Help Marta Save Her Home
Donation protected
HELP MARTA SAVE HER HOME
(Or: Polyamory Doesn't Void A Will!)
TL;DR: Marta gave up her career to travel the world with her partner, who promised to take care of her financially. He left her their home and 80% of his retirement account, so that she would have financial security if anything happened to him. When he died suddenly in January of 2015, his son filed two lawsuits to attack Marta and undo his father's will, claiming that she used sex to manipulate him, and that their committed relationship of five years wasn't serious because they were polyamorous. Marta has been defending against these vicious claims for almost a year, but she needs your help to be able to keep paying her legal bills.
The Backstory, In Marta's Words:
Almost six years ago, I met Dan Albright, who was to become my partner, my love, and my best friend. We moved in together in the fall of 2011. We had the ups and downs of any relationship, but we were so happy together. In 2012, I gave up a good full-time job, because he had a sabbatical and invited me to travel the world with him. Together we visited 68 cities in 23 countries. I had a hard time finding work when we returned—giving up a teaching job is not a great career move, even though it was a delightful life move.
On January 3, 2015, Dan collapsed on the floor of his home office. I called 911, but by the time the paramedics arrived, his heart had stopped. It never restarted. In just a few minutes, my world turned upside down.
Because I had given up my job to travel with him, he tried to take extra pains to protect me in case anything happened to him. I was a primary beneficiary on his retirement accounts, and he left me the home that we shared. From the time I left the emergency room, my first thought was to contact his son, who lived in China and had not been home in several years. I had met him on several occasions in China, but he had never been back to his father’s home in the years I’d been living there. I couldn’t get him to respond on the phone, Skype, or email. I didn’t understand, but I thought that everyone dealt with tragedy in their own ways. I kept reaching out, but mostly hoped that he had enough support around him in China to make it through this horrible tragedy.
In March, I received the first of what would be a long series of legal papers served against me. His son is accusing me of trading sex for money, of fraudulent behavior, and of bullying and dominating Dan into leaving me money. The range of accusations against me has been wide, devastating, and humiliating. Over and over, the papers I receive say that because we were polyamorous (also known as non-monogamous), because we were kinky, and more generally because we lived outside the sexual norms, that our relationship was wrong, and I am therefore not deserving or worthy of the care that he took to make sure that my future would be secure if something happened to him. Equally painfully, they have said that because Dan had a complicated gender and sexuality, that he was susceptible to such influence. My friends and I have endured over a dozen hours of depositions in which we were all interrogated about the intimate details of our sex lives, and I was forced to recount Dan's death in minute-by-minute detail—the day before his birthday.
In the past nine months, I have had to run through all the savings that Dan and I put together, as well as the small portion of my inheritance that I was able to access before the court proceedings froze everything. My lawyer bills range between $6,000 and $10,000 per month. As soon as I had healed enough in my grieving process, I started looking for work, and I am happy to report that I was offered a good job just this month. However, no job I’m reasonably likely to get will cover both my legal bills and my living expenses. I have taken in roommates to help make ends meet, even though I was not emotionally ready to sacrifice room in the home we shared. I cannot think of another way to find the money I need to continue to defend myself against these attacks.
I am reaching out to ask for you to help me stay afloat during this crisis.
If any resources I receive exceed the amount that is necessary to pay my legal bills, I will donate them to the Sexual Freedom Legal Defense and Education Fund.
If if you would like your donation to count as a charitable contribution for tax purposes we have a way to do that! Donate through The Sexual Freedom Legal Defense and Education Fund via check or Paypal and put "Marta S. Rivera Monclova" in the memo line.
(Or: Polyamory Doesn't Void A Will!)
TL;DR: Marta gave up her career to travel the world with her partner, who promised to take care of her financially. He left her their home and 80% of his retirement account, so that she would have financial security if anything happened to him. When he died suddenly in January of 2015, his son filed two lawsuits to attack Marta and undo his father's will, claiming that she used sex to manipulate him, and that their committed relationship of five years wasn't serious because they were polyamorous. Marta has been defending against these vicious claims for almost a year, but she needs your help to be able to keep paying her legal bills.
The Backstory, In Marta's Words:
Almost six years ago, I met Dan Albright, who was to become my partner, my love, and my best friend. We moved in together in the fall of 2011. We had the ups and downs of any relationship, but we were so happy together. In 2012, I gave up a good full-time job, because he had a sabbatical and invited me to travel the world with him. Together we visited 68 cities in 23 countries. I had a hard time finding work when we returned—giving up a teaching job is not a great career move, even though it was a delightful life move.
On January 3, 2015, Dan collapsed on the floor of his home office. I called 911, but by the time the paramedics arrived, his heart had stopped. It never restarted. In just a few minutes, my world turned upside down.
Because I had given up my job to travel with him, he tried to take extra pains to protect me in case anything happened to him. I was a primary beneficiary on his retirement accounts, and he left me the home that we shared. From the time I left the emergency room, my first thought was to contact his son, who lived in China and had not been home in several years. I had met him on several occasions in China, but he had never been back to his father’s home in the years I’d been living there. I couldn’t get him to respond on the phone, Skype, or email. I didn’t understand, but I thought that everyone dealt with tragedy in their own ways. I kept reaching out, but mostly hoped that he had enough support around him in China to make it through this horrible tragedy.
In March, I received the first of what would be a long series of legal papers served against me. His son is accusing me of trading sex for money, of fraudulent behavior, and of bullying and dominating Dan into leaving me money. The range of accusations against me has been wide, devastating, and humiliating. Over and over, the papers I receive say that because we were polyamorous (also known as non-monogamous), because we were kinky, and more generally because we lived outside the sexual norms, that our relationship was wrong, and I am therefore not deserving or worthy of the care that he took to make sure that my future would be secure if something happened to him. Equally painfully, they have said that because Dan had a complicated gender and sexuality, that he was susceptible to such influence. My friends and I have endured over a dozen hours of depositions in which we were all interrogated about the intimate details of our sex lives, and I was forced to recount Dan's death in minute-by-minute detail—the day before his birthday.
In the past nine months, I have had to run through all the savings that Dan and I put together, as well as the small portion of my inheritance that I was able to access before the court proceedings froze everything. My lawyer bills range between $6,000 and $10,000 per month. As soon as I had healed enough in my grieving process, I started looking for work, and I am happy to report that I was offered a good job just this month. However, no job I’m reasonably likely to get will cover both my legal bills and my living expenses. I have taken in roommates to help make ends meet, even though I was not emotionally ready to sacrifice room in the home we shared. I cannot think of another way to find the money I need to continue to defend myself against these attacks.
I am reaching out to ask for you to help me stay afloat during this crisis.
If any resources I receive exceed the amount that is necessary to pay my legal bills, I will donate them to the Sexual Freedom Legal Defense and Education Fund.
If if you would like your donation to count as a charitable contribution for tax purposes we have a way to do that! Donate through The Sexual Freedom Legal Defense and Education Fund via check or Paypal and put "Marta S. Rivera Monclova" in the memo line.
Organizer and beneficiary
Meaghan Cary
Organizer
Cambridge, MA
Andrew Cowan
Beneficiary
