Legal Funds for Beloved Friend - גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִ

When last we met, our beloved friend had escaped a terrible Domestic Violence situation, and she and her kid were physically safe in Philly. Since then, things have changed. Her abusive former partner used the legal system to drag her to another state to fight a vicious legal battle. He has continued to hold her finances hostage and she continues to struggle for funds to meet the basic needs of herself and her kid.

So here we are again. The legal funds that we worked so hard to raise before on her behalf were quickly exhausted as her spouse weaponized the legal system with his financial leverage, forcing her lawyer to deal with managing serial dumpster files rather than making progress.

Our friend continues to be an absolute badass. She has great friends and community where she is (b”h), but the latest from her ex has her reeling and reaching for funds to get her legal defense back on its feet (her last lawyer retired, so she’s been representing herself for the last several months).

To top everything off, she’s facing significant discrimination from the Powers That Be, who consistently refuse her access to services that she needs as a profoundly Deaf person. Her fighting them and refusing to be cowed as they push again and again to dehumanize and disenfranchise her and her kid is admirable and also exhausting in the face of everything that she has been going through.

Our friend is a badass mom and community comrade. She supplied the whole Jewish contingent at the Treaty People Gathering (Water Protectors) with challah (so much challah!) and is unfailingly generous- always the first to step up when someone needs food, a ride, or a boost of any kind. She makes beautiful art and has always been one to give before thinking of herself.

At this point, she needs a lawyer not only for the divorce, but more urgently to fight the spurious claims being made by her ex that, if successful, would result in her 11-year-old kid landing in his custody. Our friend suffered life-threatening injuries when his rage targeted her, and since she has returned to the state where he lives, his physical abuse has turned to their child, with the resulting injuries landing them in physical therapy for the last several months.

As someone who is disabled and poor, our friend qualifies for legal services, but legal aid agencies are totally overwhelmed by the pandemic and waiting lists are long. The ex has used his 6-digit income to continue to retain a lawyer from a high-powered law firm.

The process she is involved in now has been priced out by a lawyer to the tune of a flat $10,000 fee to handle what’s currently in the works. We need to raise this money as fast as possible, so we are shooting to finalize this funding by February 14th, Valentine’s day.

Please show some love to a person who would give you the shirt off of her back at the slightest need. We are so grateful. She is so grateful. You have no idea the impact that your donation will have. Please help.

Out of respect for their privacy, we are not naming them on a public site. But anyone who knows us (Seraphina, Kat, and Leykn) – please feel free to contact us if you’d like more information about the situation.