Sterne Kessler Prevails in the Release of Child from a Juvenile Detention Center

Washington, DC (July 26, 2018) – Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox is thrilled to announce the release of a 13-year-old pro bono client from Honduras, from a juvenile detention center in Virginia. The Sterne Kessler team, including Director, JC Rozendaal; Associate, Dallin Glenn; and Legal Secretary, Ryan Kaiser, with strategic input from Directors, Jorge Goldstein and Dennies Varughese, filed a habeas petition against the Office of Refugee Resettlement on July 19, 2018. In response, less than 24 hours later, Judge Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia ordered the government to immediately show cause for why the petition should not be granted. The government chose to release the client.

“The team developed an Administrative Procedure Act (APA) cause of action violation that we believe to have been instrumental in the government’s decision to release the child,” said Director Salvador Bezos, lead of Sterne Kessler’s immigration-focused pro bono matters.

This case is the firm’s second successful habeas petition against the Office of Refugee Resettlement and is a fantastic win for our brave young client and his family. While this child will be reunited with his sponsor, there are dozens of similarly situated children in Virginia. Sterne Kessler’s pro bono partners at the Legal Aid Justice Center are working to represent these minors in a class-action suit.

This successful pro bono matter follows two other immigration pro bono wins for the firm in May and July.

Sterne Kessler has a strong dedication to providing pro bono efforts to many deserving organizations and underserved communities—both locally and internationally. A list of representative matters the team has supported, as well as further information on the practice is available here.

About Sterne Kessler

Founded in 1978 and based in Washington, D.C., Sterne Kessler is dedicated exclusively to the protection, transfer, and enforcement of intellectual property rights. Our team of attorneys, registered patent agents, students, and technical specialists include some of the country’s most respected practitioners of intellectual property law. Most of our professionals hold an advanced level degree, including nearly 50 masters degrees and an additional 50+ with a doctorate in science or engineering — credentials wide and deep enough to fill the faculty of a science-oriented university.