me. Please share this with as many people as you know. This would mean the world to Laura, her husband Ronnie, Eric (11 years old and has Autism), Luke (9 years old) and Sydnee (2 years old). This is an incredibly dire situation and while the family hasn't shared most of this with the public, they are quite terrified that they won't have the resources needed to protect the boys!Thank you for your help.
Co-organizers (2)
Jaiden Ogburn
Organizer
Longmont, CO
Laura Hurley
Beneficiary
Ronnie Thornton
Co-organizer