EDIT: 6/19: I have found a lawyer who is willing to consult with me on an hourly basis instead of requiring a retainer. His rate is $300/hr and I will need ongoing support from him. He is able to review documents I draft and provide legal advice, but is not representing me against the IRS. I am still doing that entirely by myself.

I'm Liv, and I am a disability justice activist who lives with severe lupus and other chronic illnesses. I have been looking for work for the past two years, after five years of being too ill to work. My life has contained a lot of joy, but also extreme hardships. I survived childhood torture, which included severe abuse and multiple attempts on my life by my mother, homelessness in my twenties, and illness to the point of being bed bound in my early thirties. I just need a break, but can't seem to catch one.

In May, I got a notice from the IRS that I owe nearly $13,000 in back taxes from 2017. The IRS has decided that I made over $75,000 in self-employment income that year, which is untrue. I was not self-employed, I filed my taxes with my W-2, and I did not make nearly that much money. I sent in a dispute letter on my own, but it is highly likely that the IRS will reject it.

I need a lawyer.

On top of that, today (June 9, 2025), I received a notice that my identity may have been stolen and someone filed a 1099 in my name this year. Because of this, the IRS has frozen all of my account information, and I am unable to access any records that are needed in order to follow up on my taxes owed dispute. Additionally, when I call the IRS to learn more about the fraud on my account and try to resolve it, I cannot get through to an agent because the system requires information from the very same records that they froze.

I REALLY need a lawyer.

After 20 years, I have finally fixed my credit score after my abusive mother stole my identity when I was 18 and defaulted on a number of loans and credit cards that I did not know existed until years later. If the IRS sends my tax burden to a collection agency, as they are threatening to do, my credit will be ruined once again. They are also threatening to garnish my wages. They are allowed to garnish 25 to 50% of a person's income. This means that even when I get a job, I will be in poverty or worse.

They are also threatening to revoke my passport. Given the current climate, this is incredibly dangerous for me as someone with an autism diagnosis and a history of a certain kind of activism.

I have reached out to the local bar association seeking pro bono support, contacted community legal resources, and the Tax Advocacy Service through the IRS. I have been met with only dead ends. I desperately need to hire a lawyer.

You donations not only will help me hire a lawyer and prevent potential catastrophic ramifications of this erroneous IRS debt, you will also be supporting my health, as stress is a major trigger for my lupus and flares can land me in the hospital with organ damage.

I could quite literally lose everything if I cannot resolve these issues. Any donation is greatly appreciated, and I am equally grateful to anyone who shares this GoFundMe.

In solidarity,

Liv Zušya Grace