Category Archives: civil domestic violence

The prosecuting officer in a criminal case, or the individual who represents the state in the prosecution of criminal acts, is a district attorney (D.A.) or county attorney. In other words, the D.A. is the lawyer who will work to have you convicted of the charges at your trial if you have been charged with a crime.

In most states, there is a county prosecutor’s office, and in Arizona, the County Attorney who is in charge of bringing cases to trial is elected to that post. As a result, the district’s voters’ interests can have an impact on the local prosecutor’s office, which may therefore choose to prioritize some offences above others in its prosecutions.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Speaking with the DA

This can occasionally be advantageous for criminal defendants, particularly when negotiating a plea deal. This can sometimes work against defendants, particularly if the prosecution is looking to “make an example” of them because of the allegations they are up against. It is common for defendants to discover about the county’s prosecutors for the first time during their own case, thus they might not be aware of the prosecutor’s office’s procedures and preferences.

Speaking with prosecutors might be challenging. Since they are actively compiling evidence against you, anything you say or admit runs the potential of being used against you at trial. However, knowing more about the prosecution’s approach and readiness to settle your case before to trial may help your case. But before you do, you should be certain that you are well-informed about your situation and aware of how to safeguard your legal rights.

Attorney General of Arizona

The state attorney general represents the state in court, as opposed to the district or county attorneys who represent their individual jurisdictions. Additionally, the Attorney General’s Office prosecutes cases on behalf of injured Arizonans and enforces consumer protection statutes.

Collaborating With a Lawyer

You can get help from a criminal defense lawyer in dealing with the prosecution. The prosecutors in their county are better known to local criminal defense lawyers, and some of them may even have a solid working connection. This can be advantageous for their clients during any pre-trial proceedings. You can develop your defense plan based on the evidence in your case with the assistance of a defense attorney as well.

Most significantly, in contrast to a prosecutor, a criminal defense lawyer is in charge of making sure that your rights are upheld throughout the criminal justice process. Consult with a knowledgeable defense attorney before approaching the prosecutor’s office if you’re considering doing so.

The 1994 Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), with additions passed in 1996, outlined grant programs to prevent violence against women and established a national domestic violence hotline. In addition, new protections were given to victims of domestic abuse, such as confidentiality of new address and changes to immigration laws that allow a battered spouse to apply for permanent residency.

The key provisions of the Violence Against Women Act are:

• Full funding of rape kits and legal/court fees for domestic violence protection orders
• Victim protection orders are recognized and enforced in all state, tribal, and territorial jurisdictions within the U.S.
• Implementation and funding of special domestic violence crime units in local communities
• Special domestic violence and sexual violence training for law enforcement officers
• Ability of tribal courts to try non-Indian spouses or intimate partners of Indian women in domestic or dating violence cases
• Provision allowing undocumented immigrants who are the victims of domestic violence to apply for a green card in exchange for helping law enforcement officials prosecute their abusers
• Misdemeanor Conduct

According to the VAWA Act, a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, “has, as an element, the use or attempted use of physical force, or the threatened use of a deadly weapon, committed by a current or former spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim, by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabiting with or has cohabited with the victim as a spouse, parent, or guardian, or by a person similarly situated to a spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim.” (Section 921(a)(33)(A)).

Under these guidelines, an intimate partner is a spouse, a former spouse, a person who shares a child in common with the victim, or a person who cohabits or has cohabited with the victim.

Traveling Restrictions

Another area this act addresses is interstate traveling for the purposes of committing an act of domestic violence or violating an order of protection. A convicted abuser may not follow the victim into another state, nor may a convicted abuser force a victim to move to another state. Previously, orders of protection issued in one jurisdiction were not always recognized in another jurisdiction.

The VAWA specifies full faith and credit to all orders of protection issued in any civil or criminal proceeding, or by any Indian tribe, meaning that those orders can be fully enforced in another jurisdiction. Other states recognize orders of protection issued in other jurisdictions.

Landmark Cases on Interstate Provisions

There are several landmark cases that have been decided under these interstate provisions. For example, in United States v. Rita Gluzman (NY), the defendant traveled from New Jersey to New York with the intention of killing her estranged husband. The weapons she took with her were used in the murder. The Second Circuit upheld the VAWA provision over the defendant’s constitutional challenge, and Gluzman was convicted for this crime.

VAWA originally allowed victims of domestic abuse to sue for damages in civil court. However, this part of the VAWA was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Morrison (2000), wherein the court held that Congress did not have the authority to implement such a law.

VAWA Impact on Domestic Violence Arrest Policies

Another goal of the Violence Against Women Act was to influence state legislators, particularly in regard to arrest policy for domestic situations. In order to receive federal funding, states must adopt certain responses.

The Act authorizes grants to states, “to implement mandatory arrest or pro-arrest programs and policies in police departments, including mandatory arrest programs and policies for protection order violations.” VAWA has had a profound effect on state laws governing domestic abuse.

Questions About Federal Domestic Violence Law? Talk to an Attorney

If you or someone you know has been accused of domestic violence, whether interstate abuse, stalking, or something else, you should strongly consider speaking with an attorney. Furthermore, if you’ve been the victim of domestic violence, you’ll likely have many legal questions moving forward. Start the process by contacting an experienced family law attorney today.

For those who have been wrongfully damaged by another party, tort law offers civil legal remedies, typically in the form of monetary compensation or injunctive relief (the court directing one party to perform certain acts or refrain from performing others). Continue reading to discover more about bringing a civil action for domestic abuse.

Criminal Cases Do Not Preclude a Victim from Filing a Civil Lawsuit

It’s a prevalent fallacy that a person cannot be tried in civil court for the same claim after being tried in criminal court. That is untrue. Consider the Goldman v. Simpson case. Although Ron Goldman’s murderer O.J. Simpson was found not guilty in a criminal trial, Goldman’s parents successfully sued Simpson in a civil court for monetary damages.

You can still file a civil lawsuit against your abuser even if they have already been found guilty of a crime or you have a restraining order against them. Only when there are several criminal charges for the same offense does the idea of double jeopardy apply; this is not the situation in civil proceedings.

A family member being sued

Historically, courts have prohibited family members from bringing tort claims against one another. Concerns about the breakdown of the family were the driving force for this statute. Today, the majority of state courts have abandoned this practice on the grounds that if family members have tort claims against one another, the family structure has likely already disintegrated and the aggrieved parties should be allowed to present their case in court.

Currently, Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. that still forbids spouses from suing one another, with certain exceptions. Spouses may, nevertheless, bring deliberate tort claims against one another. Any intentional wrongdoing that results in injury to another person is referred to as an intentional tort. Due to the fact that many types of domestic violence are intentional torts, such as battery, assault, and psychological abuse, they may give rise to legal claims even in jurisdictions where family-related lawsuits are typically prohibited. If the abuser was stalking, threatening, or causing property damage, another tort action called intentional infliction of emotional distress may also be brought.

Prior to filing a domestic violence lawsuit, things to think about
Victims of domestic violence are frequently deprived of their sense of control and their means of expressing their emotions. Suing you can give your abuser emotional relief and a sense of control. Victims of domestic violence may be eligible for the following forms of damages:

Lost income
Medical costs
Distress and suffering
Punitive damages, which are only permitted in particular states.

Remember that any lawsuit involves a huge lot of stress. Due to the pressure on familial ties, lawsuits involving family members can be considerably more unpleasant. For victims, it is frequently difficult enough to simply call the police or request a restraining order against their abusers. It might be as difficult to prosecute the abuser in court. Victims may, however, be prepared to fight back if they become aware of their predicament. Taking their abuser to court may provide victims with some measure of closure—a means to put the past behind them and begin again.

It can be highly expensive to litigate. But courts have the power to order the abuser to cover your costs. Although it is uncommon in these kinds of situations, lawyers may accept contingency fees in claims involving monetary damages. You won’t have to pay an attorney under this fee agreement if you hire them to represent you if you win the lawsuit. To put it clearly, it matters if your abuser has the financial means or other assets necessary to cover damages when deciding whether to pursue a domestic violence lawsuit.

The attorneys at Canterbury Law Group help clients obtain orders of protection in Scottsdale. We also assist in determining if your domestic violence case is a civil or criminal case.
In domestic violence situations, there may be both civil and criminal matters occurring at the same time as a result of the same violent act. You may want to pursue both civil and criminal actions for maximum protection. The major differences have to do with who takes the case to court, the reason for the case, and the possible penalties.

• Civil Law – In a civil domestic violence action, you are asking the court to protect you from the person abusing you. You are not asking the court to send that person to jail for committing a crime. However, if the abuser violates the civil court order, s/he may be sent to jail for the violation. In a civil case, you are the person bringing the case against the abuser and (in most circumstances), you have the right to withdraw (drop) the case if you want to. A Scottsdale order of protection is requested in civil court. Once granted, they usually are valid for a period of one year and they sometimes can be renewed by the person originally obtained the order of protection.

• Criminal Law – In stark contrast, the criminal law system handles all cases that involve violations of criminal law such as harassment, assault, murder, theft, etc. As such, only the government, via the local prosecutor or grand jury can make the final decision to “bring charges” against the bad actor who has engaged in bad acts.
  A criminal complaint involves your abuser being charged with a crime. In a criminal case, the prosecutor (also called the district attorney) is the one who has control over whether the case against the abuser continues or not. It is the county/state who has brought the case against the abuser, not the victim. It is possible that if you do not want the case to continue (if you do not want to “press charges”), the prosecutor might decide to drop the criminal charges but this is not necessarily true. The prosecutor can also continue to prosecute the abuser against your wishes and can even issue a subpoena (a court order) to force you to testify at the trial live under oath.

Domestic violence used to be a secret to be “kept in the family” or swept under the rug. But it’s now more prevalent in news and media than ever before. As a result, a lot of people are thinking about what constitutes domestic violence. Why do people stay in abusive relationships? How can family and friends help a loved one leave an abusive partner?

This Domestic Violence section provides resources for victims of domestic abuse and those who love them. If you need immediate help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).

Findlaw’s Domestic Violence section is divided into four parts.

• An overview of domestic violence: These articles define the different types of abuse and how to recognize signs of abuse. There are articles that explain battered women’s syndrome and why some victims recant after finally speaking out. It also provides the history of legal intervention.
• Domestic violence laws: These articles cover the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the Domestic Violence Offender Gun Ban, and state domestic violence laws.
• How to stop domestic violence: These articles can help victims file for a restraining order and file a domestic violence lawsuit. They explain who is a mandatory reporter and who you can turn to for help. You will also find a guide to stop domestic violence.
• Domestic violence resources: In this section you will find a list of domestic violence organizations and hotlines. At the state level, this listing includes domestic violence programs and state forms to file for a protective order.

Domestic Violence, Legally Defined

Domestic abuse is a top public health concern. Homicide by an intimate partner is one of the leading pregnancy-associated causes of death, according to research. And yet many people do not understand the scope of abusive behavior. Early in their intimate relationship, victims may not realize they are experiencing domestic violence. They fail to take action and then it escalates.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline defines domestic abuse as “a pattern of abusive behaviors used by one person to gain or maintain control over another person in an intimate relationship.”

The victim is often a spouse (male or female). But they can also be a dating partner, a child or parent, a family member, or a roommate. It is a person with whom the abuser is in close proximity.

Most people think of domestic abuse as battering or assault, but there are several types of abuse:

• Physical abuse is most likely to be seen by coworkers or health care providers. Victims often find ways to hide the evidence of the abuser’s violent behavior. But physical violence can lead to physical injury requiring medical care.
• Sexual abuse may not be understood by the victim as abuse until it becomes sexual violence. Non-consensual sex, even within marriage, is sexual assault. Young people, in particular, need to be educated about dating violence.
• Emotional abuse causes the victim to feel intense emotional distress. The abuser may verbally demean and socially humiliate their victim. They may engage in name-calling. Emotional abuse damages the victim’s self-esteem and sense of self-worth. Stalking, harassment, and threats are forms of emotional abuse; They are designed to instill fear in the victim.
• Psychological abuse is controlling behavior that damages the victim’s mental health. They may think they are going crazy. They may develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• Economic abuse or financial abuse is an extension of the abuser’s need for control. They may prevent a spouse from earning money or from having access to money. An abuser may steal money from an elder parent with whom they live.

Punishing Domestic Violence

While law enforcement once turned a blind eye to intimate partner violence, state laws now require an arrest and mandate penalties. Restraining orders are easier to get, at least initially. And federal and state laws are in place to prevent abusers from owning guns.

Survivors of domestic violence can sue their abusers in civil court to recover damages for their injuries.

Unfortunately, these remedies are only available after the abusive behavior or physical violence has already occurred.

Preventing Domestic Violence

Nationally, there is a loud call to end domestic violence.

Domestic abuse nonprofits and governmental agencies exist in every state. They provide information and training on how to identify the warning signs of abuse. They provide practical resources to help survivors of domestic violence create a safety plan to exit dangerous relationships. They provide referrals for safe places to shelter and offer victim hotlines in a variety of languages. And they undertake legal advocacy.

Help is a phone call away. But as many victims know, that phone call and those first steps can be extremely dangerous. Their lives are often at stake. If the U.S. wants to end the scourge of family violence, it needs to provide human services resources and physical and financial support to help victims break free once and for all.

The prevalence of domestic violence is arguably one of the top health concerns in the country. Understanding its definition can help you to take more effective action against its many manifestations of abuse.

In some cases, abusers may not even realize that they’re inflicting domestic violence on someone else. On the flip side, victims may not take action against their abusers if they don’t realize that the behavior they’re experiencing is indeed domestic violence.

Moreover, friends and loved ones of victims are in a better place to help if they understand what domestic violence looks like. Therefore, it’s important that people understand the definition of domestic violence and the many forms it can take.

This article provides helpful information about domestic violence. If you or someone you know are suffering from domestic violence, get immediate access to resources here.

Definition of Domestic Violence: Types of Abuse

According to the United States Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women, the definition of domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain control over another intimate partner. Many types of abuse are included in the definition of domestic violence:

• Physical abuse can include hitting, biting, slapping, battering, shoving, punching, pulling hair, burning, cutting, pinching, etc. (any type of violent behavior inflicted on the victim). Physical abuse also includes denying someone medical treatment and forcing drug/alcohol use on someone.
• Sexual abuse occurs when the abuser coerces or attempts to coerce the victim into having sexual contact or sexual behavior without the victim’s consent. This often takes the form of marital rape, attacking sexual body parts, physical violence that is followed by forcing sex, sexually demeaning the victim, or even telling sexual jokes at the victim’s expense.
• Emotional abuse involves invalidating or deflating the victim’s sense of self-worth and/or self-esteem. Emotional abuse often takes the form of constant criticism, name-calling, injuring the victim’s relationship with his/her children, or interfering with the victim’s abilities.
• Economic abuse takes place when the abuser makes or tries to make the victim financially reliant. Economic abusers often seek to maintain total control over financial resources, withhold the victim’s access to funds, or prohibit the victim from going to school or work.
• Psychological abuse involves the abuser invoking fear through intimidation; threatening to physically hurt himself/herself, the victim, children, the victim’s family or friends, or the pets; destruction of property; injuring the pets; isolating the victim from loved ones; and prohibiting the victim from going to school or work.
• Threats to hit, injure, or use a weapon are a form of psychological abuse.
• Stalking can include following the victim, spying, watching, harassing, showing up at the victim’s home or work, sending gifts, collecting information, making phone calls, leaving written messages, or appearing at a person’s home or workplace. These acts individually are typically legal, but any of these behaviors done continuously result in a stalking crime.
• Cyberstalking refers to online action or repeated emailing that inflicts substantial emotional distress on the recipient.

Definition of Domestic Violence: Victims

Definitions of domestic violence recognize that victims can include anyone, regardless of socioeconomic background, education level, race, age, sexual orientation, religion, or gender. Domestic violence was formerly referred to as wife abuse. However, this term was abandoned when the definition of domestic violence was changed to reflect that wives are not the only ones who can fall victim to domestic violence. The definition of domestic violence now recognizes that victims can be:

• Spouses
• Sexual/Dating/Intimate partners
• Family members
• Children
• Cohabitants

Many people think that a victim of domestic violence can only obtain a protective order against a spouse. This is actually a myth. Most states allow victims of abusive cohabitant lovers to obtain protective orders (also referred to as temporary restraining orders or emergency protective orders). Some states allow victims of abusive adult relatives, roommates, or even non-cohabitating partners to obtain protective orders. The laws in each state are different, so check the most updated laws in your state.

Dating Violence

Dating violence is another form of domestic violence. The Violence Against Women Act defines dating violence according to the relationship between the abuser and the victim. Dating violence is committed by a person in a social, romantic, or intimate relationship with the victim. The existence of such a relationship is determined using the following factors:

• The length of the relationship
• The type of relationship
• The partners’ frequency of interaction

Does the Definition of Domestic Violence Apply to Your Situation? Ask an Attorney

A complete definition of domestic violence encompasses many forms of abuse and negative behavior. Domestic violence is a destructive crime that carries life-altering damage to everyone involved.

Legal Help for Victims of Crime

If you feel unsafe in your home or relationship, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or call 911. An experienced family law attorney can assist you with everything from talking to the police to filing for protective orders and a civil lawsuit.

Source

https://www.findlaw.com/family/domestic-violence.html

It is essential to contact an attorney to evaluate and invoke your rights when dealing with domestic violence either when allegations are brought against you, or where you bring them against another. Contact our Scottsdale lawyers today to schedule your consultation. www.clgaz.com 480-744-7711.

The attorneys at Canterbury Law Group help clients obtain orders of protection in Scottsdale. We also assist in determining if your domestic violence case is a civil or criminal case.
In domestic violence situations, there may be both civil and criminal matters occurring at the same time as a result of the same violent act. You may want to pursue both civil and criminal actions for maximum protection. The major differences have to do with who takes the case to court, the reason for the case, and the possible penalties.

• Civil Law – In a civil domestic violence action, you are asking the court to protect you from the person abusing you. You are not asking the court to send that person to jail for committing a crime. However, if the abuser violates the civil court order, s/he may be sent to jail for the violation. In a civil case, you are the person bringing the case against the abuser and (in most circumstances), you have the right to withdraw (drop) the case if you want to. A Scottsdale order of protection is requested in civil court. Once granted, they usually are valid for a period of one year and they sometimes can be renewed by the person originally obtained the order of protection.

• Criminal Law – In stark contrast, the criminal law system handles all cases that involve violations of criminal law such as harassment, assault, murder, theft, etc. As such, only the government, via the local prosecutor or grand jury can make the final decision to “bring charges” against the bad actor who has engaged in bad acts.
  A criminal complaint involves your abuser being charged with a crime. In a criminal case, the prosecutor (also called the district attorney) is the one who has control over whether the case against the abuser continues or not. It is the county/state who has brought the case against the abuser, not the victim. It is possible that if you do not want the case to continue (if you do not want to “press charges”), the prosecutor might decide to drop the criminal charges but this is not necessarily true. The prosecutor can also continue to prosecute the abuser against your wishes and can even issue a subpoena (a court order) to force you to testify at the trial live under oath.

Domestic violence used to be a secret to be “kept in the family” or swept under the rug. But it’s now more prevalent in news and media than ever before. As a result, a lot of people are thinking about what constitutes domestic violence. Why do people stay in abusive relationships? How can family and friends help a loved one leave an abusive partner?

This Domestic Violence section provides resources for victims of domestic abuse and those who love them. If you need immediate help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).

Findlaw’s Domestic Violence section is divided into four parts.

• An overview of domestic violence: These articles define the different types of abuse and how to recognize signs of abuse. There are articles that explain battered women’s syndrome and why some victims recant after finally speaking out. It also provides the history of legal intervention.
• Domestic violence laws: These articles cover the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the Domestic Violence Offender Gun Ban, and state domestic violence laws.
• How to stop domestic violence: These articles can help victims file for a restraining order and file a domestic violence lawsuit. They explain who is a mandatory reporter and who you can turn to for help. You will also find a guide to stop domestic violence.
• Domestic violence resources: In this section you will find a list of domestic violence organizations and hotlines. At the state level, this listing includes domestic violence programs and state forms to file for a protective order.

Domestic Violence, Legally Defined

Domestic abuse is a top public health concern. Homicide by an intimate partner is one of the leading pregnancy-associated causes of death, according to research. And yet many people do not understand the scope of abusive behavior. Early in their intimate relationship, victims may not realize they are experiencing domestic violence. They fail to take action and then it escalates.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline defines domestic abuse as “a pattern of abusive behaviors used by one person to gain or maintain control over another person in an intimate relationship.”

The victim is often a spouse (male or female). But they can also be a dating partner, a child or parent, a family member, or a roommate. It is a person with whom the abuser is in close proximity.

Most people think of domestic abuse as battering or assault, but there are several types of abuse:

• Physical abuse is most likely to be seen by coworkers or health care providers. Victims often find ways to hide the evidence of the abuser’s violent behavior. But physical violence can lead to physical injury requiring medical care.
• Sexual abuse may not be understood by the victim as abuse until it becomes sexual violence. Non-consensual sex, even within marriage, is sexual assault. Young people, in particular, need to be educated about dating violence.
• Emotional abuse causes the victim to feel intense emotional distress. The abuser may verbally demean and socially humiliate their victim. They may engage in name-calling. Emotional abuse damages the victim’s self-esteem and sense of self-worth. Stalking, harassment, and threats are forms of emotional abuse; They are designed to instill fear in the victim.
• Psychological abuse is controlling behavior that damages the victim’s mental health. They may think they are going crazy. They may develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• Economic abuse or financial abuse is an extension of the abuser’s need for control. They may prevent a spouse from earning money or from having access to money. An abuser may steal money from an elder parent with whom they live.

Punishing Domestic Violence

While law enforcement once turned a blind eye to intimate partner violence, state laws now require an arrest and mandate penalties. Restraining orders are easier to get, at least initially. And federal and state laws are in place to prevent abusers from owning guns.

Survivors of domestic violence can sue their abusers in civil court to recover damages for their injuries.

Unfortunately, these remedies are only available after the abusive behavior or physical violence has already occurred.

Preventing Domestic Violence

Nationally, there is a loud call to end domestic violence.

Domestic abuse nonprofits and governmental agencies exist in every state. They provide information and training on how to identify the warning signs of abuse. They provide practical resources to help survivors of domestic violence create a safety plan to exit dangerous relationships. They provide referrals for safe places to shelter and offer victim hotlines in a variety of languages. And they undertake legal advocacy.

Help is a phone call away. But as many victims know, that phone call and those first steps can be extremely dangerous. Their lives are often at stake. If the U.S. wants to end the scourge of family violence, it needs to provide human services resources and physical and financial support to help victims break free once and for all.

The prevalence of domestic violence is arguably one of the top health concerns in the country. Understanding its definition can help you to take more effective action against its many manifestations of abuse.

In some cases, abusers may not even realize that they’re inflicting domestic violence on someone else. On the flip side, victims may not take action against their abusers if they don’t realize that the behavior they’re experiencing is indeed domestic violence.

Moreover, friends and loved ones of victims are in a better place to help if they understand what domestic violence looks like. Therefore, it’s important that people understand the definition of domestic violence and the many forms it can take.

This article provides helpful information about domestic violence. If you or someone you know are suffering from domestic violence, get immediate access to resources here.

Definition of Domestic Violence: Types of Abuse

According to the United States Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women, the definition of domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain control over another intimate partner. Many types of abuse are included in the definition of domestic violence:

• Physical abuse can include hitting, biting, slapping, battering, shoving, punching, pulling hair, burning, cutting, pinching, etc. (any type of violent behavior inflicted on the victim). Physical abuse also includes denying someone medical treatment and forcing drug/alcohol use on someone.
• Sexual abuse occurs when the abuser coerces or attempts to coerce the victim into having sexual contact or sexual behavior without the victim’s consent. This often takes the form of marital rape, attacking sexual body parts, physical violence that is followed by forcing sex, sexually demeaning the victim, or even telling sexual jokes at the victim’s expense.
• Emotional abuse involves invalidating or deflating the victim’s sense of self-worth and/or self-esteem. Emotional abuse often takes the form of constant criticism, name-calling, injuring the victim’s relationship with his/her children, or interfering with the victim’s abilities.
• Economic abuse takes place when the abuser makes or tries to make the victim financially reliant. Economic abusers often seek to maintain total control over financial resources, withhold the victim’s access to funds, or prohibit the victim from going to school or work.
• Psychological abuse involves the abuser invoking fear through intimidation; threatening to physically hurt himself/herself, the victim, children, the victim’s family or friends, or the pets; destruction of property; injuring the pets; isolating the victim from loved ones; and prohibiting the victim from going to school or work.
• Threats to hit, injure, or use a weapon are a form of psychological abuse.
• Stalking can include following the victim, spying, watching, harassing, showing up at the victim’s home or work, sending gifts, collecting information, making phone calls, leaving written messages, or appearing at a person’s home or workplace. These acts individually are typically legal, but any of these behaviors done continuously result in a stalking crime.
• Cyberstalking refers to online action or repeated emailing that inflicts substantial emotional distress on the recipient.

Definition of Domestic Violence: Victims

Definitions of domestic violence recognize that victims can include anyone, regardless of socioeconomic background, education level, race, age, sexual orientation, religion, or gender. Domestic violence was formerly referred to as wife abuse. However, this term was abandoned when the definition of domestic violence was changed to reflect that wives are not the only ones who can fall victim to domestic violence. The definition of domestic violence now recognizes that victims can be:

• Spouses
• Sexual/Dating/Intimate partners
• Family members
• Children
• Cohabitants

Many people think that a victim of domestic violence can only obtain a protective order against a spouse. This is actually a myth. Most states allow victims of abusive cohabitant lovers to obtain protective orders (also referred to as temporary restraining orders or emergency protective orders). Some states allow victims of abusive adult relatives, roommates, or even non-cohabitating partners to obtain protective orders. The laws in each state are different, so check the most updated laws in your state.

Dating Violence

Dating violence is another form of domestic violence. The Violence Against Women Act defines dating violence according to the relationship between the abuser and the victim. Dating violence is committed by a person in a social, romantic, or intimate relationship with the victim. The existence of such a relationship is determined using the following factors:

• The length of the relationship
• The type of relationship
• The partners’ frequency of interaction

Does the Definition of Domestic Violence Apply to Your Situation? Ask an Attorney

A complete definition of domestic violence encompasses many forms of abuse and negative behavior. Domestic violence is a destructive crime that carries life-altering damage to everyone involved.

Legal Help for Victims of Crime

If you feel unsafe in your home or relationship, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or call 911. An experienced family law attorney can assist you with everything from talking to the police to filing for protective orders and a civil lawsuit.

Source

https://www.findlaw.com/family/domestic-violence.html

It is essential to contact an attorney to evaluate and invoke your rights when dealing with domestic violence either when allegations are brought against you, or where you bring them against another. Contact our Scottsdale lawyers today to schedule your consultation. www.clgaz.com 480-744-7711.

The attorneys at Canterbury Law Group help clients obtain orders of protection in Scottsdale. We also assist in determining if your domestic violence case is a civil or criminal case.
In domestic violence situations, there may be both civil and criminal matters occurring at the same time as a result of the same violent act. You may want to pursue both civil and criminal actions for maximum protection. The major differences have to do with who takes the case to court, the reason for the case, and the possible penalties.

• Civil Law – In a civil domestic violence action, you are asking the court to protect you from the person abusing you. You are not asking the court to send that person to jail for committing a crime. However, if the abuser violates the civil court order, s/he may be sent to jail for the violation. In a civil case, you are the person bringing the case against the abuser and (in most circumstances), you have the right to withdraw (drop) the case if you want to. A Scottsdale order of protection is requested in civil court. Once granted, they usually are valid for a period of one year and they sometimes can be renewed by the person originally obtained the order of protection.

• Criminal Law – In stark contrast, the criminal law system handles all cases that involve violations of criminal law such as harassment, assault, murder, theft, etc. As such, only the government, via the local prosecutor or grand jury can make the final decision to “bring charges” against the bad actor who has engaged in bad acts.
  A criminal complaint involves your abuser being charged with a crime. In a criminal case, the prosecutor (also called the district attorney) is the one who has control over whether the case against the abuser continues or not. It is the county/state who has brought the case against the abuser, not the victim. It is possible that if you do not want the case to continue (if you do not want to “press charges”), the prosecutor might decide to drop the criminal charges but this is not necessarily true. The prosecutor can also continue to prosecute the abuser against your wishes and can even issue a subpoena (a court order) to force you to testify at the trial live under oath.

It is essential to contact an attorney to evaluate and invoke your rights when dealing with domestic violence either when allegations are brought against you, or where you bring them against another. Contact our Scottsdale lawyers today to schedule your consultation. www.clgaz.com 480-744-7711.