WSVN -- After living in her apartment since 1985 theresa has had time to fix it up.
Theresa Van Buren, Aislinn's mother: About my apartment, this reflects me, my little private jungle. I like animals, I lke things."
Lots of little things that go together very well.
Theresa's daughter Aislinn Ortiz: "always have something to look forward to when i come home."
But the other day when Aislinn came home from school, she got bad news.
Theresa: "I was shocked, I was devastated as well."
It began last April while shopping with her mother at a Winn Dixie. Aislinn says she hurt herself.
Aislinn: "I slipped over some grainy substance on the floor.
Theresa: "I checked her knee, her knee was immediately swollen."
Aislinn: "I was in pain, I was in a lot of pain."
Theresa immediately contacted the store manager. They took these pictures of aislinn's knee -- a knee that 10 months later still bothers her.
Aislinn: "Sometimes to the day when it’s really cold weather, that area will kind of hurt."
After the slip, Theresa hired a lawyer to sue Winn Dixie.
A few weeks ago, he worked out this settlement that Winn Dixie would pay Aislinn $10,000 dollars.
Aislinn: "I was gonna buy a car, I was gonna buy a car to have transportation to and from school."
But then Winn Dixie filed for bankruptcy, which their lawyer said was bad news for Aislinn.
Aislinn: "Because Winn Dixie was not going to have funding and she called them and they said they would not pay for the settlement."
A few days later their lawyer said he was quitting their case.
Theresa: "That there was nothing to do --nothing else to do."
Not believing a bankruptcy could get a company out of paying, Theresa and Aislinn called "Help me Howard."
7 News Legal Expert Howard Finkelstein: "Sometimes companies like Winn Dixie go into bankruptcy to get protection from their creditors so that they can save the company. Aislinn can still collect -- however to do that she needs a good lawyer."
After hearing that David Langley -- a prominent bankruptcy attorney agreed to take Aislinn's case, he will first file a claim and then move forward and negotiate a settlement.
Most experts expect Winn Dixie to come out of bankruptcy, and Howard says that is good news for Aislinn.
Howard: "The reason its good news to come out bankruptcy they have to settle all of their debts with people like Aislinn. So it means they have to pay her --maybe more than 10,000 maybe less."
Of course Aislinn and Theresa don't have the money yet, but they have something more important -- each other.
Theresa: "I love you -- everything is gonna be ok."
And Howard of course thinks they will be ok now that they have a new lawyer.
So not only will Aislinn be able to buy that car to get to college, she can pay off the doctor bills that she has accumulated.
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