FAMILY VIOLENCE APPELLATE PROJECT

Oakland, California, 94612 United States

Mission Statement

FVAP is the only organization in California dedicated to appealing legal cases on behalf of domestic violence survivors and their children. We focus on cases that will set legal precedent in favor of survivors throughout the state of California so the law can do what it was meant to - keep families safe.

About This Cause

Decisions reached by trial courts in domestic violence cases are leaving survivors and their children in danger of ongoing abuse. At least half of batterers who frequently abuse their spouse also frequently abuse their children, and one study found that abusers are granted custody in 54% of custody cases involving documented domestic violence. Many survivors in this situation, who may have had poor or no representation in the trial court, either do not know that they can appeal their cases or simply lack the financial resources to appeal. As a result there is little appellate precedent for trial courts to follow, and they are not rigorously enforcing key statutes designed to protect children from abusive parents. Moreover, while many nonprofits provide much-needed trial court representation to survivors of domestic violence, before FVAP, nothing was being done to help them at the appellate level. Our goal is to empower victims and survivors of domestic violence through the court system to ensure that they and their children can live in safe and healthy environments, free from abuse. We will work towards this one family at a time, while building up a body of precedential case law that will help families across California. FVAP identifies cases that are likely to result in the appellate courts rendering decisions that advance the interests of domestic violence victims throughout California. FVAP's experts work with pro bono attorneys from the private sector to provide the highest quality legal representation in briefing and arguing those cases to the appellate courts. In particular, we focus on cases in which survivors and their children are in danger of ongoing abuse.

FAMILY VIOLENCE APPELLATE PROJECT
1999 Harrison St Suite 1847
Oakland, California 94612
United States
Phone 5108587358
Unique Identifier 454726212