Fugate, Timmons, Hasenbeck conduct study on how providing civil judgement expungement can help those trapped in abuse
OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Andy Fugate, D-Del City, Rep. Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin, and Rep. Aletia Timmons, D-Oklahoma City, conducted an interim study exploring how providing a civil judgement expungement can help Oklahomans trapped in abuse, specifically financial abuse. Currently, Oklahoma has little to no recourse for those ensnared in financial abuse. The study showed that Oklahoma does not have a civil judgement expungement system, and that the closest thing to it would be to seal the record. However, sealing a record takes time and you must be able to provide proof that sealing the public record is in the interest of justice. “For many survivors of abuse, civil judgments are not the result of poor choices but of manipulation, coercion or control," Hasenbeck said. "Abusers often use financial tools, like credit cards and loans, to trap their victims in cycles of debt and dependence. When those survivors finally find the courage to leave, they’re left carrying the financial scars of someone else’s actions, further burdening them as they attempt to heal. Civil judgment expungement gives them a chance to break free from that burden and truly start over.” Financial abuse is a form of coercive control defined as forcing a partner to miss, leave, or be late to work; harassing them at their workplace; controlling how money is spent; withholding money or basic living resources; imposing a strict allowance; stealing money, credit, property, or identity from a partner; and coercing them into filing fraudulent legal documents. Oftentimes, the aftermath of financial abuse makes it difficult for a survivor to get a job and housing. “When victims of domestic violence have to move out of their housing to escape, civil expungement of evictions advances protections to some of Oklahoma’s most vulnerable,” said Timmons. Financial abuse is the most common form of abuse, with up to 99% of all pattern violence survivors reporting financial abuse. “Anyone who works closely with domestic violence survivors knows escaping abuse is only the beginning,” said Fugate. “Survivors are left with lasting emotional scars and financial devastation. Coerced debt, ruined credit, and civil judgments trap survivors in a fiscal prison long after they’ve escaped the physical one. Civil judgment relief in the form of a Survivors Act 2.0 will give survivors essential relief and help them rebuild their lives.” The entire study can be viewed on the Oklahoma House of Representatives Website. -END-