Asylum Granted by Immigration Court

Client(s) Client R

On Monday, September 17, Jones Day pro bono client Client R. was granted asylum by Judge Marilyn J. Teeter of the San Francisco Immigration Court. Client R, represented by Jones Day associates Michael McLively and Nandini Iyer, fled to the United States from Guatemala after facing severe physical and sexual abuse at the hands of her domestic partner. After hearing extensive testimony from Client R, as well as briefing on the legal issues, Judge Teeter issued a 20-page order granting asylum. The order agreed that Client R convincingly established a well-founded fear of persecution on the grounds of her membership in a particular social group which could be defined as "Guatemalan women of Mayan decent in domestic relationships from which they are unable to leave." This is an important decision in an area of asylum law that is still nebulous. The government has 30 days to appeal the decision. The case was referred to Jones Day through its continuing partnership with the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights in San Francisco.