Chapter 14 - The Legal Battlefield
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Finding a lawyer in Seattle who specialized in coercive control wasn't easy, but Audrey’s network proved invaluable.
She connected us with a woman named Elena Vance.
Elena was sharp, relentless, and entirely unimpressed by Sarah’s corporate pedigree.
We met in her downtown office.
“Ex parte orders are notoriously difficult to overturn quickly,” Elena explained, reviewing the filings. “But Sarah overplayed her hand. Claiming substance abuse without a single police report or medical record is reckless.”
“We have the clean drug panel from this morning,” I said, sliding the document across the desk.
Elena nodded.
“Good. We file an immediate motion to vacate the emergency order. But we need more.”
She looked at David.
“She controls the money. How?”
“She moved the primary accounts to a private wealth management firm that she has a controlling interest in,” David explained.
“A conflict of interest,” Elena noted, writing it down. “We subpoena the transfer records. We show a pattern of financial isolation.”
The first hearing was scheduled for three days later.
David was a wreck.
He paced the motel room constantly.
“What if I don't get them back?”
“You will.”
“You don't know that.”
“I know how this system works when you have the right leverage.”
I made him sit down.
“Sarah thinks she’s fighting a husband who has no resources and no support system. She thinks you’re alone.”
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I looked him in the eye.
“You aren't alone. And tomorrow, we make sure she knows that.”
