The Case of Mrs. Brown

Mrs. Brown was 39 when her husband jumped on her back and threatened to kill himself in front of the kids. It was Christmas Day and four little pairs of eyes watched in terror as their father pointed a gun to his head. Sadly enough, that wasn’t the first time Mr. Brown, held a gun in front of the kids.

In 2001, the couple got married in a rural part of Louisiana. The Browns had four children together with two of them having special needs. To accommodate their new lifestyle, Mrs. Brown decided to quit her job so that she could home school the two kids with disabilities. Then the abuse started. Between the economic instability, violence and her concern for her children’s well-being, Mrs. Brown didn’t know what to do.

Since 2016, Mrs. Brown was harassed, pushed to the ground and yanked by the arms. She wore bruises on her body like they were tattoos. It seemed as though the violence would never stop. Then her husband sued for custody of her children. That’s when she finally turned to a local domestic violence shelter that provides services to survivors and was later referred to Southeast Louisiana Legal Services for help.  

In the spring of 2018, an SLLS attorney jumped right in to help and defended her rights in courts. With our help, Mrs. Brown was approved to be the domiciliary parent, get $1,700 per month in child support, and have access to both the family home and the family van. Now Mrs. Brown has the security she needs to move forward and protect her family from future harm.

Recently, we’ve learned that she’s looking for a night job and is helping her oldest child think about what to do after he graduates high school. Providing survivors like Mrs. Brown with the resources they need to escape abuse and overcome their trauma is truly a rewarding experience for many of our attorneys. To anyone who’s still struggling to break the cycle of violence, know that an SLLS attorney is only a phone call away. We want to fight for you and anyone else who’s suffering in an abusive relationship.