Breaking Free, Building a Future

“All the doors opened to me. I can live my life now. I’m free.”

Real Kentuckians. Real Justice.

Legal Aid Society advocacy supports the well-being of the family and promotes personal safety. Civil legal aid has the power to stabilize families and save lives. Since January 2025, Legal Aid Society has provided direct legal assistance to 562 survivors pursuing a protective order. 

Shital Shah describes her 25-year marriage as “a nightmare.” Shital was enduring physical, mental, and financial abuse at the hands of her husband. One night, her husband trapped her in a small room in their home, telling their son to go upstairs and ignore her screams. After suffering hours of abuse, Shital was finally able to break free, running to a neighbor’s house in her socks to call 911. The police quickly arrived, arrested her husband, and connected her to Legal Aid. Shital bravely stood firm—not only was she seeking immediate protection, but also a divorce. Shital’s Legal Aid attorneys, Samantha Hupman and Andrew Hout, immediately secured her a Protective Order and began working on her divorce. This case was made more complicated by Shital’s immigration status. Early into their marriage, Shital and her husband moved to Louisville from India, and he had always been adamant that her life in the US was dependent on their marriage. However, Legal Aid quickly discovered that in addition to physically and mentally abusing her, Shital’s husband had also hidden her green card. With this discovery, Shital was empowered to become her own detective, finding more than $300,000.00 in gold, jewelry, and other assets her husband had hidden from her and failed to disclose to the courts. After nearly a year of litigation, Legal Aid attorneys secured Shital her divorce—along with over $500,000.00 in property, retirement funds, and other assets—as well as a future without abuse. “All the doors opened to me,” Shital said, “I can live my life now. I’m free.”