Stephanie Tucker's Legal Fund

Who this will help

*updated since first published*

Please support me as a birthday gift to me.

I need emergent help with legal bills. Recent circumstances -- again involving law enforcement -- have increased the urgency of filing for another court date, and the current attorney of record has declared he will withdraw for nonpayment if the outstanding bill is not "meaningfully" addressed.

Why I'm fundraising

In the last 3 years, I have experienced great trauma and great heartache by the hands of the Family Court System.

Additionally, I am being financially ruined.

I had to fire my first attorney for presenting a position to the court that I did not want and never approved. I obtained a second attorney, but the law firm decided to get out of the family law business. Sadly for me, she found a position at a firm that had a conflict, and I was forced to obtain a third attorney. In the course of the court proceedings, despite having been a SAHM for 10 years and having no active Minnesota nursing license (and therefore no means by which to return to my profession), I was not awarded attorney fees. What little I got from the judgment I used to pay the third attorney and pay the retainer for the fourth attorney, as the court severed my relationship with the third attorney.

The only attorney that has been paid is the third.

Some events have transpired that necessitate going back to court. As of this message I owe that attorney approximately $10,000. I have been paying what I can, but what I have available to pay him has been scant on a salary of $19 per hour. I work 7 days a week overnights, and I am drowning financially as among the concerns is that I am paying child support even though we are ordered 50/50 parenting time and his salary is vastly greater than mine. My current attorney has declared he will withdraw from my case if I do not come up with a "serious" payment. His withdrawal would be disastrous for me and my children. He has not withdrawn as yet as I have sent money from this account his way, but he will also not take any action on my behalf as he does not consider what has been paid "meaningful." If I were receiving child support instead of paying it on my meager income, I would be much better positioned to make regular payments to him and address the outstanding billing from previous representation.

To be sure, I currently have around $60,000 in legal debt in addition to what I owe my current attorney, plus additional medical debt due to court-ordered psychological testing (my only psychological diagnosis after exhaustive testing being Complex PTSD), but I have a benefactor who is providing financing for me to take the refresher course to regain my Minnesota nursing license. Once I am employed as a nurse, I will have a much better capacity to address ongoing legal fees and medical debt.

This honestly will likely be a marathon -- not a sprint -- lasting until Meredith turns 18.

In the meantime, I have this current emergent situation.

The impact of your support

I am so grateful for any assistance to meet this current emergent need.

I just turned 55 on January 17. Meredith just turned 12.

The court allowed my ex husband to take all of my retirement and gave me no compensation for supporting him though school and fellowship, nor did the court allow me access to marital funds for attorney fees.

I know I will likely work until I die. In the meantime, I only want safety for my children and child support since Bethany lives with me full-time and Meredith is (ordered to be) with me 50% of the time.

Thank you for your support.