Help Melissa & Kids Seek Justice & Stability

Help Me Protect My Kids & Save My Home

My name is Melissa Strawn and I am a devoted mother to five incredible boys, ranging in age from 8 to young adulthood.

Many people know me as the Founder and CEO of MyPeopleNow, a gig-economy startup meant to connect those who need something done, with someone ready to do it! I had to put my startup dreams on hold in 2020, and sadly experienced multiple health problems, and 2 near-fatal emergency surgeries. 

Three years ago, after surviving years of domestic abuse in silence, I made the difficult but necessary decision to flee with my children and seek safety. We found that refuge in Weed, California, and I left with the full knowledge and cooperation of my ex. 

Since then, I’ve worked hard to rebuild a stable, nurturing life for them. My boys are thriving—on the honor roll, playing football and baseball, and healing from the chaos we escaped. The kids and I have been legally protected from my ex for over 2 1/2 years, and I’ve been able to represent myself pro se due to ongoing financial abuse.

All of what we built is now at risk. While I was hospitalized with pneumonia—on top of a recent infectious mononucleosis diagnosis—a King County Superior Court Judge proceeded with our divorce and custody trial in my absence, where my abusive ex was the only person to provide testimony. 

I submitted multiple motions to postpone the hearing due to severe illness, accompanied by documented medical proof.

Despite this, the judge allowed the trial to proceed without me—without my testimony, without my exhibits, and without my voice.

The result? Full custody of my children was granted to my ex—the same man the court found to be a danger and to have used a firearm in the commission of a felony against me. I have filed a Motion for New Trial and have also been diligently following the appeal process, and my children are still safe and sound in their longtime home. There’s still hope. There’s still time. 

A Domestic Violence Protection Order (DVPO) has barred my ex from physical contact with the kids for over two years. He has a long history of court-documented violence and has taken zero steps to remedy any of the issues that led to this outcome. Yet in a matter of hours, and with no input from me, the Judge overturned nearly everything—without hearing both sides. I thankfully still have a domestic violence protection order, but this order no longer fully protects the most vulnerable parties listed — the children. 

My wealthy ex was able to do what many wealthy abusers do — manipulate the court process to convince judges and commissioners to rule their way while their unrepresented counterparts are left with a dizzying legal process to learn on the fly. 

 This is not just about me. This is about child safety, judicial accountability, and due process. When one judge is allowed to single-handedly reverse years of evidence-backed rulings and grant full custody to an adjudicated abuser—without even basic procedural fairness—something is profoundly broken in our legal system.

My kids and I are now facing a terrifying and potentially irreversible outcome. I am raising $15,000 to retain an experienced appellate attorney who can urgently intervene and file for a stay of these orders, pending appeal. I have also filed for emergency protection from my local California judge — the same judge who first granted us temporary protection over 2 1/2 years ago, and we’ve been granted an evidentiary hearing next week, despite my ex’s 6th attorney trying to get the case dismissed. If someone can afford 6 attorneys, but has refused to provide basic sustenance to their children, I think it’s pretty clear to see where their motivation lies.

Without immediate action, my children could be forced to return to the custody of someone the courts previously deemed unsafe—while I’m still recovering from a severe illness and unable to fight without legal help. I’ve been able to represent myself thus far, but the appeals process is way out of my league and far more complex. 

This is a life-threatening emergency. If you’ve ever doubted that family courts sometimes get it dangerously wrong, please hear me now: they do.

Washington State is still reeling from the Decker sisters being killed by their non-custodial father on their *first* unsupervised visit with their dad. 

In Washington State alone, we’ve already lost too many children because judges failed to take warning signs seriously.

Three little girls were murdered by their father during court-ordered visitation, despite their mother pleading with the system to intervene. Their mom begged and pleaded with the courts for intervention, and sadly, the courts got it wrong.

That could be my children—unless someone steps in. I am not asking for special treatment, I’m asking for basic justice:
 • For a mother to be heard before losing her children.
 • For illness to be respected as a legitimate reason to delay court.
 • For the law to work for families, not against them.
 • For child safety to be the first concern—not the last, as the law in WA requires.

 What I’m Asking For:

 Immediate Relief:
 • Stop King County Superior Court from enforcing these dangerous custody reversal orders until a full review is conducted.

This is about much more than one family. This is about fixing a system that too often silences protective parents and puts children at risk. I cannot do this alone.

With your support, I can fight back and pave the way for others to do the same. With your donation, we can file a strong appeal and protect my children from being sent back into a dangerous situation, and we can begin to build up a dataset that can help address these same deficits in the legal system going forward. 

Please, if you can, donate today. Every contribution—large or small—brings us one step closer to safety, justice, and reform.

And if you can’t donate, please share this campaign widely. The more people who see this, the more pressure we can put on those in power to do the right thing.

Together, we can stop this injustice.

With deepest gratitude,

Melissa Strawn
Mother. Survivor. Advocate. Change-Maker. ❤️