A New Beginning

“Anna” is an immigrant who came to the US on a fiancee visa. She was forced into economic servitude and financially, physically, and emotionally abused by her husband for over five years. She was not allowed to get an education, work, learn English, or leave the home alone. Anna was connected with Lakeshore through community outreach, where she expressed concern that her spouse was withholding her immigration documents and passport. She retained Lakeshore to obtain a PPO and file for divorce.

At the onset of the divorce, Lakeshore obtained an order for temporary spousal support in the amount of $600/month, arguing that the opposing party was employed as a truck driver and client was living in a shelter with no income due to his actions. Lakeshore also attended proceedings in the criminal DV case, where Lakeshore worked with the prosecutor to obtain the client’s documents. Lakeshore obtained a PPO for client and defeated its challenge. When the opposing party wanted to adjourn his termination motion until the criminal DV case was finalized, Lakeshore successfully argued for strict adherence to timelines in the court rules. Because Lakeshore had subpoenaed police officers to testify, counsel for the opposing party withdrew the motion to terminate.

Ultimately, Lakeshore successfully negotiated a divorce settlement for Anna, which awarded her $300/month in non-modifiable spousal support for two years, religious divorce, and no opposition to a parallel divorce in her home country. Anna has since started working, has obtained her own housing, and is nearly fluent in English. Lakeshore’s assistance has empowered the client to live her life independently, and she is looking forward to her future in the U.S.