NEW YORK / CHICAGO -- Since 2005, when Rhonda Mangus removed her then 13 year old son from classes at North Tonawanda High School in New York, it has been an uphill battle. Michael had identified as gay, and was bullied and subjected to the vitriol of classmates, and the apathy of school officials.
When he received a written death threat, Rhonda no longer felt that he was safe within that setting.
But she never dreamed that homeschooling him - with the approval of two physicians - would lead to her inclusion on the state's child abuse registry. This past winter, after a grueling battle, the Supreme Court of New York failed to amend the ruling, and Rhonda was left feeling defeated, ill served, and understandably cynical about the state's system of justice.
Now, however, fortune appears to be smiling on her: The Jay Paul Deratany firm in Chicago, IL, has come to her aid. After a coworker phoned the firm about Mangus' case, she received a phone call from Deratany's associate, Nathan Polum.
Deratany (pictured above ) is a high profile Chicago attorney - currently representing the Duckett family in the case against CNN's Nancy Grace - and has a history of being philanthropist, human rights advocate, and politician.
In 2008 he made a run for Cook County Commissioner. In the same year, his play, "Haram Iran", depicting the true story of two Iranian youth hung for their homosexual love , received praise from theater critics as it made its debut on the Chicago stage. It was also lauded by the Human Rights Campaign.
In short, Deratany is exactly the sort of "cause lawyer" Mangus had dreamed of, but had not expected to appear on her horizon. That he is advising and assisting her pro bono seems almost a miracle.
Mangus is seeking to have the ruling regarding her "child educational neglect" overturned , and considering a lawsuit against the county. In any case, her burden has been made lighter by the benevolence of Jay Paul Deratany.
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