Financial stress is something many people experience in their life, and it frequently puts strain on relationships. Unfortunately, community member, Juan, experienced this first-hand. He came to the legal clinic at our community partner, Centro de Trabajadores Unidos, in 2018 to receive assistance in collecting unpaid wages. For 6 months, Juan worked, wasn’t paid the agreed upon wages, and was repeatedly lied to about payment. This act of wage theft destroyed his relationship with his wife, “it ended my 17-year marriage because my wife thought I was recklessly spending. I was afraid to speak up and tell her what was really happening until it was too late,” said Juan. Additionally, he hasn’t been able to get in contact with his children since the divorce.

In October 2020, a judgment was entered in federal court against the employers under the Fair Labor Standards Act and Illinois Minimum Wage Law for $24,318. During this time, Juan had little hope. “I didn’t think they could help me because of my legal status. The case was taking so long, so I didn’t think it would work out.” In 2022, Beyond attorney, Deb Garrigus, discovered that a property owned by Juan’s former employer was in foreclosure and she filed a lien on it. In August 2023, after 5 years of waiting, Juan was finally able to recover some of his stolen wages when the property was sold. He said this was a pleasant surprise as he had already resigned himself to not seeing any money, “my expectations changed of [Beyond]. I didn’t think they would help me, but then I realized they really do help the community.”

This money won’t repair the damage done to Juan’s family, or relieve him of the years of stress, but it did restore his faith in fighting. He said, “have faith in this organization. It might take a while, but they are on your side, and they produce results.” If you are lucky enough to have a steady income, please consider making a donation so that Beyond can continue to support our community members who do not.