Claire Monsman Petty

In July 2016 I experienced heartbreak that sent me straight to the bar after work to talk it out with my friends. I made a HORRIBLE decision and decided to drive home. I'm lucky I didn't kill/hurt anyone, or even myself. But I hit a curb, got a flat a mile from home, and was pulled over and arrested ...right when I pulled into my apartment parking lot. Humiliated, embarrassed, ashamed and regretful, I was tossed in holding and bonded the next day. When I went to court, I had NO money. I didn't even know what the heck I was going to do and my car was considered "totaled" since it was an 07' and worth as much damage as it incurred. Which they also said they couldn't fix. So now I had no car and I still had to get to work to support myself and my daughter. I was in panic mode, I don't get in trouble. How did I get here? I was lucky enough to ask for a court-appointed attorney and be assigned to Ms. Petty. She helped me get the charge reduced and obtain the best deal, even with a mountain of evidence against me. But a few months later in April 2017, court fees, layoffs at work, financial burdens overwhelming me and the threat of losing my home...I attempted to take my own life. The state still has so many requirements, everything has a fee and I was already broke, not to mention I was humiliated and ashamed when I returned to work because everyone knew, I'd hear lots of rumors, get different looks and had to hide cuts on my wrists that were very difficult to cover. My ex was with a new woman and mother that my daughter completely enjoyed, so I figured she was better off without me and my mess of a life. What example was I? Things were worse and my probation officer wasn't making it ANY easier by any means. She wasn't sympathetic, didn't offer alternatives or inform me about the other options that I heard from other inmates after she put me in jail for 3 days because I hadn't finished my community service on time. Even though I never failed a single drug test or had any prior criminal record. So many options weren't presented to me and I was constantly told that "other people in worse situations get it done, so no excuses". No compassion. It was August and I was/am about to be evicted, unemployed and broke, nowhere to go (all my family is in CA where I'm from but my daughter is here), my car was repossessed again last week, and I only see my daughter via FaceTime once a day because of all of it. I've applied for SSDI, Welfare, unemployment, community support and more. It all takes time, strict requirements, paperwork, and classes to show progress in job seeking or money management. Yet I am still hitting roadblocks everywhere I go, getting denied help, and to be honest, I was feeling hopeless again. I can't even go home to CA to be with family and get support so I can get my life back together because I can't leave the state; and when I asked my probation officer about transferring my probation to CA, she just said no. All the research I had done and heard from others said I had other options. I reached out to Claire as a last resort, because I knew I had no money to pay her, and simply explained my situation now, and asked if she may have advice or a referral. To my complete amazement (because people like this just rarely exist anymore), she emailed me back right away and spoke to the judge about it the next day; gave me hope. We sheduled a time to meet with him in court this morning and she not only came through, she got my probation revoked, got me time served, AND was able to help me get all other legal/probationa fees I owed, waived! The judge was even kind to me, listened to me explain my story, offered me resources for help and agreed to all terms. I'm just so amazingly thankful and completely incapable of repaying Ms. Petty and the judge for their kindness. That's why I wanted to explain my hardship and mindset so you know how much it meant to me. She never charged me. But I owe her a thanks I can never repay.