by Adam Delezenne
Thanks to our work on Frank’s behalf, the error has been corrected, and he is no longer a felon! Frank came to us with a stack of papers and a story. Ten years ago he pled guilty to a misdemeanor, but it was a felony charge that showed up on his record. He had gone to others, trying to get it corrected but was never taken seriously enough to make a difference.
We asked the court to review his record and issue a ruling correcting the error. Frank went to court, stood before the judge himself, asked for the felony to be removed from his record, and he received it!
This is excellent news, but we’re not done. There were significant fines attached to this error, the fines for a felony being many times higher than that for a misdemeanor. Now that we have a ruling in his favor, we will ask for Frank’s excess fines to be refunded. No will be able to return the excess time he spent in jail or the loss of opportunity and privileges that comes from having a felony on your record.
We will continue to ask for justice for Frank and others like him who have received less than equal treatment under the law from the justice system.
The Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center provides free and low-cost legal services to underserved communities in the Detroit area, with a focus on recent immigrants and refugees.
We were founded in 2014 by Kevin Piecuch, our Executive Director and principal attorney, to help meet the great need for quality legal services in underserved communities. We believe that everyone deserves justice regardless of your country of origin, the color of your skin, or your ability to afford an attorney.
Donate to support justice for everyone
Volunteer to help serve our client communities
Visit one of our clinics if you need legal help
