Loving Mother Facing Jail Over Christmas

Kelly Knabb is a beloved mother, partner, community member, artist, activist, mutual aid organizer and friend to many. Kelly is facing imminent jail time if she does not pay a $14,000 court sanction by December 20.

 

Over the last eighteen months, Kelly has been fighting a high conflict custody battle for her young child. Early in the case during a protected grace period while Kelly was seeking new counsel, she was ambushed when opposing counsel filed an emergency motion.

 

While she was vulnerable and without an attorney, the court allowed a hearing where Kelly’s parental rights were subsequently stripped from her on false allegations. The child she raised since birth was taken from her home, and Kelly was forced to undergo countless hurdles to overcome this and get her child back.

 

During the course of litigation, Kelly has raised serious concerns about her mistreatment by the court, and has been met with open hostility and anger for expressing her concerns and asking for appeals and trial.

 

Kelly believes, as do many of us who love and support her, that her bravery in advocating against the corruption she is experiencing has made her the target of power people who seek to silence her.

 

What started as a custody case between Kelly and the person who groomed her at the age of 19 has turned into a shocking example of the justice system gone wrong.

 

Throughout the litigation, Kelly has been the victim of egregious acts of bias and has been held to a separate and cruel standard. She and her family have suffered emotional stress and trauma as a result.

 

In June, the court ordered Kelly to pay $14,000 for a discovery error. Other parties have disregarded court orders during this trial, but only Kelly has been held to this extreme standard and forced to pay thousands of dollars.

 

Kelly is experiencing symptoms of PTSD as a result of this litigation and trauma from the marriage she is trying to leave, and has not been able to work. Today she asked the court for guidance and a payment plan, because she could not afford the sanction by the date ordered. Her request was denied, and what came next was shocking.

 

The judge has ordered if she does not pay $14,000 by December 20, she will be jailed. This is practically unheard of in civil cases like divorce. Kelly is the mother of two young children. She is now trying to reconcile the possibility that she might have to be in jail over Christmas.

 

It is shameful that the court would send a person to prison during Covid over money, and we need to rally to keep Kelly out of jail and safe with her family. Prisons are currently overwhelmed and the spread of Covid is a huge issue, and many are trying to limit jail to only the highest offenders.

 

Please share this wide and far. Kelly’s children need her. She has an 8 and 2 year old who would be deeply traumatized by being separated from their mother.

 

Debtor’s jail is a thing of the past and it is illegal and immoral to imprison someone for not having money. It is unconscionable that the court would seek to jail a young mother during a pandemic. Covid has claimed the lives of many Americans, and prisoners have been adversely impacted. This could be a possible death sentence over a court sanction.