Help Me Bring Connor Home
Donation protected
Please help me bring Connor home!
I am raising funds in order to hire a lawyer for my 16 year old son. He lives with his father in Florida and wants to return home to me, his mother, his siblings and his step father in Georgia. His father has been denying his persistent requests for over 2 years. Connor will be 18 years old in December of 2016. At 18, he can legally live wherever he wants. For an adult with mature coping mechanisms, a year and a half will go by in the blink of an eye. However, for a teenager like Connor - it is an unbearable thought. Connor has frequently and for a very long time expressed to me feelings of desperation and hopelessness. His father will take away his technology so I cannot contact him for days at a time. He has indicated on more than one occasion that he wants to run away and/or hurt himself. He has experienced panic attacks and terrible migraines due to being separated from me and his little brother and sister. Connor told me that he feels as if he is being held hostage. His father speaks of me in a very negative way to Connor. It makes him feel awful. I have never spoken ill of D in front of Connor. On the contrary, I tell him that his father loves him and that’s why he tries to keep him in Florida. The truth is that he probably does love Connor, but he hates me more. Everything he does is done purposefully to hurt me. Unfortunately, Connor is the one that is being hurt 10x over. I am worried for my childs mental health. I am worried that he will hurt himself. I am worried that he will run away and something terrible will happen to him.
My son wants an opportunity to stand in front of a judge in order to be heard. The only way we can help him to do that is to hire a lawyer for him. It will cost between $5,000 and $8,000. Here is the story in brief:
Connor was born In 1998. Soon after, I filed for divorce from Connor’s father. For the first year after I filed for divorce, Connor’s father (we’ll call him ‘D’) made our lives miserable. I am a child of divorce, myself. My parents had joint custody of my sister and I. There was never any drama (that we knew of) regarding visitation or custody. I assumed I would be able to have the same amicable arrangement with D. I was wrong. He was very angry and resentful and attempted to obtain full legal custody of Connor by making false allegations against me in court. He tried to keep me from ever seeing my son again.
After a physically, emotionally and financially draining year - D disappeared from our lives for 4 years. He didn’t call, visit or make his presence known in any way to Connor. We thought we might be able to live our lives peacefully from then on.
When I met my current husband, we decided to move to Georgia. My lawyer told me that before I moved, I’d have to send a letter to D’s last known address and tell him that I intended to take Connor to live in Georgia. Lo and behold, D emerged from his long winters nap and decided to fight me once again for full custody. I never ever tried to take full custody of Connor. Never. I have always been very generous with custody and visitation provisions during court battles with D. I am not that kind of parent that wants to completely get rid of the other parent after a divorce. However, D is that kind of parent. He wants me wiped off Connor’s radar. For 10 years now - I have been defending myself against D’s attempts to take Connor completely away from me.
Finally, 3 years ago - I was completely drained of money. D took me to court with a fancy lawyer and I couldn’t afford a lawyer. He took custody of Connor. I have been doing all that I can without a lawyer for the past 3 years. But now I need help.
Please donate any amount that you can towards Connor’s attorney fees. The funds will go directly to The Law Offices of Steven Pesso in Boca Raton, Florida. Connor, at 16 years old, deserves the opportunity to tell a judge where HE wants to live.
Thank you so very much in advance for your consideration.
Signed
Amy Schmidt
I am raising funds in order to hire a lawyer for my 16 year old son. He lives with his father in Florida and wants to return home to me, his mother, his siblings and his step father in Georgia. His father has been denying his persistent requests for over 2 years. Connor will be 18 years old in December of 2016. At 18, he can legally live wherever he wants. For an adult with mature coping mechanisms, a year and a half will go by in the blink of an eye. However, for a teenager like Connor - it is an unbearable thought. Connor has frequently and for a very long time expressed to me feelings of desperation and hopelessness. His father will take away his technology so I cannot contact him for days at a time. He has indicated on more than one occasion that he wants to run away and/or hurt himself. He has experienced panic attacks and terrible migraines due to being separated from me and his little brother and sister. Connor told me that he feels as if he is being held hostage. His father speaks of me in a very negative way to Connor. It makes him feel awful. I have never spoken ill of D in front of Connor. On the contrary, I tell him that his father loves him and that’s why he tries to keep him in Florida. The truth is that he probably does love Connor, but he hates me more. Everything he does is done purposefully to hurt me. Unfortunately, Connor is the one that is being hurt 10x over. I am worried for my childs mental health. I am worried that he will hurt himself. I am worried that he will run away and something terrible will happen to him.
My son wants an opportunity to stand in front of a judge in order to be heard. The only way we can help him to do that is to hire a lawyer for him. It will cost between $5,000 and $8,000. Here is the story in brief:
Connor was born In 1998. Soon after, I filed for divorce from Connor’s father. For the first year after I filed for divorce, Connor’s father (we’ll call him ‘D’) made our lives miserable. I am a child of divorce, myself. My parents had joint custody of my sister and I. There was never any drama (that we knew of) regarding visitation or custody. I assumed I would be able to have the same amicable arrangement with D. I was wrong. He was very angry and resentful and attempted to obtain full legal custody of Connor by making false allegations against me in court. He tried to keep me from ever seeing my son again.
After a physically, emotionally and financially draining year - D disappeared from our lives for 4 years. He didn’t call, visit or make his presence known in any way to Connor. We thought we might be able to live our lives peacefully from then on.
When I met my current husband, we decided to move to Georgia. My lawyer told me that before I moved, I’d have to send a letter to D’s last known address and tell him that I intended to take Connor to live in Georgia. Lo and behold, D emerged from his long winters nap and decided to fight me once again for full custody. I never ever tried to take full custody of Connor. Never. I have always been very generous with custody and visitation provisions during court battles with D. I am not that kind of parent that wants to completely get rid of the other parent after a divorce. However, D is that kind of parent. He wants me wiped off Connor’s radar. For 10 years now - I have been defending myself against D’s attempts to take Connor completely away from me.
Finally, 3 years ago - I was completely drained of money. D took me to court with a fancy lawyer and I couldn’t afford a lawyer. He took custody of Connor. I have been doing all that I can without a lawyer for the past 3 years. But now I need help.
Please donate any amount that you can towards Connor’s attorney fees. The funds will go directly to The Law Offices of Steven Pesso in Boca Raton, Florida. Connor, at 16 years old, deserves the opportunity to tell a judge where HE wants to live.
Thank you so very much in advance for your consideration.
Signed
Amy Schmidt
Organizer
Amy Budish Schmidt
Organizer
Lilburn, GA
Begin your fundraising journey
