legal advice from US guppies

I am posting this on behalf of a friend of mine;

Her sister is going through a rough marriage; bad in-laws, abusive husband. I’ll give you guys a little over-view about this girl, originally a Singaporean citizen but of Pakistani descent, moved to the US after marriage, she is 24 years old and currently a green card holder living in Los Angeles, what my friend would like to know is that; is her sister, as a green card holder, eligible to file a law suit against her husband on the grounds that he is physically abusive towards her?

I hope my post makes some, if any sense at all as I have never been involved in legal matters before so I haven’t got the slightest clue as to what can and cannot be done.

Thanks.

Lawsuit or report it to the police?
Unless she can declare her sis mentally incapable and thus takes some sort of guardian role she can't do much in the courts.

I would suggest she call a battered women shelter and get in touch with the many lawyers who give probono advise in such matters.

Re: legal advice from US guppies

oh no...not another thread for advice to a friend. :(

first she has to call police, lay charges against him, get him convicted, then she should go to a civil court to sue him for pain N suffering.

Re: legal advice from US guppies

Seeking legal advice from 'guppies' doesn't seem too wise, specially when the story is not even a first hand account.

Re: legal advice from US guppies

Yes. When it comes to civl and criminal law, green card holders have the same rights as a citizen. They can file a lawsuit, police reports, and even be defendants in a lawsuit (ie. others can sue them). The sister can file any type of civil suit against anyone. But keep in mind filing a law suit doesn't = winning the lawsuit.

If the sister doesn't have any physical evidence documenting the abuse…such as police reports, medical reports, witnesses who have seen the abuse or heard him make threats etc…..then its a waste of time. Like X2 said, a lot of women's shelters often have probono lawyers. She should contact one of them and go from there.

I may have read this wrong, whether the dude's wife or the wife's sister is looking to see if she can sue him. I thought the OP meant the latter.

If it's the former, she has a lot of rights, usually a pattern of issues helps but please don't advise her to stay in an abusive place to just build a pattern on record or have witnesses and dates.

Her best bet is to talk to the lawyers, and btw if things are bad she may want to remove herself from the situation pronto.

Re: legal advice from US guppies

Best advice is for her to contact a desi lawyer or a female lawyer.

i have found that desi lawyers are more understanding of our cultural practices and are usually more street smart than the gora lawyers.

Re: legal advice from US guppies

I'd recommend she starts collecting any evidence while she can. If he's been physically abusive, get checked out by a doctor and get the medical records. Definitely contact a women's shelter. Most Dr's offices in the US have contacts/info on what someone can do in case of abuse.

Re: legal advice from US guppies

Yes green card holders have most of the rights that citizens have. Major differences are that GC holders can't vote or be on the jury. But GC holders can definitely file a civil lawsuit.
The only way she has the chance to win the lawsuit is if she documents every abusive incident. Call the cops and go to the doctor every time. Once there is proof of abuse and he is criminally charged, then she can also file a civil lawsuit.
But may I ask, why bother with the civil suit? Why doesn't she get a divorce?

Re: legal advice from US guppies

Thanks!.

I doubt she has any record of medical reports regarding the abuse, she is just way too scared to do anything on her own as she does not have any family living in or around California.

a friends sister is going through this and she (the sister) - a green card holder - wants to know if she can file a law suit against her husband, apologies for that, lol.

But would you say that Desi lawyers would be able to work better with evidence or lack there-of in such a scenario? where are the victim is too scared to act on anything as she does not know anyone besides her in-laws in the state she resides in.

Thanks, will pass that information on.

Thanks, appreciate it!.

The reason she wants to file a law suit is out revenge maybe perhaps, I am not quite sure though.

Re: legal advice from US guppies

without any evidence, i don't think she will have a strong case IMO.

legal advice from US guppies

Is contacting the Singapore embassy an option? Does her family in Singapore know abt this? They can help maybe ?

legal advice from US guppies

She should make a police report, contact her home country's embassy as they may help I think

Re: legal advice from US guppies

First step, call 911, have the police come out and make a reports. This could, however, lead to retaliatory abuse, call 911 again. Every there is physical abuse, call 911. The more times the police comes out the more of a case this builds.

Ultimately she will probably want to file for divorce and collect alimony. At some point she might want to file a civil suit for compensation.

If she has been married for less than two years, she likely has a temporary green card or Conditional Permanent Residency. If she divorces/separates from her husband before two years of marriage, she may potentially lose her Green Card and have to leave the country, I don't know how much of a factor that is.

Regardless, she should talk to a women's shelter and seek help IMMEDIATELY. Shelters are good resources on how to pursue legal action, restraining orders or TROs, and how to move on with your life.