Macy Belongs With Mommy

If you know Jessica, you know she is not one to ask for help. She is often the one giving help & showing others kindness; however, now more than ever she desperately needs our help.

My name is Marla Laminack and I have been Jessica’s friend & neighbor for almost 9 years. I am creating this GoFundMe account on Jessica’s behalf to help with the financial burdens she is currently facing with legal fees from the divorce and the disingenuous temporary restraining order placed against her. At the formation of this GoFundMe page, Jessica’s legal bills total over $12,000 and she has not even stepped foot inside a courtroom.

On March 8, Patrick Merriam filed for divorce. Over the past 8 years (especially in the past 2 years) Jessica has described living through Patrick’s intimidating/irrational behaviors and frightening sleep terror incidents. In his Complaint for Divorce, Patrick asked Jessica for 50/50 custody of Macy. Jessica told him that she would never take Macy away from him, but if he wanted shared custody, he would need to actively seek professional help to guarantee Macy’s safety when Macy is alone with him. Jessica felt (and still believes) that neither Macy nor herself are safe around Patrick, especially at night or when he consumes alcohol.

On April 14, Patrick filed a motion for Interim Custody and Sole & Exclusive Use of Marital residence. In common terms, this is basically a legal eviction for Jessica. Patrick wanted her out of the house, even though her lawyer told her to stay. Their marital residence is solely in his name as he had purchased the house prior to them being married; however, she has lived there and contributed to the house for over 8 years.

Patrick asked that he be granted custody of Macy and that Jessica be removed from her home in the next 30 days. An emergency hearing was set for June 17, but this was not soon enough for Patrick. He wanted Jessica out of the house immediately, with no regard for what would be best for their six year old daughter.

On May 10, Patrick left for work as usual and Jessica took Macy to school. He then went to the Barrow County Superior Court Clerk's office and filled out a petition for a TPO (temporary protective order – a restraining order), and 2 hours later a “Family Violence Ex Parte Order” was signed by a judge. In the legal world, this is often referred to as the “nuclear weapon” in a divorce. Ex Parte means that one party can go to a judge, tell them anything they want, whether true or not, and gain the power to put the other parent out of their home and away from their child, on the spot. The other party does not get the opportunity to tell their side of the story or disprove whatever allegations the seeking party has made against them, until approximately thirty days later, when there is a hearing. The TPO was based SOLELY on Patrick’s words to a judge without any input from Jessica. Words that took her away from Macy and her home … words that she has not yet had the chance to defend herself against in court. The TPO gave Patrick SOLE use of the house and FULL custody of Macy. The TPO stated it had been issued because Jessica had “allegedly committed acts of Family Violence and that the Petitioner (Patrick) was in reasonable fear of his safety”.

The night before this happened, Jessica came to my home to talk to me and tell me how Patrick was acting, how his actions were escalating and how she was in fear for her and Macy. I advised her to file a Family Violence TPO against him. Although afraid of Patrick, she did not want to pursue that action because she did not want to jeopardize his employment with the school district.

From May 10 until today, Jessica has been given one 15-minute FaceTime call with Macy per DAY and limited “visitation” time to see her own daughter on the weekends. Jessica stayed (and is still staying) at the homes of her friends as she is legally unable to return to her home. She had to buy new clothes and shoes – pretty much new “everything” … she left her house packing a small bag as she was weeping and distraught. Unable to return to her home, trying to finish out the school year for herself and Macy, and fighting to get Macy back has been her life since May 10th.

On May 10th, Patrick maliciously & dishonestly took away the one thing that mattered the MOST to Jessica in this world … he did the one thing that would hurt her and destroy her more than anything else – he took Macy away. On May 10th, the fight of her life began. I can tell you, without a doubt, Jessica is Macy’s primary caretaker and I can’t even imagine what this little girl is going through, having had her mother ripped from her. One minute she thought she was going to water the plants in their garden. The next thing little Macy knew, her father snuck her into his car and left the home so the sheriff’s office could serve Jessica and remove her from her home. Macy then returned to her home to find her mother gone. This had to have been traumatizing to this sweet little girl.

As of today, Patrick still has full temporary custody of Macy per the stipulations of the TPO. The TPO hearing, as well as an emergency custody hearing will be held on June 6th. After the TPO is dismissed, Jessica will still need to navigate the lengthy divorce process with what can only be described as a hostile & unpredictable spouse, which will undoubtedly make every step of the way more difficult, more expensive, and more painful for both Jessica and Macy.

Times are hard for so many of us right now; however, if you are able, please join me in donating to help get Macy back where she belongs – permanently – with her mother! Again, she is not trying to take Patrick out of Macy’s life, but she wants to be able to clear her name, right the injustice that has been done against her, and make sure that Macy is safe when she is with her father. All Jessica wants is to move on from this horrible experience and make a loving home for her and sweet Macy!

Thank you for your prayers for Macy and Jessica!

Disclaimer:

This fundraiser reflects the personal experiences and opinions of Jessica Merriam. Marla Laminack, as an organizer, only facilitated the creation of this campaign at Jessica’s request and is not responsible for the content or statements within. All statements are based on firsthand knowledge and/or public court records. Nothing in this post is intended to defame, disparage, or harm the reputation of any individual.