questions & answers

Question: What if the other parents spouse is causing problems? Like telling my seven year old to hate me or that I had wished there unborn child had died? Will obtaining a restraining order against the step mother help, I feel my child is being mentally abuse

Answer: In the State of Arizona, Domestic Violence includes a variety of abusive acts. You must be able to show the court that the person from whom you want protection has committed or may commit an act of Domestic Violence. You do not have to be physically injured or hurt to be a victim of Domestic Violence. Domestic violence occurs if the other person has done or attempts to: endanger you threaten, intimidate, or harass you interfere with the custody of your children; trespass on or damage your property; restrain you, kidnap, or hold you prisoner; assault you with his/her body or with a weapon; display a deadly weapon or threaten you with a deadly weapon; surreptitiously (without your knowledge) photograph, videotape, film or record you. The person only needs to threaten harm or abuse you once for the act to be considered Domestic Violence. Other acts of disorderly conduct and crimes such as stalking and disobeying a court order are also considered Domestic Violence. The Injunction Against Harassment orders a person to stop harassing, annoying or alarming another person. Injunctions can be used for disputes against neighbors, strangers, and people who are or were dating. Harassment is defined as: "a series of acts over any period of time that is directed at a specific person...." The relationship between you and the other person determines which protective order will be used for your situation. The Injunction Against Harassment differs from the Order of Protection in that exclusive use of the home cannot be ordered and the police are not mandated to serve the Injunction. For information on this and other types of protection orders see the Protection Order Article (http://azlawhelp.org/articles_info.cfm?mc=16&sc=75&articleid=72).