As I contemplated the difficulty of raising $100,000 plus to my case against Tiffanie Rushton all the way to trial, I began considering representing myself and consulting with an attorney on the side to see the case through. After all, I couldn’t even pay off what I still owed the first attorney.
I thought, this is America, right? Don’t I have the right to tell a judge and jury of my peers what Rushton did, to make sure she stops without mortgaging my family’s future? With no other option in front of me, despite numerous attempts to find some other way, I decided that I would have to do exactly that: represent myself.
People warned me not to. They said that Rushton’s attorney would use his knowledge of the law against me. “But I have proof,” I said. “It doesn’t matter,” they insisted.
I spent over a hundred hours researching discovery and litigation because there was no other way. I’d tried raising money, I’d tried fundraiser box sets, and some people were very generous, but it was nowhere near enough. But the more I learned about litigation, the more I realized I didn’t know. (Yes, 100 more hours stolen away.)
Then in January, a fellow author and civil litigator Shawn P. Bailey came forward after reading an interview with me on A Motley Vision and offered his help.
And now . . . I’m excited to announce that Shawn P. Bailey and his firm are representing me and are committed to seeing my case all the way through to trial. Even with Shawn’s generosity and flexibility in structuring an attorney-client relationship that will not bankrupt my family, litigation is expensive, and we need to keep fundraising. Every dollar counts!
I want to give a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has made a contribution (some of you have more than once). You are making an incredible difference in the case. I couldn’t have come this far without you, and I am so grateful. I am especially grateful to Dave Farland, who has been a friend and supporter from the beginning. And also his fans, who have extended their support to me.
This IS going to happen. We will send the message through this case. Writers and readers unite!
If you need an attorney, please think of Shawn and his firm Peck Hadfield Baxter & Moore, LLC. Meanwhile, we do still need to reach our goal on the Go Fund Me, so please share the Go Fund Me page wherever you can.
Kim Hunter
I was getting nervous reading the article thinking you actually were going to try and defend this case with a lawyer on the side. The other side would have eaten you for lunch in that court room, especially this size a case. Luckily Shawn P. Bailey stepped up, you are going to have an easier go with a pro in your corner.