Survivor gains safety and housing with Legal Aid help

Controlling behavior is a hallmark of domestic violence: abusers seek control of their victims’ lives—restricting their autonomy, limiting their engagement with other people in their life, and curtailing their movement.

Helen (alias for privacy) has lived in her home for over 30 years. While there, her then-husband physically and emotionally abused both Helen and her children. She thought she had obtained her freedom when she divorced her abuser, but to her horror he found ways to maintain his control.

During the divorce case, the judge issued an order for Helen’s ex-husband to transfer the house to her via quitclaim deed, but he never complied. While her ex-husband was no longer residing in the home, he routinely showed up uninvited, going so far as to break in and assault Helen on multiple occasions.

Matters escalated when Helen’s ex-husband took a bold step and filed an eviction against her.

When her ex-husband and his attorney began to pursue their unjust effort to kick Helen out of her home, she was devastated—but she knew there were resources available, and she reached
out to Legal Aid.

Legal Aid responded, and the complex nature of the case required thoughtful collaboration between multiple practice groups. Intake specialists, paralegals, and attorneys worked together to address Helen’s legal needs.

Zoe Suntheimer, Staff Attorney in Housing worked closely with Haley Martinelli, Supervising Attorney in Family Law to pursue an aggressive defense of Helen’s rights, filing counterclaims on her behalf to underscore the binding nature of the original court order granting Helen the deed to the home.

A terrific outcome followed – Helen’s ex complied with the court order and transferred the deed to the home that very same day.

With Legal Aid’s help, Helen had won a total victory, and with it the first true peace of mind she had known in 30 years.

Special thanks to the staff collaboration that made this successful outcome possible – kudos to Intake Specialists Tracy Ayers and Laura Post, as well as Paralegals Anna Kallmeyer, Anthony Perrins, and Anna Seballos for their support.

Originally published in Legal Aid's "Poetic Justice" newsletter, Volume 20, Issue 2 in July 2023. See full issue at this link: “Poetic Justice” Volume 20, Issue 2.