Need Help For My Friend And Her Son

Location: California Hello! In early 2024, my best friend became pregnant while living in Florida by her long distance boyfriend. She moved to California because he promised her things like taking care of her and the baby and she wanted to give her baby the opportunity of having his parents be together. They had never lived together before and had always been long distance. He had previously had a daughter with his ex before meeting my friend. She never really saw how he was with his daughter because she wasn’t there full time. His baby mama had primary custody over their daughter and she would just come visit every other weekend I think.

Once my friend moved there things were fine for awhile, or at least I think so because she hasn’t talked much about that time. She doesn’t complain about him much either even now because she doesn’t want her friends and family to hate him if things do end up getting better. They are not married, so she’s technically considered a “single” mother. She does get help from the government to pay for food and such because she couldn’t work during her pregnancy and since having her son and she takes care of him full time. She cooks, she cleans, she does it all. He basically just provides rent and a roof over their heads but that’s it. He doesn’t contribute anything else basically. He barely will cook, he doesn’t clean, he won’t spend time with either of his kids, he comes home from work and refuses to watch the baby even for 10 minutes so my friend can shower. He mainly will just sit on the game when he comes home. So he’s not a good partner. And he’s not a good father.

Since living there the last 2 years, his behavior has changed for the worst. He used to get jealous and would be protective, but now it’s worse. When she leaves the state to visit family, he will rummage through her things and send pictures basically interrogating her on where she got it. He has resorted to violence before, while it was accidental, he did throw something that did hit the baby in the face, resulting in a bruise.

My friend doesn’t tell me everything so I’m sure there are more things he has done because she doesn’t even feel safe to talk to me on the phone while he’s around. She has to wait until he is at work or out. She does feel stuck because she told me she does want to leave him and move back home to be with her family. She has no one but him in California. She said that apparently there is a law that if she does break up with him and leave the state with the baby that he can go to court and win full custody of their kid, even though he does nothing for him and has never taken actual care of him even one day of his life.

Is there anything my friend can do to get out? I am worried for her as are her parents. Thanks.