"John,” an electrician’s apprentice, was able to secure unemployment benefits after being fired from his job. His employer claimed he had been involved in an accident with a company vehicle and failed to report it.
“Fiona” and her husband married in 2000, and they had five children during their marriage. In 2021, after inflicting consistent abuse on Fiona and the children over the duration of the marriage, Fiona’s husband took their only car and moved to New York, abandoning the family. He filed for divorce the following year.
Financial abuse can trap survivors of domestic violence in debt long after the relationship ends. The Consumer Rights Unit (CRU) protects and defends survivors facing debts they did not create and could not control.
Recently, the CRU represented a survivor of domestic violence who was sued over a credit card debt she did not incur. In addition to the stress of the lawsuit, the client was also navigating serious safety concerns related to the abuse she had experienced.
When “Mary” became the victim of extensive identity theft, her life was turned upside down. One of the nation’s largest banks sued her for thousands of dollars in credit card debt she did not incur. The charges had been accumulated by individuals who stole her identity.