Pro Bono Victory in Domestic Violence-Related Asylum Case

A team of attorneys from Loeb & Loeb LLP secured a significant pro bono victory in an asylum case on behalf of a domestic violence survivor who, at age 55, fled her home country of Peru and sought refuge in the United States after decades of physical, verbal, and psychological abuse and multiple threats on her life by her ex-partner.

Advancing an unconventional asylum theory, Loeb & Loeb’s team successfully argued that our client was persecuted on account of her membership in the social group “Peruvian women who are unable to leave a domestic relationship,” and that the Peruvian government was unwilling or unable to protect her from persecution due to lax enforcement of local domestic violence laws and cultural acceptance of gender violence.

Although, prior to Loeb & Loeb’s involvement, our client filed her application for asylum after the statutory “one-year filing deadline,” our attorneys successfully argued that she demonstrated extraordinary circumstances excusing her late filing due to both her prior attorney’s ineffective assistance and the symptoms of her post-traumatic stress disorder.

Crediting Loeb & Loeb’s written submissions and pre-hearing advocacy, the Immigration Judge granted asylum.