A true David and goliath story we are in desperate need of your help.my court filings are time sensitive; I must file for a new trial by Friday, December 23, 2016 and need money to secure the firm and proceed. I must raise money immediately to pay this team of brilliant, compassionate and excellent attorneys. Click here to learn more about this amazing firm that will be representing me.
I am filled with desperation, fear, shame and embarrassment as I make this desperate plea for emergency help. My name is Stephani Owens and I am the mother of a wonderfully kind and brilliant little boy whom I love dearly. My son and I have a very close and loving relationship and we need your help to ensure that we are protected and not separated. I have spent most of my adult life doing charitable work for children and families in the U.S. and Africa. I never imagined that someday I would be in such dire need and asking for help for myself.
My ex-husband is a horribly abusive man (please see two text messages sent to me from him) and is trying to use his money and influence to take my son away and in his words, leave me with nothing or no one. He is using our son like a pawn piece in his sick, cruel game (he has even sent me a score card). He tells and sends messages for our son to read which are vile, horrible things about me and my family, all completely untrue, including making fun of my deceased parents. This has been so painful and tormenting for my son and for me.
Our 30-year relationship started out with isolated abuse, but quickly ramped up in nature and frequency with the birth of our son and the death of my mother in 2006 resulting in the last 10 years of my marriage being filled with unbearable abuse.
We had a traditional marriage where I stayed home and managed our home and cared for and home schooled our son until 5th grade. I was never allowed access to any of our finances and given only credit cards to use for all household and personal needs. In 2014 he filed for divorce, but not before emptying bank accounts and hiding assets to make it appear as though we had far less than what was amassed during our long marriage.
I was left with no money, no division of bank accounts and only bills even though I worked infrequently throughout the marriage and had not worked at all in nearly a decade. I am even being made to pay my ex-husband $20,000 for my son’s instrument, his piano. When we moved out of our home of nearly 20 years my son asked for only 3 things, his piano, dog and lizard. My son has been playing the piano since he was 4 years old and belongs to a highly regarded adjudicated piano study program for which he has to audition into each year and every year he has received highest honors. He loves composing his own music and the piano brings him peace.
I had to rely on the enormous kindness friends for a place for my son and I to live as well as financial support and money to pay for legal costs. In that time, when I lived with and had the financial support of friends, I was able to save up for a place for my son and I to live, apply to one of the top business schools in the country and gain acceptance as well as be chosen as one of 20 of the most promising of the 900 students enrolled in my degree program.
After an extensive investigation, I was granted innocent spouse protection by the IRS due to my ex-husband’s extreme financial, physical and emotional abuse, and I was granted an order of protection against him and in accordance with the violent crime control and law enforcement act of 1994 (18 U.S.C 922), a positive Brady indicator was added to my ex-husband’s file in the National Crime Information Center database.
I fear for my life and my son and I live under a court ordered protected address because of his numerous threats on my life, harassment and stalking (please note that because of this and for my safety, the zip code associated with this campaign is not my address, but that of a friend).
It has been extremely difficult to rally an effective fight against him; because, he hired one of the top law firms in the state and without money, I was never able to hire and maintain counsel of equal dedication and skill.
His abuse has no bounds and I am taunted about being left without money and how because of that, I am as tough as my finances and in his words, will lose against him (see text message above) and then he follows it up with a warning, one of his many threats. He makes fun of and berates me for returning to college to complete my degree (I am a senior and will graduate in the fall of 2017) as well as for being a believer in God (my son and I are Christians and faithfully attend and belong to a local Baptist church).
Despite the fact that my ex-husband who is a licensed, practicing physician is self-prescribing two psychotropic drugs for himself and terrorizing both me and my son, his money and influence seems to allow him to move through the court system with very little or no consequences.
After feeling like my situation was hopeless for so long, I finally found an amazing attorney whose firm is willing to take on my case and fight for my son and I. She has reviewed my case file and feels confident that they can help us. For the first time in a long time, we have real HOPE!
However, my court filings are time sensitive; I must file for a new trial by Friday, December 23, 2016 and need money to secure the firm and proceed. I must raise money immediately to pay this team of brilliant, compassionate and excellent attorneys. Click here to learn more about this amazing firm that will be representing me.
I humble myself before you, pleading for help. Help us please, as I do not know what else to do. Ways that you can help us are donations, loans, prayers and anything you think might be of assistance.
Thank you in advance for your time and consideration and kindnesses.
With Grace and deep gratitude,
Stephani Owens