Divorce can be a tough time for anyone, both mentally and physically. The strain can take a toll on even the sanest, most level headed couples, and it can also create dangerous situations for those couples that are a little less stable. Domestic violence can occur at any point of a relationship, but when tensions… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Domestic Abuse
Subscribe to Domestic Abuse RSS FeedGuest Post :: How Domestic Violence Impacts Property Division in Divorce
Posted in Assets and Debts, Domestic AbuseOver the past 15 years, more and more federal and state statutes have been aimed at discouraging and even punishing acts of domestic violence. Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in 1994, which is comprised of numerous federal statutes that enable prosecution of domestic violence offenders in the federal courts. At the state… Continue Reading
What Happens When Abused Men Call Domestic Violence Hotlines and Shelters?
Posted in Domestic AbuseOver the years, I have been involved in many cases where a husband was physically abused by his wife. I believe that all domestic violence is terrible and should not be tolerated – regardless of whether the victim is a woman or a man. In some of these cases, I’ve been told that in our area,… Continue Reading
College Students Take to Stage to Address Domestic Violence
Posted in Domestic AbuseMy law partner’s oldest daughter recently took place in “Finding Voice”, a production at Converse College about the important issue of domestic violence. This play was quite unique, in that many of the words used on stage come from real domestic violence victims here in Spartanburg County. You can read much more about this production here, including… Continue Reading
S.C. Supreme Court Takes Closer Look at Orders for Protection
Posted in Domestic Abuse, ProcedureThe South Carolina Supreme Court issued an important decision today regarding cases heard under the Protection from Domestic Abuse Act. This statute set forth in S.C. Code § 20-4-10 et seq enables victims of domestic violence to seek an "Order for Protection" to prevent such future abuse. In Moore v. Moore, after the husband’s was… Continue Reading
How to Notice the Signs of Child Abuse
Posted in Children, Domestic AbuseThe US government claims that there were 872,000 reported cases of child abuse or neglect in 2004. Of course, there are countless other cases which were not reported. No child deserves to be mistreated, and it is of the utmost importance that everyone act within their abilities to protect them. A New York foster care… Continue Reading
Jury Finds Against Foster Parent in Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Posted in Children, Domestic AbuseThe following article was recently posted on my South Carolina Personal Injury Law Blog: A Tulsa County, Oklahoma jury unanimously awarded $20 million in actual damages to the estate of a 7-month-old girl who died because of negligent care in a foster home. The lawsuit against her foster parent claimed that the child asphyxiated after… Continue Reading
Effect of Domestic Violance on the Workplace
Posted in Domestic AbuseCan domestic violence hurt small business owners? A study last year by the University of Arkansas found that almost 40% of female and 22% of male respondents said they had been abused at some point in their lives and that 20% of threats and 72% of stalking incidents occur in the workplace. These statistics show… Continue Reading
How to Talk to Children About Domestic Violence
Posted in Children, Domestic AbuseAs I posted earlier this week, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Incidents of domestic violence occur all too often, and many times, children are present during or shortly after such incidents occur. Not only are these children traumatized by what they may see, it can affect them long term. Attorney Lynne Z. Gold-Bikin of… Continue Reading
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Posted in Domestic AbuseOctober is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This observation has its origins in the first Day of Unity, which was observed in October, 1981 by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The intent was to connect battered women’s advocates across the nation who were working to end violence against women and their children. The Day of… Continue Reading
Protecting Pets From Domestic Abuse
Posted in Domestic Abuse, ProcedureThreats such as “Leave me and I’ll kill the dog” can prevent a battered spouse from leaving his/her home to seek help, according to “Saving Fido” by Arin Greenwood, which was published in a recent ABA Journal eReport. In response, Maine has become the first state to pass a law giving judges the explicit power… Continue Reading
Domestic Violence and Spousal Abuse
Posted in Domestic AbuseIf you or someone you know is a victim of spousal abuse, you will be interested in the following article, “Domestic Violence: Spousal Abuse” by Kristen Houghton: The recent arrest of a man who murdered his young pregnant girlfriend,(who was also the mother of a small child) compelled me to write this article on spousal… Continue Reading
Recent Case Discusses Termination of Parental Rights
Posted in Children, Domestic AbuseThe South Carolina Supreme Court recently issued its opinion in S.C. Dept. of Social Svcs. v. Seegars, in which it affirmed the Family Court’s termination of Ms. Seegars’ parental rights due to (a) willfully failing to provide support and (b) having a diagnosable condition unlikely to change within a reasonable time. Under S.C. Code §… Continue Reading
State Domestic Violence Coalitions
Posted in Domestic Abuse, Other ResourcesThe following is a list of organizations, throughout the United States, that work on a range of domestic violence related issues. These organizations can be a valuable resource for victims of domestic violence and for attorneys or advocates working with them in either the civil or criminal context. Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence – 334/832-4842… Continue Reading
Myths and Facts About Domestic Violence (Part Three)
Posted in Domestic AbuseMyth: Law enforcement and judicial responses, such as arresting batterers or issuing civil protection orders, are useless. Fact: There is a great deal of debate about the efficacy of particular actions by law enforcement or the judiciary. Research on the usefulness of mandatory arrest or civil protection orders has yielded conflicting results. Most experts agree,… Continue Reading
Myths and Facts About Domestic Violence (Part Two)
Posted in Domestic AbuseMyth: Victims of domestic violence never leave their abusers, or if they do, they just get involved in other abusive relationships. Fact: Most victims of domestic violence leave their abusers, often several times. It may take a number of attempts to permanently separate because abusers use violence, financial control, or threats about the children, to… Continue Reading
Myths and Facts About Domestic Violence (Part One)
Posted in Domestic AbuseMyth: Victims of domestic violence like to be beaten. Fact: Victims of domestic violence have historically been characterized as masochistic women who enjoy being beaten. Evidence does not support this anachronistic psychological theory. Rather, victims of domestic violence desperately want the abuse to end, and engage in various survival strategies, including calling the police or… Continue Reading
Tougher Law Targets Domestic Violence
Posted in Domestic AbuseExcerpts from the above-referenced article published in today’s Spartanburg Herald-Journal: South Carolina ranks sixth in the nation for women killed by men. Changes in the South Carolina’ criminal domestic violence law include tougher penalties for offenders and additional training for judges. The penalty for a first offense has been increased to a maximum fine of… Continue Reading
Five Ways to Eliminate Domestic Violence
Posted in Domestic AbuseKnow What Domestic Violence Is. When spouses, intimate partners, or dates use physical violence, threats, emotional abuse, harassment, or stalking to control the behavior of their partners, they are committing domestic violence. Most victims of domestic violence are women. Children who witness domestic violence are also victims; they suffer from behavioral and cognitive problems. Boys,… Continue Reading
Signs of Child Abuse
Posted in Domestic AbuseAll parents know that every child gets scratches, bruises, and cuts from time to time. In fact, it is rare that at one of my children (ages 3 and 5) does not have at least one of these at any given time. Discerning “normal” childhood scrapes and bruises from actual abuse can be difficult. Further,… Continue Reading
Interesting Findings in Study of Child Deaths
Posted in Domestic AbuseA recent study of children younger than five who died from an injury inflicted by a parent or adult caregiver found: Children living with adults unrelated to them are 50 times more likely to die of inflicted injuries than children living with their two biological parents.
Types of Child Abuse
Posted in Domestic AbuseChild abuse falls into four categories: physical abuse, physical neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse. Physical abuse can include the following actions when they are continuous, pervasive, and extreme, and if they are done intentionally to harm a child: hitting; throwing; kicking; choking; biting; shaking; beating with an object; burning with a match, cigar, or… Continue Reading
Child Abuse Statistics
Posted in Domestic AbuseTake a look at these statistics from KidsHealth.org — they are frightening and sickening: An estimated one million children are abused every year in the United States. However, these are only the reported incidents — many more are unreported and undetected, often because children are afraid to tell. Approximately 1,000 to 1,300 U.S. children die… Continue Reading