Story of Justice: Ana Finds Safety

When Ana made the difficult decision to leave her husband, she hoped to find safety and peace for herself and her children. Instead, the abuse continued.

The couple married just a few years earlier, but Ana said she could no longer endure the sexual and verbal abuse she was experiencing. She described waking in the middle of the night to find her husband sexually assaulting her and struggling to fight him off. She made a plan, found a new place to live, and left him. Separation is one of the most dangerous times for a victim of domestic violence and this proved to be the case for Ana. Her husband’s behavior escalated. He was now stalking and threatening her.

One of the last incidents happened while Ana and their children were in their new home. Ana’s husband drove repeatedly past her home, calling her, texting her, yelling out the window threatening to hurt her. Then, he got out of the car and refused to leave. She begged him to leave, but he wouldn’t. When she said she was calling the police, he physically attacked her, grabbing her and her throwing her to the ground. She was able to call 911, but he fled before officers arrived. While police searched the area for him, Ana waited at home with a longtime friend who came to support her. They stayed outside as she did not want the children to see or hear what was happening.

Believing the danger had passed, the officers eventually left. But Ana’s husband had been hiding nearby, waiting for the police to depart. Moments later, he appeared in Ana’s backyard and launched a violent attack. He hurled a large pot at Ana and threw her to the ground; then he brutally battered her friend. Ana tried to protect her friend, but he hit her and she was thrown to the ground again. Blood covered the scene as Ana was able to call 911 from her earbud for a second time. Medics and the police arrived as her husband took off again.

However, this time, law enforcement located and arrested him.

Fearing for her safety and the safety of her children, Ana turned to Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida to help obtain an Injunction for Protection. A CCLA attorney immediately began preparing her case, gathering evidence, and subpoenaing the arresting officer and Ana’s friend to testify.

When the hearing date arrived, Ana’s husband was still in jail. He was visibly upset seeing that Ana had an attorney. He would not agree to anything. The judge started the hearing. Following the CCLA attorney’s opening argument laying out all the evidence that would be introduced and describing the witnesses present to testify, he asked to stop the proceedings and agreed to the entry of a Final Judgment for Injunction for Protection.

The Court granted Ana the protections she sought and adopted additional safeguards advocated for by CCLA, including requirements that Ana’s husband complete a Batterer’s Intervention Program, a substance abuse evaluation and treatment, a parenting course, and a mental health evaluation and treatment. Most importantly, the Court awarded Ana sole parental responsibility and 100% time-sharing with the parties’ minor children while Ana’s husband completed those programs.

With the injunction in place, Ana and her children finally had the security they needed to begin rebuilding their lives. Even practical issues such as child support were handled through structured electronic transfers, limited interaction between the parties and reinforcing the protections put in place by the Court.

Ana was deeply grateful for the outcome and for the advocacy and support that helped her reclaim safety, stability, and a future for herself and her children.