Breanna Palmer, the estranged wife of Alberta’s former Minister of Justice, fears she will be forced to represent herself in her ongoing court case with her husband unless she raises thousands of dollars to cover her legal costs.
Palmer had been employed by Calgary-Elbow PC Candidate Gordon Dirks and she says Dirks owes her a considerable amount in pay and expenses. According to representatives from the Dirks campaign, a cheque made out to Palmer is at the campaign office, she just needs to pick it up.
An application fee is due Sunday in relation to Palmer’s legal battle with Jonathan Denis, her husband, and she says she’s running out of options.
“My lawyers advised me this morning, if I'm unable to give them something significant today, then they're going to not be able to work with me anymore,” explains Palmer.
According to Palmer, the wedding ring Denis gave her has been offered as collateral to help pay her escalating legal fees. Palmer says the value of the ring is between $10,000 and $15,000.
Specifics on the legal matter involving Palmer and Denis cannot be released, but police confirm they were called to Denis’s home in southwest Calgary on April 12, 2015. Two weeks later, the situation landed in court and Denis resigned from his post as Solicitor General and Minister of Justice at Premier Jim Prentice’s request.
Palmer’s application for Legal Aid was rejected and the Duty Counsel she requested arrived on the third day of proceedings and suggested Palmer continue with her paid counsel.
A GoFundMe campaign, on the online fundraising site, attempted to collect donations for Palmer’s legal battle but the host site quickly removed the crowdfunding effort.
“It was shut down within a matter of hours,” said Palmer. “All of the donations and everything people were sending was refunded.”
In an attempt to raise money for Palmer’s cause, her friends have created a crowdfunding page on an American website with the following brief, vague description of her needs:
"Hi, My name is Breanna Palmer. I need to raise a significant amount of money."
Palmer says the current publication ban is hampering her ability to explain to others why she requires legal counsel.
