Dear Ms Soderman, There are so many of us who are in awe of your bravery and rely upon your leadership to fight for the rights of all children. The ruling in favor of Powell is a disgrace; a verdict to silence our children. We are not attorneys, we are a small group of moms destroyed by court corruption and “actors” as you say. Thank you for being the warrior our children need. Respectfully, Massachusetts Mama Bears

Even though I was cleared as a safe parent, and abuse by the father was acknowledged, my daughter and I have been failed numerous times by the family court system as well as other organizations.  As a result, my daughter has had to endure years of extreme abuse, not only from her father but also from the family court system.

As a mother, it’s heartbreaking to see your child, a precious gift you gave birth to, be turned into a martyr at the expense of someone else’s evil and greed. How can it be that a child is abused, people see and acknowledge it, but they can’t do anything about it, even when it’s their job to do so?

It is just too appalling.

Abuse victims can mentally take only so much before the depression and suicidal thoughts begin to overtake them, as they begin to feel and believe that death may be the only way out of the nightmare.

When I was referred to the FCVFC, it was the first time I could breathe since I could last remember, and the heavy burden was lifted after years of suffocating under litigation abuse.  Jill not only understood what we had been enduring, but she actually had our backs. She kept me updated in the case, answered my questions, and allowed me to be a part of conversations that people had been keeping from me for years because they were trying to cover up what had happened to my daughter.

I am so thankful for the FCVFC taking our case and really fighting for my daughter and against the injustices that have happened to her, holding people accountable for their criminal behavior, and giving not only me but also my daughter our lives back.

I had given the last 8 years a noble try to gain custody of my son, spending all of my savings and my entire 401k on attorneys, but I had gotten nowhere. 

Recently I started to represent myself, because I had nothing left. My 17-year-old son and I believed we would win this. While waiting for the verdict, I told myself that if my son was not allowed to stay with me that I had no choice but to end my life.  

We did not win.

That night I sat at my computer crying, begging for help and praying for an answer.  I searched for answers and for pro bono attorneys.  I searched searches I have searched a thousand times before. This time, the FCVFC was the only site that appeared in the search. 

I wrote my story in the “Get Help Today” message box on the FCVFC site and then kept searching.  That night I emailed over 40 attorneys. Finally, at 11:30 pm I was getting into bed when I received this email from Jill: “Call me.” 

I replied, “Now?” 

She replied, “YES!!”  We spoke for over 30 minutes while she heard my story.

I tend to get overly excited and put too much hope in other people, including attorneys who over-promise and under-deliver.  That is NOT Jill!  I have never met someone more dedicated to what she does. 

Jill never forgets to ask how my children are doing, or if I need anything.  Rather than just seeing us as a paycheck, she knows what we’re going through.  When she wins a case, we all win the case.  We celebrate the victories together.  It means we are that much closer to getting our children home. 

There are nice, kind people in the world, and then there is Jill.  She lives and breathes to rescue people’s children. Somehow it seems like she doesn’t need to sleep or eat.  I don’t know how she does what she does, because I can barely suffer through my one horrific story. . . . She has many.

Jill is the answer to my prayers in more ways than one.

I have put a lot of thought into trying to put into words exactly what the FCVFC and Jill mean in my life and lives of my family.  I simply can’t put into words the gratitude I feel.

Jill is a wonderful dedicated woman with a great heart that really wants to help the children  when the system fails to protect them.  She has brought hope back into sight for me when I felt like all hope was almost lost. 

When I explain what brought me to work with FCVFC to people, I usually feel like they view me as irrational because the things these courts do are not always sane or moral. It’s hard to wrap your mind around some of the things done. 

When I first called Jill, she was knowledgeable about my situation and very understanding.  I felt such a strong gut feeling that this was the path I needed to take to stand a chance to help my child.  I trust her even when almost anyone having anything to do with family courts  has shown me to be corrupt.  Jill works very hard to right the wrongs done. 

When you don’t know where else to turn in this real life nightmare in family courts, I highly suggest contacting Jill at FCVFC to lead you the right way. I’m thankful the children have Jill fighting for them.

Dearest Jill,

I don’t know where to begin. You have been nothing short of remarkable. Compassion should have been your middle name. Compassion is what you gave me when you first picked up the phone when I called the Foundation at 10:30pm. Compassion is what you gave me when you listened to my heartbreaking story about my son being abused by his father. Compassion is what you gave me as you listened to me intently as I tell you how I’ve been abused by my husband, attorneys of the Bridgeport Fairfield Judicial District in CT, GALs, fraudulent custody evaluators, and unethical therapist.

I spent over a year researching trying to educate myself and make sense of what has happened. I met with as many attorneys as I could in desperate need of help to get my son back after he was taken from me with the help of the corrupt court actors of Bridgeport, CT.

I even wrote to a State Senator Alex Kasser of the 36th district. I wrote to her because I read that she is proposing a bill, “Jennifer’s Law,” that says coercive control includes psychological abuse, emotional abuse, financial and legal abuse, basically expanding the definition of domestic violence.

Senator Alex Kasser did respond. She said, “Thank you for reaching out to me. I am so sorry to hear about your painful situation. You are not alone. I wish I could do something to help you but all I can do as a legislator is try to change the law and improve it. That’s what I’m working on. And I hope that next year we’ll be able to pass Jennifer’s Law and recognize coercive control in divorce and custody cases.”