A couple of months ago I shared that I was taking on a case involving two internationally kidnapped children. I'm a lawyer and I really enjoy being able to take on meaning assignments pro bono (for free) that stretch skills as an attorney and bring significant changes to people's lives. This Definitely met those criteria.
My client, the mother, is Canadian. Her and the father had separated but maintained an amicable relationship for the children. That is, until August 2017. What was supposed to be a 2-week visit to the father's house in the United States turned into a nightmare for my client.
At first, it was just the usual "let me just keep them another week." But then he stopped answering calls. Then he stopped responding to texts and emails. Two weeks turned to four then she learned that the children had been moved from Michigan to Indiana and were enrolled in a school. This is when she first realized that the father had no intention of returning the children. I can only imagine that instance heart drop.
She found her way to my firm in February. That is six months of not even being able to talk to her two and five year daughters. In fact, she was forced to miss a birthday. Her youngest is now three. Six months of bouncing from one government agency to the next begging and pleading for help. Shouldn't this be easier to fix?
When we--myself and two of my colleagues--got connected with her and this case we moved swiftly and aggressively. None of us knew anything about kidnapping, let alone international kidnapping. The other two attorneys in my team aren't even litigators. Still, we knew something had to be done and we felt confident that we could help.
We spent a week or two learning everything we could, both factually and legally. Once we were ready to file we went full speed and did not pull any punches. It paid off because we got the court to grant an ex parte temporary restraining order, which is a preliminary relief instrument that is rarely given in the United States. I should mention that there had been multiple attempts to resolve this peacefully, including having an agent from the U.S. State Department call the kidnapping father.
The Judge set a date for both sides to meet and try to work towards a resolution out of court. But from the time we initiated the lawsuit, a lively back-and-forth battle was being waged. Both sides were pulling out the rule book on this one. So maybe you can imagine our surprise when the father's attorneys opened up the meeting by saying that he was agreeing to return the children to Canada!
Whoa. This was an attorneys-only meeting, so it was naturally less emotional than if the parents had been there. There were some concessions they were hoping to gain and we did tentatively agree to a few things. But this change of heart was brought on by his attorneys realizing and convincing their client that they had no case. Not to mention the fact that the judge is authorized to require the father to pay all of our attorneys fees if we win at trial (even thought we took the case for free, we still keep a record of how much it would have cost a paying client for our time).
It took a few days to coordinate logistics, but today was a cheerful day of a mother being reunited with her two young daughters. A lot of tears were shed and a lot of smiles shared. That first hug looked like it would never end. It was perfect.
All facts and pictures are being shared with consent.
Until next time, be blessed.
Sam
Image Source: Taken by me
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