In Memoriam - Dr. Karin Huffer - Equal Access Advocates

In Memoriam of Dr. Karin Huffer

It is with extraordinary sorrow that – the family of Karin D. Huffer, PhD – announces her passing Wednesday, October 24, 2018, at her home in Colorado after a long and courageous battle with breast cancer. She was 77. She was surrounded by her two sons, Jason and Jordan, her longtime personal assistant, Jorge “George” Medina, and other loved ones.

There is a poem, by Linda Ellis, called “The Dash,” which refers to the dates on a tombstone from the beginning to the end, and explains that what matters most is how one lives and loves, and how one spends their “Dash.”

Dr. Huffer spent her “Dash” tirelessly helping those with mental and physical disabilities attain equal footing in life, and more specifically in the civil and criminal legal systems. As an innovator in her field, she was personally responsible for creating the concept of “Legal Abuse Syndrome” (LAS) for victims who suffered psychological consequences and trauma from prolonged exposure to litigation. As a clinical psychologist and forensic disability expert, Dr. Huffer wrote and lectured extensively on the lingering and long-term psychological effects of dealing with court systems which she observed in her family therapy practice. She personally helped countless numbers of clients during their courtroom struggles, by testifying for equal access, through education and awareness. In this way, Dr. Huffer ensured that the justice system truly captured the ideals for which it should stand: equality and fairness for all.

Her clients often became her good friends even after the work was done. Dr. Huffer could not work with clients on a “professional” basis only. Her heart was too big and her compassion toward others during life’s sometimes cruel turns of betrayal, unfairness, and uphill battles was never exhausted. She was the one who would still listen, comfort and offer help when all other avenues seemed to be hopelessly closed for her clients. Many of her friends and former clients attest that they came back from looking into the abyss because of her gentle encouragement and training.

Her legacy, Equal Access Advocates, was established to develop and provide the training and certification programs and CLE/CEU courses to educate and prepare ADA advocates to help individuals with disabilities negotiate and survive the legal system and the day-to-day challenges of dealing with disability. She published two books, which serve as a foundation for the training. Overcoming the Devastation of Legal Abuse Syndrome, which included an 8-step protocol for helping those undergoing court abuses is still implemented during the training and certification process. Her second book, Unlocking Justice, is a helpful educational and practical textbook guide for mental health professionals, legal practitioners, judges, social workers and clients alike, who are navigating the court system.

Born October 18, 1941 in Pocatello, Idaho to the late Adolph (“Rags”) and Jane Pearson and raised in Shoshone County between the towns of Wallace and Mullan, she received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Idaho, Moscow. She moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where she earned her Master of Social Work from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Dr. Huffer next earned her Doctorate of Counseling and Forensic Psychology from Kings International University, Delaware, and she taught at Clark County School District, Chapman College, La Salle University, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She served as an Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) liaison for special education. She maintained her marriage and family therapy practice with an emphasis on post-traumatic stress, litigation stress, and EMDR treatments. She most recently served as an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York City. Dr. Huffer was most proud of her advocacy work which drew upon her forty years of experience as a counselor in Clark County, Nevada’s behavioral schools along with her private practice which focused on the recognition of post-traumatic stress and the use of ADA accommodations as a means to access and meaningfully participate in litigation. She identified and created the processes and ethical standards by which disabled litigants are able to meaningfully participate in the civil and criminal justice systems pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Dr. Karin Huffer’s life is a testament that you can achieve professional success by pursuing your passion and truly sharing your gifts, talents and love with others. During her long struggle with cancer, Dr. Huffer demonstrated benevolence, resilience, courage, and grace. Countless lives have been touched and transformed by her compassion. She will not only be profoundly missed by her family and many friends, but the entire world.

Karin was the beloved wife of the late James (“JD”) Huffer. She was also preceded in death by her grandmother, Karin Ingeborg Johnson; grandfather, Peter Adolph Pearson; uncle, Conrad Pearson (“Uncle Con”); and dearly beloved dog, Hudson. Karin is survived by her sons, Jason Huffer and Jordan Huffer; cousins, Trudi Brown, Roger Pearson, Debby Niehus; dear friends, Wilene Gremain, Jorge (“George”) Medina, Dr. Corky Strandberg, Meryl Lanson, Susan Breidenbach, Fred Bardelli, Enid McFarland, Lucy James, Jena Larrabee, Danielle Duperret, Grant, Bond, Dior, Duke and Clive Van Der Jagt, Heather Stark, Marc Browne, Gary Tanin, Gordon Hale, Mike Shaffner, Lindsay and Jon Vinnik, Bill and Hannah; and esteemed colleagues, Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD, Philip Zimbardo, PhD, Robert Geffner, PhD, Dagna Van Der Jagt, Esq., Ian Hicks, Esq., Wendy Murphy, Esq., Naureen Shaikh, MD, Barbara Parrett, MS, RN, CNS, Dr. Zena Crenshaw, Dr. Mo Therese Hannah, Donna Andersen, Evan Stark, Lundy Bancroft, Rose Colombo, Shu Bartholomew and Dennis Grover.

A Celebration of Life luncheon is being planned in January 2019 at the Olympian Plaza Reception & Event Center in Colorado Springs, CO. An interment service will be held at the South Florida National Cemetery in Lake Worth, FL. All who wish to attend these future events are cordially invited to do so.

In lieu of flowers, an appropriate memorial fund is being established for those who wish to contribute to continue Karin’s life legacy at www.EqualAccessAdvocates.com.

See future, updated versions of obituary at www.shrineofremembrance.com

If you would like to post your own words here, please feel free to contact us here: https://equalaccessadvocates.com/contactus/

To the Huffer Family,

Dr. Huffer was a great woman who has helped many clients thru many of their difficult struggles in life.

I was truely honored + feel very priviledged to have worked with Dr. Huffer.

I know Dr. Huffer considered herself a war horse.

Well I consider her an old soul like me + she flew without wings.

That old war horse touched my soul. Just so you know that “old war horse” metamorphosis into a “Horse Angel” + lifted my spirits.

So thru my eyes Dr. Huffer will always fly without wings.

My Sincere Condolences,

Client

For all Americans,

Every being is created for a purpose. For those lucky enough to realize it, and to fulfill
the uniqueness of their existence, is a gift, and in some instances, for many, a
lifeline. Dr. Karin Huffer is such a gift, and that lifeline. I personally know, for I am alive
today, in great part to Dr. Huffer talking the talk through her published writings, and
walking the walk, taking her invaluable incomparable work into courtrooms and
classrooms, across the nation, and other venues, securing equal access for the
disabled; and, demanding compliance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act
and its Amendments Act.

For the past twelve years, Dr. Huffer has been my Therapist, my “Professor” and the
one person I have relied upon to advocate for my guaranteed rights against the rampant
discrimination that I have endured in our courts of law. But, what is the most
remarkable aspect of Dr. Huffer is the fact that she tirelessly works at righting such
wrongs, on behalf of others, while, for decades, being disabled herself, having lost all of
her tangible possessions and the love of her life, her husband, by those empowered
and sworn to protect. Yet, she never played the victim, and refused to give up, no
matter what the obstacles, no matter what the cost, hoping to insure that the rest of us
will never be deprived of or denied that which she and her family were more than thirty
years ago.

A true hero puts aside their own misfortunes, using their knowledge and skills, and
passion so that all others get to reap the benefits in hopes of lightening the road for a
more successful and “just” journey for ALL.
Dr. Karin Huffer is the epitome of what a TRUE HERO is supposed to be.

Respectfully,

Meryl M. Lanson

Dear Dr. Huffer,

Thank you for reaching out. I want you to know that your book really changed my life. Before I read it I had no hope at all.

My children are grown but when they were very young (my son still in diapers and my daughter just starting kindergarten) I was made homeless – the police showed up at my door and gave me 15 minutes to leave – by my alcoholic husband, causing me to lose a home-based word processing business that was my only source of income. We stayed in a homeless shelter until the courts finally let us go home – I think it was 12 weeks – and I was subsequently abused to the tune of about $1.4 million in child support by my ex-husband. (I actually am in possession of originals of three years of his tax returns which show massive fraud – he netted and paid taxes and child support on $17K the year he grossed $450K.)

I have very scant recall (although I do have 31 years of letters to and from a former teacher/mentor, a truly amazing man with whom I corresponded, documenting the entire experience and which I hope to publish someday – mine is the “back story”) but I do remember it was a female judge who dismissed me over and over again (seven times, actually) – each time I had to go to court because my children’s father was weeks and months late paying the little child support that was ordered, and would pay up just days before the court appearance – and she would ask why I was wasting her time! (I wouldn’t put it past him to have paid her off – he’s an architect and it’s my understanding there’s a lot of graft in that world.) When I did get assigned a public defender to help me collect past due support he said of the judge, “Oh, her? Everyone knows she’s a nut. She let one man go home and he murdered his wife.” (That was the beginning of my real understanding of the word “gratitude.”)

I spent 12 years working full-time (unpaid) for my ex’s architectural business, kept his house and garden, cared for our children full-time, and took care of his mother who rapidly deteriorated from dementia. (He was the only child of a single mother who fled from Castro’s Cuba and when she became ill is when he started drinking heavily.) I started an in-home word processing business in addition to my business as a musician for extra income, which kept the children and myself fed as his business went quickly downhill. After losing our house and finding a rental apartment I went forward with a new business – I entertain in healthcare facilities with “music wellness” programs, which has been quite successful and thrives to this day. However, I still need to declare bankruptcy in order to go forward, and I do need help with that.

I defaulted on many loans which I took out just to pay for basic necessities (including the mortgage) and my credit was ruined. I would like to be able to finally begin to accumulate some wealth (I’m 58 years old). I’m a musician and songwriter and I believe some of my original music can make me (and a publisher) a lot of money, and I’m quite frankly tired of paying for my ex’s lies all these years later in the form of extremely high interest rates (i.e., 17.9% on a car loan!) I live with deep shame because I still pay for his lies to this day. (He is sober, remarried and has a teenage daughter, owns a house and enjoys financial comforts I have never known.) And, if I am able to accrue income from my intellectual property I want it protected from my debtors and from his lies. I’ve paid enough.

Understanding my symptoms and knowing how many other people went through similar – and worse – circumstances made a huge difference in my life, and I am so grateful you had the courage to do what you did.

I still can’t afford a bankruptcy attorney so I’m looking into other options. Doing these things myself is not an option – and thanks to you I finally understand why.

And as if that all isn’t bad enough, my father was an attorney and my brother is also, but he decided to keep our childless aunt’s half-million dollar estate all to himself rather than share it with his two siblings and two cousins, so my syndrome is truly compounded – “salt in my wounds”. Having my ex-husband and my brother, the two closest men in my life, the ones who are supposed to have my back, hurt me so deeply helps to explain why I’ve been single for the last 20 years, too. Trusting men is a real issue. I would like to finally be able to heal from that someday, but I think handling my finances probably comes first.

Can you suggest a way for me to declare bankruptcy without spending a fortune or having to do it myself? I already took the required class but it was a while ago and I’m afraid I may be asked to take it again, which is also not something I’m ready to do… it was really difficult for me the first time around. When I did look to hire an attorney it was $1800 and I couldn’t afford it (I put $600 down and then couldn’t finish and he finally returned it). Maybe an intern of sorts? I do believe my only chance of being free of these symptoms and begin to regain the strength I need to move forward is to declare bankruptcy. It would be so truly gratifying to finally stop being the victim of my ex’s lies. And I do believe he belongs in jail.

I would like to think there are people, somewhere, who will work on a contingency basis to share in some of what might be recovered. Is that realistic? Do you know anyone who might be able to help?

Thanks again… even if you can’t help I am so ever grateful to you, and always will be, for writing that book.

Best,

Jan Leder

“This is a historical public health, family court, & social crisis needing raised awareness & advocacy. Your hand is firmly on the pulse and I wish we could clone you in every state.”

– Victoria Gribbin

“I just finished Karin’s book. It was great. I found that it described many of my experiences, and I found it very helpful. Of course, someone who does not have a legal background does not know, or quite understand, exactly what is going on, and I think that her book is absolutely essential reading for those victims of the system. Thank you and Karin for giving me a copy, and of course, thank you Karin for taking the time and effort to write this important book.”

– Mark A. Adams, Esquire JD/MBA

“As a survivor of domestic violence and abuse for over 20 years, I would like to take a moment and commend you on the work you’re doing. I am finally glad that that type of abuse finally has a name and is being recognized. I have included actual documents in my book from the family court and from Fort Bragg to prove how legal abuse happens. When I decided to publish my book, I felt strong enough emotionally to go to the NYC Family court and get a complete copy of my family court file – almost 20 years later. I was shocked to find documents in my file that I never knew about, especially a “stay out of jail free” card from Fort Bragg for my abuser. That letter is included in the book.
Also documented in the book is the forensic evaluator’s report diagnosing me as “Borderline Personality Disorder” and “embittered and enraged” although I told her about the abuse. Needless to say, I want to say Thank You from the bottom of my heart.”
“As a survivor of domestic violence and abuse for over 20 years, I would like to take a moment and commend you on the work you’re doing. I am finally glad that that type of abuse finally has a name and is being recognized. I have included actual documents in my book from the family court and from Fort Bragg to prove how legal abuse happens. When I decided to publish my book, I felt strong enough emotionally to go to the NYC Family court and get a complete copy of my family court file – almost 20 years later. I was shocked to find documents in my file that I never knew about, especially a “stay out of jail free” card from Fort Bragg for my abuser. That letter is included in the book.
Also documented in the book is the forensic evaluator’s report diagnosing me as “Borderline Personality Disorder” and “embittered and enraged” although I told her about the abuse. Needless to say, I want to say Thank You from the bottom of my heart.”

– Ivette Attaud, CEO, My Life My Soul – The Unspoken Journey of Life After Domestic Abuse, MLMS Publishing

This letter is written in gratitude and support for the cutting-edge social analysis, social education, published work (“Overcoming the Devastation of Legal Abuse Syndrome”) and efforts on behalf of litigants (both disabled and able-bodied) identified by Ms. Karin D. Huffer, M.S., M.F.T.
Ms. Huffer first identified a societal disease, a prior unknown form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which she labeled Legal Abuse Syndrome. In this way, she brought to light for the edification of all, an insidious and highly toxic form of abuse of authority which is, unfortunately, prevalent in our society today. She then went forward to establish protocols for the treatment of this condition and even more – she created the means for the advocacy of these now-disabled individuals in a way that society must take corrective action based on its own established law (the Americans with Disabilities Act).
In short, Ms. Huffer has assisted society, not just in the United States but everywhere in the world where municipalities exist, to expand in consciousness and to benefit the most vulnerable of society’s members – the disabled – in such a way as to restore to them health, vitality and dignity. This can result in greater personal happiness, health and justice for individuals to include those members of government who take to heart the nature of her work so as to avoid becoming infected with this societal disease themselves.
As the former Executive Director of a 501c3 Nonprofit formed to assist victims of legal abuse (now medically retired), I was able to use Ms. Huffer’s excellent and trailblazing work to benefit others and to form a support group to further assist. While I am no longer able to perform this work, the legacy of my own work, which could have only existed due to Ms. Huffer’s work, continues to live on through the Internet.

– Juli T. Star-Alexander

I earned PTSD from Vietnam which was then compounded by the judicial system in which I practiced some family law, generally for abused mates. I recognized the value of Karen Huffer’s examination of legal abuse syndrome when I first heard of it and read it in 2000, for by that time I had a litigation PTSD overlay on my Vietnam version, from my more or less private war against judicial corruption, much of which was experienced in domestic relations and child custody against CPS cases.

– John Wolfgram, Esq.

I am ordinarily the most verbose person on the planet. But I”m so choked up over reading your testimonials that I can barely breathe. I’m thinking to myself “Is there actually real help?”
My name is (REDACTED) and I live in New York now. In my situation, my parents, sibling, ex-husband – have created a really horrible set of circumstances. There was a situation with my father when I was 14 that I sought to prevent from ever happening around my daughter. My parents felt I betrayed THEM by talking about what happened. After all, there was no intent to harm me – so there couldn’t have been any actual harm. My protestations that they had caused harm were capitalized upon my ex-husband and my trauma over this fight, the injustice of it, the outrageousness of the court – resulted in my children being raised by the very people I sought to protect them from. I have about driven myself crazy trying to wrap my brain how this could ever happen… but I get the feeling you understand that.
I am the ‘black sheep” of the family – I do not miss them. But I miss my children terribly. I hate what my children are learning about life and about Justice. I hate the way this has made me sort of odd to “normal” people. It makes me feel like there is something really wrong with me – or that I just don’t have the proper perspective because in a just world – they would be accountable and I would be safe with my children.
I’ve been trying to accept the circumstance, forgive them for their lack of humanity and move on. I am torn about what to do about my children. I am hurting about this and feel completely disenfranchised… but have fought hard to start over.
It’s so painful to have hope. Does that makes sense?
Anyway, I am betting you know some of the other women that I am familiar with in this fight. When I’m feeling a little less rocked maybe we can talk?

– LF

Ms. Huffer has done a brilliant job discussing the effects of, and steps to recovery from Legal Abuse Syndrome (LAS) which is defined as a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder resulting from abusive and protracted litigation.

– Ingri Cassi, Editor, The Idaho Observer

Thanks, Karin. You are doing marvelous work.

– Best, Connie Valentine

I have read this, here, now for the third time; having read it three times in Melbourne. It is the best piece of material, which I have yearned for since you embarked on the sequel. It is unfair that I have to wait longer to read the rest. It is the video slow motion reinaction of my life and those of co-patriots.
Every mental health practitioner must read this book. The HR Departments at law firms and corporate America should place it front and center in their library. The law schools need to mandate reading.
Karin, you are pure genius – you took the worst times of your life, and mixed it with your education, compassion, and objectivity to validate the sanity of those you have come to know, all too well.
You helped to save my life, and you keep on giving.
God bless you, forever,

– M.

A few months after the conclusion of an abusive, long lasting, high asset divorce, with hundreds of pleadings filed, I was being sued by the firm that represented me. They put all the weight of their power and influence to make me crumble, emotionally and financially. I was being dragged to the courts, verbally abused, and my word was worth one half of theirs for the judiciary.
It is a blessing that I found Karin Huffer and LVAALLC to enforce my fair access to justice. After several judges were recused, it was a game changer and a precedent setting action in the Southeast. She is a role model and a fair public server.
In the process of seeking justice for the disabled and implementing fair access to the court system; right when you wonder where your civil rights have been hidden, under all the bureaucracy and games of power, there you find Karin Huffer and her team at LVAALLC to shed light and clarity on the judiciary and the victims of litigation, enforcing the very soul of our Constitution.
Being the pioneer in her studies on LAS, Karin Huffer deserves the highest recognition for her tireless effort to help both the efficiency on the delivery of justice and pain relief of the litigants.

(Name redacted due to current litigation)

I entered the court system as a result of going up against a large, state-backed corporate entity,and eventually the state itself. The court process only served to continue the injustice I was experiencing. I was denied my constitutional rights, including the right to a jury trial and due process of the law. I could never have known the effect on the mind, body, soul, and spirit or the journey I would take. Let me just say that the truth does set you free, and that there are attorneys, judges, and litigants out there who know and see the truth and do not participate in the injustice.
Dr. Karin Huffer is among those who represent the truth tirelessly when injustice raises its ugly head and threatens the core of our being. She picked up all the scattered pieces from the legal and personal trauma I endured and put them back together. Though worn and battered, I am now able to move forward and start anew, productive and ever more able to embrace the importance and value of truth and justice.
Dr. Karin Huffer stands for the truth and lives by the truth. She courageously advocates for those who are injured and denied justice. I learned from her that, no matter how daunting it seems, it is crucial to seek redress for wrongs suffered, to lay blame where it belongs, and to set the record straight.

– C. S., former client & Advocate for Justice

I have had the privilege of attending workshops by Karin Huffer and was very impressed to learn of how she is using the ADA as a tool to help protect battered mothers involved in custody disputes. I believe these practices can give protective mothers additional leverage with the courts that they need and will make it easier for them to survive the court process. I have also worked with Karin on some cases and she has always been professional and helpful. I enjoy working with her.
– Barry Goldstein, Co-Editor: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ABUSE and CHILD CUSTODY

I was acquainted with Karin Huffer from her various writings on the aforementioned subject matter. In January 2007, I attended the Annual Battered Women’s Conference and had the opportunity to experience Karin Huffer’s professional perspectives and insights. She has identified significant damages that include but are not limited to Post Traumatic Stress Disorders and other debilitating conditions caused by legal assaults on litigants who, ironically, sought protection from the legal system.
Ms. Huffer continues to courageously delve into the phenomenon of legal abuse that is pervasive in court systems nationwide. She continues to demonstrate her professionalism and is recognized as an expert in this field. Moreover, she is an acclaimed authority on the topic of Legal Abuse, and has been responsible for raising awareness of this debilitating condition which greatly impacts public policy.

– M.T.W.

I want to thank you for your earlier advice. It has helped my fight to be a father again.
– Ronald E. Pierce

ANYONE can become and ADA Advocate! I found the training to be life changing and “how I practice law” changing! Again, if you’d like to have a glimpse of Dr. Huffer’s presentation, please rent the MDP Annual CLE DVD! However, our DVD is no substitute for Dr. Huffer’s wonderful online and interactive instruction during the weeks and times listed below! Don Alan Mo Frederick, Attorney at Law Colorado I have read your book and enjoyed it completely.

– William G. Stone M.D. Pres.
Las Vegas Psychiatric Society

Courtroom-caused traumatic stress is now validated as a clinical definition, it might be a good time for Psychology students and others to investigate the traumatic stress suffered by someone accused of a crime he did not commit, and the pain experienced by his dependents. There must be better ways to deal with the problems so many of us are facing in the legal system.

– Karin Friedmann, TMO The Muslim Observer

Thus Karen’s LAS/PTSD theory is on point, contact with courts is toxic.Scott Huminski Thank you so much for your support. Of the many valuable things you do for me, one of the most helpful is that you constantly “predict” what “they” will do next–you have been 100% on the money–it makes me feel like I am not crazy.

—SM

Read “Overcoming the Devastation of Legal Abuse Syndrome” so as to learn some self-help strategies to protect yourself in court from the abuses there and to protect your health under stress in general.

– Tim Taylor

I sent off a complaint about the judge to the Judicial Committee in Boston overnight yesterday. I feel good about it, very stressed about (I broke a tooth from bearing down) I linger in my mind what else I could have said…I WISH I would have put my ex drags out the court cases so he can show less income on a recent pay stub. But I pray they see that.
I also included your Judicial System Inaccessibility for Those with Psychiatric Injury Legal Abuse Syndrome as a Psychiatric Injury and Diagnosable Subcategory of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
I hope you do not mind…my trauma doctor suggested it; (she was trained by Van der Kolk) and she loves what you are doing.

– Janice

This case is changing direction because of you. Thank you so much. A person goes thru so many phases in a court case but when you find Judges are not protecting your rights you say “Dear God” then you go Dear Google and Karin Huffer pops up.

– Teri

I just wanted to say thank you…you have been one of the guiding forces in my making it through the domestic violence and now the political terrorism…I look forward to reading this book and learning more so that I can share and help others too…YOU ROCK!
– Miki

After declaring my ADA rights, I received a letter from our landlord today retracting our eviction! He wrote, “This is a new area of understanding for me and my staff.” Thank God for the ADA! And thank you both for spreading the knowledge.
– Molly

“Huffer describes how many victims of white-collar crime, court abuse and bureaucratic bungling have come to suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder as a result of having brushed up against various phases of our legal system.”
– Alan M.Dershowitz, Professor, Harvard Law School

Thank you for reminding us that PTSD is NOT a mental illness.
– Jodie Lee Klaassen, PN, RN, BGS

Legal experts call for gender-sensitive courts – Worldnews.com  Karin Huffer has discovered why many people leave a courtroom frustrated and sick. On Wednesday April 2, 2008 we presented a new program called  FAMILY COURT

It is extremely hard to find the words to convey the wrong that is done to a person that would lead them to spend the time, money and resources to even go to court. I know I had to be profoundly affected and therefore deeply motivated as a result to request justice for the wrong that had been done as a result of bullying in the workplace, discrimination and the hostility that had been taken out on me. Once I entered the court system as a result of going up against a large corporate entity that the State and community relies upon for a majority of income as well as eventually the State itself and the court processes having played apart in continuing the wrong and denying my constitutional rights including the right to a jury trial and due process of the law. I could never have known the affect to the mind, body, soul and spirit or the journey I would take. Let me just say that the truth does set you free, that there are people out there who know and care about me, you and us. People on all levels of victims, survivors, advocates, witnesses, doctors, and yes good Councel and Justices who know and see the truth and do not participate in the injustice, there are those who represent the truth tirelessly when injustice raises it’s ugly head and threatens the core of our being. No matter how daunting it seems it is always necessary to redress and right the the wrong, the record, historically and in the future we depend on truth, it is a necessary food to our existence when threatened. Dr. Karin Huffer picked up all the scattered pieces from the trauma I endured. She put them back together, though worn and battered I am able to move forward and start a new chapter, less eluded than before am I, but productive and ever more able to embrace the importance and value of truth and justice and those who live it, stand by it and like Dr. Karin Huffer who so courageously represent the injured who were denied of it.
C. S., former client &  Advocate for Justice

Dear Karin, I finally get it. I have had two low pain days in a row (the first time that has happened since the car accident) and can think clearly. I realized that by embracing the reality of PTSD resulting from legal abuse, we become very threatening. I was so ashamed of being unable to perform at a high professional level in debilitating pain or when using the powerful medication for debilitating pain that I was unaware of the PTSD which was gradually overwhelming me. Once I became free from the energy drain of a person who I believed to be a friend who was a professional colleague condemning me for my disability, I could see legal abuse clearly.  I now commit some of my free time to work with you in advocating for PTSD victims’ accommodations with courts and other lawyers. This is a horrendous issue. It must be stopped. I will not tolerate judges participating or creating legal abuse syndrome. I am too old and too established to fear consequences of going after judges who deny accommodations to the disabled. You are a genius, my dear. Your body of work dovetails perfectly with the amendment to the ADA which recognizes intermittent conditions such a epilepsy, PTSD and fibromyalgia.  When the judges or lawyers themselves are creating the abuse from which the litigant suffers, they must be stopped. The same is true of the legal abuse inflicted on homeowners in the current mortgage foreclosure crisis by entities attempting to take their homes. The system must appoint guardians ad litem for PTSD victims who cannot hire compassionate counsel and those guardians ad litem must be educated as to how to get PTSD victims their rights.  This is a truly stunning and timely development in the law of the United States and must be the key to leveling the playing field when soul-less corporations, organizations and legal representatives of the power structure try to take people’s property by intimidation, confusion and by creating shame in the minds of those afflicted.  Judges in noncompliance with the ADAAA are indeed, as you say so well, asking people to leave their wheelchairs at the door.
– Attorney in two states

Your Book and your support has been incredibly important to holding on to my sanity. Hopefully I can hold onto my house until the Disability Benefits comes through. Russ
Keep writing for all of us out here!
– Marci

Dr. Karin Huffer is the leading national advocate for the implementation of the ADA\ADAAA in court proceedings. SCR Chapter 12 is in complete noncompliance with the ADA\ADAAA. I have spoken to Dr. Huffer and she is willing to assist the State Bar of Wisconsin in assuring that SCR Rule 12 is revised in accordance with the ADA\ADAAA and the ABA protocols.
I’m over here yelling,”Karin for President! Karin for President!” I’m telling you missy, you are really burning up the pages!!! Wonderful, my Karin–you are building…building something really big.
– Love, b

When you taught me the first legal abuse I suffered was by my father, it made a damn lot of sense, and based on how we recreate in adulthood what we suffered in childhood but this time in the hope that we can prevail it explains to me the core of LAS. I am so glad you are in my life!!!
– Joyce

Dear Amazing Team: Attached is the MOTION and GRANTED HEARING(!!!!) by the new JUDGE. BREAK-THROUGH because IT IS EX PARTE. Please realize that WITHOUT all of you, I would be out of energy in this fight for JUSTICE. Kathy Karin, your book has been my bible, you have been my lifeline.
– Meryl