Sofia’s Story
WATCH FULL VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH BUHAI CLIENT SOFIA AND
SARAH LUETTO
Sofia* endured years of abuse from the father of her two young children. Early in their relationship, she briefly left after he was arrested for DUI and domestic violence, but they soon reconciled. His threats and coercive demands—exacerbated by his alcoholism—escalated over the years, culminating in a moment in which he assaulted Sofia while she was holding their infant son. After this incident, Sofia knew she and her children were not safe at home.
RECOGNIZING THE NEED FOR HELP
Sofia fled to a domestic violence shelter and obtained a restraining order against her ex. In response to her request for a restraining order, he filed a parentage action, a legal request to be recognized as the children’s father. He also began sending her threatening messages through his only means of contact with her, a court-approved app, claiming he would use the case to take the children away. Sofia was frightened at the prospect of losing custody and overwhelmed by the court process. Unable to afford the costs of trial and reluctant to face her ex’s lawyer alone, she followed the shelter’s referral to the Buhai Center.
BUILDING THE CASE WITH LEGAL EXPERTISE
At the Buhai Center, Senior Staff Attorney Linda Gross helped Sofia with her response to the parentage case and to address her ex’s ongoing abuse. In reviewing their communications, Gross observed that Sofia’s ex was repeatedly violating the restraining order in the contents of his messages to Sofia, which Gross explained were legally recognized as harassment. Together, they compiled the communications into a successful petition to renew the restraining order. The renewal extended protection for five more years. Gross also worked with Sofia to secure her children’s financial rights through child support. Before coming to the Buhai Center, Sofia had hesitated to pursue child support, fearing it would create conflict. The father would provide money only occasionally and then characterize the payments as favors. Gross helped Sofia come to understand that child support was not a favor but her children’s right and their father’s legal duty.
IN-COURT ADVOCACY AND RESOLUTION
With the evidence compiled and Sofia better prepared to assert her rights, the case moved to trial on the issues of child custody and support. Buhai Center board member and pro bono attorney Sarah Luetto stepped in to represent Sofia through the multi-day proceedings. The record included text messages, probation documents from the father’s earlier criminal case, and reports from professional monitors confirming his violations of visitation rules. After hearing the evidence, the court awarded Sofia sole legal and sole physical custody, ordered the father to pay child support, and protected the children through a supervised visitation order.
HOW REPRESENTATION TURNS THE TIDE
Sofia’s case illustrates how abusers can turn legal processes into tools of intimidation—and why skilled in-court advocacy is often decisive in family law. A contested trial like hers could have cost more than $75,000, a sum far beyond the reach of most families and entirely out of reach for a single parent living on a low income.
Sofia’s experience also reflects what research has confirmed more broadly: survivors with dedicated legal counsel secure significantly better outcomes. According to a 2020 statewide evaluation of access-to-justice pilots in California, 100% of survivors with pro bono attorneys obtained temporary restraining orders and nearly half went on to secure permanent ones. 1 With legal guidance from the Buhai Center, Sofia moved from uncertainty and abuse to securing clear, enforceable protections that made her home and life safer for herself and her children, demonstrating the real-world impact of having legal counsel and representation in court.
Today, Sofia enjoys more stability in her home life and career. She and her children now have a steady routine of work and school. Regular child support payments help Sofia keep up with her children’s needs, and she has peace of mind knowing that they are protected from the physical and emotional harm they once endured.
*Client’s name and photo have been changed to protect her privacy.
November 2025