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- Jun 12, 2019
They Took Her Son. So We Took Action.
Amy didn't give up. After suffering severe physical and psychological abuse from her child's father, Amy did the things we encourage domestic violence victims to do: she fled her abuser, got a protection order, obtained full custody of her child, and moved away to seek safety. But she had difficulty finding safe housing, her son began experiencing serious health problems as a result of the abuse, and her post-traumatic stress disorder became almost unmanageable. She didn't gi
- Feb 14, 2018
Legal Voice Sues Washington to Defend Rights of Domestic Violence Survivor and Her Son
No one should be placed in the double bind of needing protection and being punished when they ask for it. But this happened to Amy, a war veteran and domestic violence survivor who had her child taken away when she reached out for help. We're defending Amy's rights to parent her child, and to not be blamed for the abuse committed against her. So today, we filed a lawsuit against Washington State's child welfare system to hold them accountable for wrongfully separating familie
- May 10, 2017
Survivors need to be able to trust in the law. GiveBIG to help us ensure they can.
Will you change lives today? With your support, Legal Voice identifies and fixes gaps in the law that leave survivors without the protection they need. Together, we change lives. Have you heard about Maresa? After splitting with her abusive partner, Maresa sought a parenting plan to help provide certainty and safety for their two children. The law is designed to protect people in Maresa's exact situation. But instead of following the law, the judge refused to include the fath
- Apr 6, 2017
Keeping Discrimination Out of the Courtroom: A Victory for Rachelle & LGBTQ Equality!
We just won justice for our client Rachelle Black! This morning, the Washington Supreme Court unanimously stood with Rachelle and affirmed what we believed all along: that the trial court disfavored Rachelle because of her sexual orientation. You may remember Rachelle's story: she filed for divorce from her husband after coming out as a lesbian. When creating a parenting plan for the couple's three children, the trial court gave primary custody of the kids to their father, de
- Feb 22, 2017
Parents should be able to protect their kids from violence.
When a parent asks the court for a protection order to keep their children safe, the court might refuse to include all of the children. Can you believe that?? This is exactly what happened to Jose, who asked the court for a protection order to limit his ex-wife's contact with their three children. She had assaulted their nine-year-old daughter in the presence of the other siblings, leaving all three children in fear of their mother. Instead of granting a one-year protection o
- Jan 6, 2017
The court should protect survivors, not abusers.
You know that Legal Voice works in Olympia to pass strong laws to help protect domestic violence survivors. But creating those laws is only the first step. We also monitor Washington courts to ensure those laws are actually being followed. In Maresa's case, the court didn't follow the law. So we did something about it...and won! After splitting with her abusive partner, Maresa - who could not afford a lawyer - asked a Pierce County court for a parenting plan for their two chi
- Sep 7, 2016
Legal Voice Heading to WA Supreme Court to Defend a Mother's Rights
For two years, Legal Voice has advocated for Rachelle Black, a mother of three who filed for divorce from her husband after realizing that she is a lesbian. The court in her divorce case not only gave primary custody of the children to the father—despite the fact that Rachelle had been a stay-at-home parent for her children's entire lives—but it also restricted her from discussing religion, homosexuality, or "other alternative lifestyle concepts" with her children. She couldn
- Aug 31, 2016
She was abused. Yet he was the one granted a "haunt"-free future.
Washington State’s Parenting Act helps protect domestic violence survivors and ensure a safe and healthy upbringing for their children by requiring certain restrictions on the abusive parent. When courts fail to impose those restrictions, they put survivors and their children at risk. Yet, that is exactly what happened to Maresa, a mother of two whom we represent in an appeal of her custody case. After splitting with her abusive partner, Maresa (who could not afford a lawyer)
- Jul 20, 2016
Upholding the Children of Incarcerated Parents Act
In 2013, Legal Voice championed the Children of Incarcerated Parents Act, a law that helps incarcerated parents keep their ties to their children. We know that mass incarceration has resulted in far too many families—especially families of color—being permanently separated. But unfortunately, not all Washington courts are applying the law as it was intended. That means many parents continue to lose their parental rights due to their incarceration. Edelyn is one of those paren
- Jun 9, 2016
Making It Work for Working Families
Recent research shows that caregiver discrimination lawsuits—including discrimination based on pregnancy, parenthood, and caring for sick family members—have risen nearly 270% in the last ten years. Surprising? Not really. Upsetting? Completely.
Yet on the bright side, people are regularly winning these lawsuits, illustrating the growing recognition of family caregivers in the workforce and how employer policies can support—or harm—their economic security.
Washington S
- Mar 11, 2016
A Positive Step Forward for Rachelle
Rachelle Black filed for divorce from her husband after realizing that she is a lesbian. Shockingly, the trial court in her divorce case restricted Rachelle from discussing religion, homosexuality, or other "alternative lifestyle concepts" with her children, and from having her partner present without specific approval from the children's therapist. The court also gave primary custody of the children to the father, despite the fact that Rachelle had been a stay-at-home mother
- Dec 22, 2015
Justice for Melissa!
Earlier this year we introduced you to Melissa, a woman who has been fighting to regain custody of her child for years. We are thrilled to report an important victory for Melissa at long last—a victory that will also help many other parents in Washington. Melissa agreed in 2008 for her relatives to have custody of her two-year-old child at a time when she was struggling with substance addiction. She thought the custody agreement would be temporary as she worked to overcome he
- Sep 29, 2015
Making the Promise of Marriage Equality a Lived Reality for Washingtonians
Joe Krumbach fought for years to obtain legal recognition of his marriage to his deceased husband and decorated veteran, Jerry Hatcher. The couple had a marriage ceremony in Seattle in 2003, at a time when Washington still had an unconstitutional law on the books that purported to ban marriages of same-sex couples. Before we met Joe, he had sought unsuccessfully to have the Washington Department of Health (DOH) amend Jerry's death certificate so that it indicated the couple w
- Aug 24, 2015
Justice for Joe & Jerry: A Victory in the Continued Fight for LGBT Equality
Though Washington State affirmed same-sex couples’ right to marry in 2012, the ripple effect of this year’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges has resulted in significant victories for LGBT Washingtonians. Legal Voice recently secured one such victory for Joe Krumbach, who has fought since 2013 to obtain legal recognition of his marriage to his deceased husband, Jerry Hatcher. Joe and Jerry met in 1989 and soon fell in love. After 14 years together, they had a
- Aug 13, 2015
Reuniting Mothers and Children
When a parent in crisis faces barriers in caring for her children, our legal and child welfare system should provide help and support to keep the family together if possible. But too often, the system doesn't work. That is why Legal Voice is working to win justice for Melissa. Melissa's partner died when she was pregnant. After giving birth, she suffered from grief and depression and had a relapse of drug use. She agreed to a court order that gave non-parental custody of her
- Jun 25, 2015
Legal Voice Files Amicus Brief in De Facto Parentage Case
On June 25, the Washington State Supreme Court heard oral argument in In re Custody of M.W., a case that concerns the application of the de facto parent doctrine. Legal Voice filed an amicus curiae brief in the Court to offer our views on the proper application of the doctrine. The de facto parent doctrine was first recognized by the Washington Supreme Court in In re Parentage of L.B., a Legal Voice case decided in 2005. The doctrine allows a person who has functioned in ever
- May 9, 2015
Local and National Organizations File Amicus Briefs in Marriage of Black Case
Today, the Washington Court of Appeals granted permission for local and national organizations to file amicus briefs that support Legal Voice’s arguments in In re Marriage of Black. In this case, Legal Voice and our cooperating attorneys from Perkins Coie are representing Rachelle Black in appealing decisions entered by a Pierce County court in her divorce. Ms. Black sought a divorce from her husband after realizing that she was a lesbian. Even though Ms. Black had been a sta
- Apr 28, 2015
Protecting the Rights of Incarcerated Parents and Their Children
The Washington Court of Appeals today issued a decision in In re Termination of M.J. and M.J., a case in which a lower court permanently severed a mother’s relationship with her children due to her incarceration. Legal Voice filed an amicus brief supporting the mother’s challenge to the lower court’s ruling. A key issue in the case concerned trial court’s failure to consider requirements of the Children of Incarcerated Parents Act. Legal Voice led successful advocacy efforts
- Apr 3, 2015
The Fight for LGBT Equality Continues
We’ve made such enormous progress in the fight for LGBT equality. But our work is far from over. Even in states like Washington, where we have won long and hard-fought battles for legal protections, LGBT people continue to face discrimination in employment, in health care, in housing - and in our family court system. That’s why Legal Voice is representing Rachelle Black. She and her husband had three children, and Rachelle was a stay-at-home mother for 15 years. Several years
- Mar 7, 2015
The Alliance Files an Amicus Brief in Supreme Court Marriage Equality Cases
We have exciting news! This morning The Alliance filed an amicus curiae brief in the United States Supreme Court in the marriage equality cases. As legal organizations based in a variety of states - all working toward social, economic, and legal equality for women and LGBT people - we have seen first-hand how the path toward the freedom to marry has differed drastically depending on where couples live. Our brief was written by cooperating counsel Katie O'Sullivan, David Perez