Michael's Story
This is the story of our client, Michael, who went from facing wrongful assault charges, prison time, and losing his son, to freedom and self-employment.
Michael was a widower before the age of 30. Sadly, his wife passed away, leaving him as the sole provider for his son, JJ. Michael wanted to find a steady maternal influence for JJ, and eventually started dating again.
Unfortunately, Michael fell into an abusive relationship. As cycles of abuse typically go, Michael's now ex-girlfriend controlled him with a persistent, ever-looming threat. When Michael tried to leave her, she called the police and falsely alleged abuse.
Without any witnesses to the alleged instance of assault or evidence of injuries, charges were accepted and they arrested Michael.
Restoring Justice Steps In
Luckily, Michael made bail and was able to find the number for Restoring Justice.
Michael gave us a call and told us all about his case. We took Michael in, and in addition to taking over as his legal representation, we provided him with trauma-informed counseling, social services, and a community he could rely on.
Injustice - Personal and Systemic
Michael's case was a roller coaster. The prosecutors wanted prison time and seemed willing to do just about anything to get it. Over the course of our investigation, we discovered several instances of state corruption.
For starters, the prosecutors covered up police misconduct related to Michael's case. One of Michael's arresting officers was under investigation for aggravated sexual assault of a minor at the time of the arrest, which called the officer's credibility into question. Prosecutors also hid evidence that Michael was the real victim of abuse in the relationship. Michael's accuser once ran him over with a car, of which there was still physical evidence at the time of Michael's arrest. This abuse ties into a larger problem of negligence on the part of the elected District Attorney's Office, which is systemically failing to meet its duty to disclose police misconduct. Instead, the DA's Office relies on police agencies to self-report at a standard well below their constitutional requirements.
Secondly, while out on bail, Michael was the victim of a separate, unrelated assault, and the prosecutor's office denied him victim services because of his pending charges. They also refused to charge Michael's ex-girlfriend with running him over with a car and even offered her immunity from perjury to give false testimony against Michael in court.
To top it all off, one judge presiding over Michael's case attempted to leverage a surprise drug test to force a guilty plea. Michael was told he could either plead guilty or risk arrest if he failed the drug test. Michael withstood the threat, passed the drug test and did not plead guilty – asserting that “the truth is the truth.”
Home for the Holidays
Despite these struggles we see in our system every day, the Restoring Justice team stood strong with Michael. With encouragement from Michael and JJ in the form of unwavering positivity, and a relationship of trust formed through our client-centered model, we prevailed.
Over the course of 5 trial settings, we unraveled the prosecution's case against Michael, point by point. We showed just how much misconduct had taken place and presented a convincing case that all charges against Michael should immediately be dropped, full stop.
And earlier this month, before jury selection questions were even finalized, the prosecutor's office emailed the court saying they were dropping all charges. They would not be seeking prison time, jail time, or probation. Michael was totally free.
You Can Fight Injustice
Today, Michael lives without fear of losing JJ and runs his own handyman business. We often see him at the Restoring Justice office and are always lifted by his positivity. Michael's personal slogan, "have a blessed day and do it on purpose," rings in our memories as a mantra for 2022.
This is the difference your donations make. Without our generous benefactors, we wouldn't be able to step in when the State fails and give people the representation, love, and care they deserve.
