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What
is Legal Abuse Syndrome (LAS)?
LEGAL
ABUSE SYNDROME
(LAS)
is a form of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is a psychic
injury, not a mental illness. It is a personal injury that develops in
individuals assaulted by ethical violations, legal abuses, betrayals,
and fraud. Abuse of power and authority and a profound lack of
accountability in our courts have become rampant, compounding an already
stressful experience.
This stress can and does lead to physical illness. AMA statistics show
that around 85% of all physical illness is directly attributable to
stress. Legal Abuse Syndrome is a public health menace in this country.
It leads to massive medical intervention costs, burdens insurance
companies, and adds to Medicare and Social Security costs. Most
painfully, it crushes the brilliance and creativity of its
sufferers. Legal Abuse Syndrome is detrimental to all of society, and
nobody is immune.
Whatever the court setting, whether it is regarding divorce, child
custody, parental support, probate matters, personal injury, property
disputes, legal or medical malpractice, criminal charges or other deeply
personal issues, the frauds put forth in our courts add greatly to the
trauma. When litigants are unable to get fair resolution to their
issues, when the court dysfunction further adds to the litigant's
burden, when no amount of actual case law compels an equitable outcome,
litigants suffer often disabling levels of stress. When further attempts
to achieve redress fail, litigants display the hallmark signs of Legal
Abuse Syndrome.
Dr.
Karin Huffer,
author of the groundbreaking book,
Overcoming the Devastation of Legal Abuse Syndrome,
has devoted over 20 years to researching, diagnosing,
 and
treating PTSD and other trauma disorders. She is an ADA
Title II and Title III Specialist, and has been an ADA Section
504 Consultant, working with schools, businesses, and the
judicial system to provide effective accommodations for those
who suffer from disabilities.
In
2008, Karin’s extensive work led to the acknowledgement by the
ADA that our judicial system can and does cause traumatic stress
in those who seek civilized, fair, due process of law and
redress of grievances. Appalled by the lack of certified
ADA advocates available to assist the disabled in court, Dr.
Huffer developed a
comprehensive
ADA Advocate training and certification program
which can be completed through webinars and online.
She is Associate Professor at Kings University in Forensic
Psychology.
Medical and
psychological treatment for PTSD is compensable under most health
insurance. To learn more about PTSD see
http://traumacenter.org.
Dr. Karin Huffer
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