She escaped her husband’s physical violence – but economic ties kept them connected for years

Dialogue around coercive control' in relation to financial abuse is gaining steam in the US, with California passing laws to protect victims from collectors

The bankruptcy lawyer spread all of Jean's debts across the table. She pored over each document, trying to swallow her shame. The papers documented more than $140,000 that Jean and her ex-partner owed creditors.

It was June 2021. Jean, who the Guardian is identifying by her middle name to protect her identity during ongoing divorce litigation, had separated from her husband two years earlier. She had already been granted a domestic violence restraining order in Alameda county, California, after experiencing what she describes as physical, emotional, mental and sexual abuse. But in the meantime, shared loans and expenses between Jean and her ex-partner had been piling up. Since Jean was the account holder on most of their credit cards, she was beholden to the bank. Declaring bankruptcy seemed like her only hope for a fresh start.