Since state domestic violence laws were written, the understanding of what constitutes domestic abuse has evolved, and laws must keep up. Advocates make a strong case that the abuse many people, often ...

Regina Rooney, programming director for the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, in 2021. Credit: Fred J. Field / The Maine Monitor This story appears as part of a collaboration to strengthen ...

Coercive control and the severe harm it causes to those targeted by an intimate partner gets much-needed attention by new laws making it illegal in a few U.S. states. It’s now recognized that the ...

Finally. This past June, Massachusetts became the 49th state to criminalize so-called “revenge porn,” one component of a bill signed into law by Gov. Maura Healey. The law, “An Act to Prevent Abuse ...

Philadelphia legislators are considering extending employment and housing protects to victims of “coercive control.” On Thursday, City Council took up a proposal that would expand the definition of ...

Sarah Ortiz is all too familiar with domestic violence. When the mother of three separated from her husband, she told a court he dragged her out of bed and shoved her down onto the kitchen floor. But ...

WORCESTER — It can start with a critical comment about someone’s attire or their choice of friends, intense questions about work or social plans, behaviors that may be appear innocent but can escalate ...

It is long-standing law in Massachusetts that the best interests of a child govern custody disputes. Said another way, when parents cannot agree and the court has to make custody and parenting time ...

Since the Equitable Distribution Law, New York Domestic Relations Law (DRL) §236B became effective on July 19, 1980, the divorce and family law bar has seen the development and expansion of the ...

Ireland has expanded the legal definition of domestic abuse to include “coercive control,” which includes emotional and psychological abuse. The Domestic Violence Act 2018 went into effect on Tuesday ...