(LSLA) Has - Lone Star Legal Aid

LSLA represented the non-English-speaking woman who was severely beaten by her spouse. The
husband was convicted of a felony for the attack and sentenced to prison. The victim filed a divorce
case and attempted to complete the divorce before the abuser’s projected release date. Although the
Court found that she was unable to pay court costs, the Court’s orders required her to prepay the
interpreter’s costs or else her divorce case would be dismissed. The Texas Court of Appeals agreed with
the trial court and refused to interfere with the trial court’s ruling.
“The Court’s action,” continued Parreiras-Horta, “effectively denied this woman the only forum she had
to divorce her abusive spouse and resolve the custody issues over her children.”
The complaint, which has been assigned to a reviewer, asks the Department of Justice to require Texas
Courts to provide interpreters to Limited English Proficient litigants in the future, to develop a plan to
ensure compliance with the law, and to post notices advising all litigants of their right to a qualified
interpreter.
LSLA, headquartered in Houston, with offices in Tyler, Longview, Texarkana, Paris and seven other cities
across the eastern part of Texas, seeks to ensure access to courts for both English and non-English
speaking low income persons.
About Lone Star Legal Aid: Lone Star Legal Aid (www.LoneStarLegal.org) is the fourth largest service
provider of free legal aid in the United States. LSLA serves an area that covers one-third of the state
Texas, including over 63,000 square miles across 72 counties from Texarkana, to the Louisiana-Texas
Gulf Coast state-line, down to Matagorda Bay, and four counties of southwest Arkansas. LSLA is a
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and advancing justice for low-income Texans by
providing advocacy, legal representation and community education that ensures equal access to justice.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Lewis Kinard
lkinard@lonestarlegal.org
713-652-0077 ext. 1208