Two Attorneys Faced Her Abuser
Jade was walking on her college campus when her child’s father appeared. He shot at her and broke her car window with the handle of the gun. She wasn’t hurt, but she knew that his anger was escalating, as he had been texting her all the time and threatening to murder her after she tried to cut off all communication a month before. The police officers who responded to the gunshot incident recommended that Jade pursue a Temporary Protective Order.
When Jade arrived to the Safe Families Office, AVLF’s Safe & Stable Families team rushed to ensure that she could walk out of the Courthouse with a TPO protecting her and her infant daughter. When her abuser was served with the TPO, AVLF turned to volunteers Laura Smithman and Margaret Flatt with Eversheds Sutherland to represent Jade.
Laura and Margaret stood with Jade in her evidentiary hearing, and were able to skillfully negotiate a consent with her abuser. The Consent Order forbids him from having any contact with Jade and their daughter, orders him to pay monthly child support, requires him to reimburse her for the damage to her car window, and orders him to attend a series of Family Violence Intervention Program courses.
Thanks to Laura and Margaret, Jade didn’t have to face her fear of testifying in open court about the abuse that she endured, and she and her daughter can rest easier knowing that there are attorneys who are passionate and willing to fight for their right to live peacefully.
