In a recent decision approved for publication, the New Jersey Appellate Division reversed a trial court’s findings that the Sexual Assault Survivor Protection Act, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-13 to -21 (SASPA), could
Continue Reading Durational Limits of Protective Orders Under the Sexual Assault Survivor Protection Act
When a trial court’s decision is published, we know it’s time to listen. 
T.M. v. R.M.W. is a good reminder that definitions modernize with our modernizing society, even when dealing
Continue Reading Non-Traditional Relationships and Consent as a Defense to Domestic Violence
Technology is making it easier and easier to satisfy our curiosity about just what the heck the people in our lives are up to. Are you curious about your husband’s
Continue Reading Read This Before You Press “Record”
The word “harassment” is one of those terms I hear all the time as a family law attorney. I have had complaints from clients that their spouse made a mess
Continue Reading The Supremes Clarify the Legal Definition of Harassment When It Comes to “Purely Expressive Activity”
Notice and opportunity to be heard is one of the most fundamental tenants of due process in this country. Every litigant, no matter how small the case, has the right
Continue Reading Sua Sponte Reinstatement Of Dismissed Final Restraining Order Violates Due Process, Appellate Division Says
The standard for entry of a Final Restraining Order (FRO) under the NJ Prevention of Domestic Violence has been long established by the Courts (and discussed many times on this
Continue Reading New Jersey Appellate Division Issues Decision Clarifying Second Prong of Silver Test
Recently, the New Jersey Supreme Court provided some important clarification with regard to the issue of firearm forfeiture in the wake of an arrest and firearm seizure pursuant to the
Continue Reading The Interplay Between Personal Firearm Forfeiture and Domestic Violence Proceedings Gets Some Clarification from the NJ Supreme Court
In August 2015, the New Jersey Legislature formally amended the Prevention Against Domestic Violence Act (N.J.S.A. 2C:25-19(a)) to include the predicate act of criminal coercion as a fifteenth form
When most people hear the horrific phrase “domestic violence”, they think only of the physical abuse or threats of physical abuse inflicted upon another; however, financial or economic abuse exists
Continue Reading Financial Abuse: The Invisible Wounds of Domestic Violence
We’ve all heard the maxim “One Family, One Judge” in the context of matrimonial matters. The underlying premise is that one judge in the Family Part should hear the entire
Continue Reading One Family, One Judge? Perhaps Not in the Context of an Act of Domestic Violence