WFA Grantee Spotlight: Legal Voice
We first introduced you to Ramona Danny, a client of Legal Voice (formerly Northwest Women's Law Center), back in our Spring 2008 newsletter. We are thrilled to share this update and victory story with you now!
Legal Voice is a Women's Funding Alliance (WFA) grantee organization that works to improve women's social, economic and legal status by bringing ground-breaking lawsuits and engaging in legislative advocacy. It also educates women and the community about women's legal rights. Recently, Legal Voice has been making great strides to ensure that female survivors of violence are sufficiently supported in responding to crimes they've experienced and in doing what is necessary to rebuild their lives.
In 2005, Legal Voice took on the case of a woman named Ramona Danny. Ramona was in an abusive marriage and had to take time off of work to protect her children after her husband severely injured their son. As a result, Ramona was fired from her job.
On October 3, 2008, Legal Voice celebrated a major victory in the Ramona Danny case. In a strongly worded-opinion the Washington State Supreme Court held that employers must protect employees' jobs while they deal with the results of domestic violence and protect themselves from further abuse. Employees like Ramona will no longer have to choose between protecting their lives and their livelihood.
While waiting for a ruling, Legal Voice and Ramona were active at the legislative level as well. As such, in April 2008, Governor Christine Gregoire signed into law House Bill 2602 which gives all employees who are survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking the right to take reasonable leave from work to address the effects of these crimes and to ensure protection from further violence.
With this victory in the forefront of our minds, WFA and Legal Voice will continue to work together to ensure that our communities are ones which support women in living lives free from the impact of violence in all forms.
