In 2009, I entered a relationship that eventually spiraled into emotional and psychological abuse. After he ended the relationship in 2020, the post-separation abuse began. In July 2021, despite six attempts to negotiate, we signed a handwritten agreement for £40,000, but he never honored it. Instead, he used legal threats to try and control me.
In June 2022, I attended a Civil Court Verbal Hearing with a public-appointed lawyer. Five days before the hearing, I tried to submit key evidence, including a negotiated financial settlement from July 2021, a letter offering €115k, and a 26-minute recording crucial to my case. However, I was told it was too late. With the help of a security guard who spoke some English, I was advised to dismiss my lawyer and file a complaint with the Bar Association due to her lack of support.
Despite my hope to present the facts, I was never given a chance to speak, and my ex-partner appeared in person from the UK without any questioning. The hearing lasted only five minutes, and my lawyer did nothing to defend me. I had previously filed a complaint for gender violence, but was told that gender violence falls under criminal law, while precarious eviction is handled under civil law, leaving me without legal protection.
For four years, I've been stuck in the home we planned to share, after he reneged on promises and threatened to throw me onto the streets if I didn't obey him. When a GoFundMe page (sent to a close friend) was shared publicly, he used it as justification for his anger in court. Despite the dismissal of the case in 2021, the abuse was real, although the publicly appointed lawyer couldn't provide the emotional, psychological, and sexual abuse I endured due to my shock and grief.
In 2021, he agreed to pay £40,000 but refused to honor the agreement, which was excluded from the civil court hearing where, again, I was assigned a public lawyer. I've tried 15 times to reach a resolution, but every effort has failed. In 2023, I discovered the truth of why there was no interrogation of the plaintiffs and why I had been silenced: I was discriminated against by my own legal team.
I was left in a precarious situation by an emotionally abusive ex-partner. He ended our relationship, wanting to remain friends, yet became more threatening and intimidating. Initially, he offered a 50/50 settlement of our home, but within days, he threatened to throw me onto the streets. With no name on the property title, not being married, and having no income, I found myself vulnerable. Just two weeks after leaving me, he was taking legal action under Spain's "precarious eviction" laws.
I have tried ten times to negotiate with him, only to be told I could not negotiate. Now, I face homelessness in Spain due to the legal system's failure and the gaps in the laws. The lack of thorough investigation into these cases of abuse, and the civil system's inability to acknowledge gender-based violence, has left me without the protection I need.
Now, I am determined to break free . I have a business plan, pitch deck, and financial projection in place to start a Mindfulness Retreat —a safe space for healing and personal growth, created from my own journey through abuse. But I need your help to make this a reality.
My new story will launch in December, still in the works but available for pre-order. It highlights the impact of emotional abuse, the gaps in legal systems that fail to protect women, and how I am transforming these challenges into a positive future. (Published under my Pen Name Loren Keeling)
By supporting this campaign, you'll not only help me escape the financial and emotional grip of my ex-partner but also contribute to a meaningful initiative that will help others heal from trauma and find peace.
Please join me in turning something negative into something positive. Your contribution will help me rebuild my life, launch the Non-Profit Association and raise awareness of the challenges faced by women dealing with post-separation abuse and failures in the Justice System.
I have a €2,400 quote from a legal service that can help me set up a Non-Profit Association here in Spain as part of my business plans.