Another Success Story from the Military Pro Bono Project
An Air Force servicemember’s child resides with her, but her child stayed with a relative for less than a month while the servicemember was at training. The servicemember provided the relative with money to take care of the child for the short period. After the servicemember picked her child up from her relative, the relative filed for child support and welfare benefits for the child, falsely claiming the child as a dependant. The Military Pro Bono Project located a volunteer attorney who was able to clear up this matter—the fraud by the relative that involved the servicemember’s child—for the servicemember and her child.
Case Dismissed for Servicemember in Afghanistan
An Air Force servicemember considered leaving the Air Force several years ago and planned to operate a bar/grill with family members. The corporation was established and he was the director. However, he decided to reenlist in the Air Force and resigned from the corporation. Thereafter, the business operator exhibited a sporting event without paying the required fees for commercial exhibition. A lawsuit was brought for over $100,000 in damages, and the servicemember learned that he was a party in the lawsuit while deployed in Afghanistan, and he was misinformed about a case settlement. The Military Pro Bono Project connected the servicemember to a volunteer attorney to help with this lawsuit. The attorney showed the court how the servicemember was not responsible for the alleged action, and the case was ultimately dismissed.
Successfully Helping a Servicemember with a Mortgage Foreclosure
A Navy servicemember had been sued for a mortgage foreclosure on the basis of a delinquency on his homeowner’s association dues. The servicemember’s association fees were originally included in his mortgage payments. Then, the servicemember made changes to his mortgage loan, but he was unaware that, after the changes, the association fees were no longer included in his mortgage payments. The servicemember missed two annual association fees, but he did not receive notice of this default until he was sued for mortgage foreclosure. The Military Pro Bono Project found an attorney who offered to help the servicemember. The volunteer attorney was able to get this case dismissed and make new arrangements for future association fees.
Mortgage Issue: Military Pro Bono Project Success Story
A Navy Reservist, while deployed in Iraq, and his wife sought pro bono help to enforce court ordered anticipatory relief with a mortgage company under section 591 of the Servicemember’s Civil Relief Act (SCRA). Because of the Reservist’s deployment to Iraq, the family’s income reduced drastically, causing difficulty in paying mortgage and credit card payments. The Reservist’s wife filed for and was granted anticipatory relief. All but one lender had honored this court ordered relief. The lender that had not honored the court order filed a motion to vacate the stay, arguing that they were not properly served. The Reservist’s wife was struggling to handle this case pro se. The Military Pro Bono Project located an attorney who offered to provide pro bono help to this military family. The volunteer attorney obtained an optimal outcome for the family—obtaining an amended order and a refund of the mortgage payments paid by the military family during the months of the original stay.
An Airman was deployed in Iraq and scheduled a vacation that she would take with her husband a week after her scheduled return to the United States. The servicemember obtained travel insurance, and the insurance agent assured her that this insurance would cover a cancelation of the vacation if her return to the United States from her deployment was delayed. The Airman’s return to the United States was delayed, and she cancelled the trip. She submitted an insurance claim, but the insurance company denied the claim and the servicemember’s appeal. The Military Pro Bono Project located a volunteer attorney who offered to help address the insurance agent’s misrepresentation. The volunteer attorney successfully helped the Airman receive a refund from the insurance company and credit that would allow her to take a needed vacation.
Another Military Pro Bono Project Success Story
A soldier stationed in Louisiana needed pro bono assistance in Florida to finalize her divorce, that she had filed pro se, and to help with child custody arrangements. The Military Pro Bono Project found a volunteer attorney who dedicated a significant amount of time to successfully finalize the dissolution of marriage and establish a parenting plan and child support.
Another Military Pro Bono Project Success Story
A servicemember had a young child who was residing with the grandmother while the servicemember was deployed in Afghanistan. However, the servicemember was denied visitation of his child on his leave. The grandmother used the servicemember’s deployment and military service as her basis for denying visitation. The servicemember wanted to seek a visitation order that would allow him to visit his child while on leave. The Military Pro Bono Project found a volunteer attorney who successfully assisted the servicemember in arranging visitation with his child while on leave from Afghanistan.
Successfully Helping a Servicemember with a Consumer Law Matter
A Marine received a complaint alleging that he failed to pay a credit card debt. The Marine had stopped using the credit card a few years prior, and he never received a notice about a balance until he received the complaint. He thought that he did not have any credit card debt, and he suspected fraudulent use of his credit card. The Military Pro Bono Project found an attorney who offered to help the Marine with the lawsuit brought by the credit card company. The volunteer attorney successfully obtained a dismissal of the suit for the Marine.
Successfully Helping a Servicemember with Divorce and Child Custody Before Deployment
An Airman was concerned about the custody of her child and her access to the child while deployed due to on-going divorce proceedings. She sought to find an attorney who could help her with her divorce and ensure that she would not lose access to her child when deployed. Through the Military Pro Bono Project, an attorney offered to help the Airman and was able to resolve these issues before her deployment.
Military Pro Bono Project Adoption Success Story
An Air Force servicemember sought to adopt his stepchild. The biological father was an ex-felon, had never paid child support, and had no contact or relationship with the child. The servicemember had raised the child since an infant and wished to adopt the child, but he could not afford to hire an attorney. The Military Pro Bono Project located a volunteer attorney who helped the servicemember throughout the contested adoption and successfully obtained an adoption decree.
