Proud to have worked with Lani Levine and Family Violence Appellate Project to achieve this fantastic result for survivors across the state!
On Friday September 18th, we celebrated a win for domestic violence survivors across California! Last month, BayLegal and pro bono co-counsel Levine Advocacy filed an amicus brief in Irvine v. Irvine, urging the California Court of Appeal to end a practice that was quietly harming survivors: automatic delays of restraining order hearings whenever the abuser faced related criminal charges. Friday September 18th, the Court issued a published decision largely adopting the test we proposed and it cited BayLegal directly. Here's why it matters. Before, protection depended on geography. Some courts delayed hearings automatically. Others delayed them for months, even years. Survivors returned to court again and again, arranging childcare, losing wages, facing their abuser one more time. In one BayLegal case, a client's hearing was continued five times in five months. She shook every time she walked in to share her story. Now, trial courts across California must weigh those harms. Delays are no longer automatic, and our clients will be treated the same no matter which courtroom they're standing in. Read the full story below: https://lnkd.in/gKnR8WrN
