What’s New on WomensLaw.org

Based on 2021 additions to the law, we did the following:

• Revised What is the legal definition of harassment? in our Arizona Injunctions Against Harassment section to include the additional definition of harassment as being “any contact” if the respondent committed one of the many listed crimes against the petitioner. Changes made in English; Spanish soon to come. We also added a related statute to our Selected Arizona Statutes section.
• On our Arizona Crimes page, changed the title for the crime of “Use of telephone to terrify, intimate, threaten, harass, annoy, or offend” to “Use of an electronic communication to terrify, intimidate, threaten or harass.” Changes made in English and Spanish.
• In our Arizona Domestic Violence Orders of Protection section, revised What protections can I get in an order of protection? to remove the requirement (in English and Spanish) that if a victim is granted use of the home in an emergency order, s/he needs to notify the court if s/he moves out of the home. The requirement still remains in place when this relief is granted in a final order.

Lastly, in our Arizona Domestic Violence Orders of Protection section, we hyperlinked 29 crimes in English (and 29 crimes in Spanish) to their statutory definitions to more accurately explain the definition of domestic violence for the purpose of getting a protection order in What is the legal definition of domestic violence in Arizona?

We updated our Wisconsin Download Court Forms by linking the English side to the actual petitions instead of to the court’s directory of forms. And, on the Spanish side, we linked to the Spanish petitions instead of English forms.

We added a reference to Washington State’s new abusive 2021 litigation laws, as well as Tennessee’s laws, on our Litigation Abuse page in English and Spanish.

Based on 2021 changes to the laws, we did the following:

• Updated What types of alimony are there? in our Maine Divorce page to add economic abuse as one of the exceptional circumstances under which a judge can issue reimbursement support.
• Updated If the child was conceived from a sexual assault, can the offender’s rights be terminated? to add the different standards under which the judge must terminate the offender’s rights (if there is a criminal conviction) and may terminate the rights (no conviction).

We also revised Can my alimony be changed? to add “substantial change of financial circumstances” as a requirement for modifying an order, which was a 2019 change to the law but inadvertently left out of that question. We also edited How do I register my protection order in Maine? Do I have to register it to get it enforced? to clarify that a foreign order can be filed in superior court, not just in district court, and we added the related statute to our Selected Maine Statutes page.

We created a new question in our West Virginia Financial Exploitation Protective Orders page called In which county should the protective order be filed? and updated What are the steps to getting a financial exploitation protective order? to include the fact that it can be filed in the circuit court, not only the magistrate court. We also added information about the fact that anyone can file a petition on behalf of the victim to Who is eligible for a financial exploitation protective order? Who can file the paperwork?

Based on an Email Hotline inquiry, we added the crime of extortion to our Colorado Crimes page in English and Spanish and to our Selected Colorado Statutes page in English.

We created a new question in the Wisconsin Restraining Orders section called What types of domestic abuse restraining orders are there? How long do they last? In addition, based on a 2021 addition to the law, we added information to three questions to explain that petitioners who are 60 or older have the right to attend hearings via phone or an internet service, such as Zoom. All changes made in English and Spanish.

On our California Local Programs page, we updated the listing for the Laura’s House.

Based on changes to the law that allow for parties to stipulate to custody modifications based on a future event, we created a question called Can a custody order provide for future changes without having to go back to court? in the Wisconsin Custody section in English and Spanish. We also added the related custody statute to our Selected Wisconsin Statutes page. In addition, we completely re-wrote How do I change an existing order? in our Wisconsin Custody section in English and Spanish to distinguish the what types of modifications can be sought in the two-year period after the order was issued, beyond the two-year period, and at any time.

On our Kentucky Custody page, we added two questions called Who can file for custody? and Will a judge always grant joint custody? In our Kentucky Restraining Orders page, based on changes to the law, we updated What is the legal definition of domestic violence in Kentucky? and What is the legal definition of dating violence and abuse, sexual assault, and stalking? and Am I eligible for an interpersonal protective order? to include criminal attempt, conspiracy, facilitation, or solicitation to commit certain crimes as grounds for getting an order. 

We translated into Spanish our Wisconsin Court Forms page.

We added the crimes of assault, aggravated assault, and intimidation to the Tennessee Crimes page.

We translated into Spanish 2 new questions in our general Custody section, entitled I am moving and I want to transfer my case to the new state where my child and I will live.  How can I do that? and Will I have to give notice to the other parent if I want to relocate? 

Based on 2021 changes to Missouri laws, we updated 6 questions in our Missouri Restraining Orders section to include information on the new length of initial and renewed orders, new rules for modifying an order, the factors that a judge considers when deciding if the abuser poses a serious risk to the petitioner’s own mental or physical health or that of their child, the fact that pets can now be protected by an order, and abuse of a pet can be a reason to grant an order.

We translated into Spanish our recent changes to the Florida Injunction for Protections Against Domestic Violence section, based on changes to the law.

We translated into Spanish our recent edits to the California Domestic Violence Restraining Orders page, based on changes to the law.

Based on 2021 changes to law, we updated Who can get custody? in our Missouri Custody section to explain that if custody is going to be given to a non-parent, the first preference is someone who is related by blood (consanguinity) or marriage (affinity) to the child. In our Missouri Restraining Orders section, we updated What is the legal definition of domestic violence in Missouri? and What is the definition of stalking in Missouri? to include the new examples of stalking included in the law and to specify that it could be done with a device or other technology.

We updated our North Dakota Download Court Forms page, adding links to the domestic violence protective order petition, sexual assault restraining order petition, custody and visitation (parenting time) forms,  divorce, and many other topics. We also added the definition for the crime of sexual assault to our North Dakota Crimes page.

We added a Tennessee Workplace Restraining Orders page with eight new questions regarding workplace restraining orders, as well as adding 11 related statutes to our Tennessee Selected State Statutes page.

On our Missouri Local Programs page, we updated the listing for the Crime Victim Center of St. Louis.

With the help of ASISTA, we edited the information about how domestic violence victims may possibly qualify in Who qualifies for asylum? Will being a victim of domestic or sexual violence qualify me? Changes made in English and Spanish.

We added the a new program to our Florida Local Programs page called the Women’s Center of Jacksonville in English. Spanish coming soon!

We created a new section with six questions on Emotional and Psychological abuse where we discuss what this term refers to as well as signs and forms of this type abuse, the effects it can have on a victim and alternatives for victims and survivors of this behavior. Spanish coming soon! 

With the help of the Animal Welfare Institute, we updated the pet-related links on our Helping Others - Advocates page, deleting outdated manuals and adding a link to Animal Welfare Institute’s state manuals regarding pets and protection orders. We also added a link to amanual for advocates from Don’t Forget the Pets. All changes made in English and Spanish.

We updated 22 questions on our D.C. Civil Protection Orders page and added 2 new questions. We also created a new section called D.C. Anti-Stalking Orders based on statutory changes with 10 new questions. We added 26 statutes to our Selected District of Columbia Statutes page, including 6 sexual abuse crimes, 2 human trafficking offenses, 2 cruelty to animals offenses, and others. We also updated our D.C. Crimes page to include 9 additional crimes that an abuser may commit. These changes and additions were made in English, with Spanish coming soon.

We created a new section called VAWA Housing Protections with 8 questions to explain how VAWA protects federally-subsidized tenants from being denied housing or from being evicted because they are the victim of domestic violence. Spanish coming soon!

Based on changes and additions to the law, we created a new Louisana Housing Laws page and added 21 questions regarding protections for domestic abuse and sexual assault victims looking to end a residential lease.

We translated into Spanish our New Hampshire Gun Laws section.

We translated into Spanish out Vermont Gun Laws section. 

Based on changes to the laws, we updated all eight questions in our Nevada Orders for Protection Against High-Risk Behavior section to include:

• the changing of the name of ex parte orders to emergency orders;
• the removal of the seven-day length of time for emergency orders; 
• the change in time for when respondents have to prove surrender of their firearm from 72 hours to one business day; and
• the change in the language that prohibits respondents from having a firearm in their “custody or control” to having it in their “control.” 

We also added information about who can file to dissolve and order and the factors a judge will consider to Can I renew or cancel an order for protection against high-risk behavior? All changes were made in English and Spanish.

We updated our Nevada Download Court Forms page to add links to the printable forms and to the interactive forms for orders for protection against sexual assault, high-risk behavior, stalking or harassment, and harassment in the workplace. Changes made in English and Spanish.

Based on updates to the law, in our Nevada Restraining Orders page, we added information to Step 1: File an application in court about being able to not include your address and contact information if doing so would put you in danger. Changes were made in English and Spanish.

We translated into Spanish our four questions addressing Stimulus Payments to our Frequently Asked Questions About Courts and Covid-19 section.

We translated into Spanish our newly re-organized and revised West Virginia State Gun Laws section.

We translated into Spanish our recently updated and reorganized Maine Gun Laws section

Starting on the translation of our 27th state, we translated the Wisconsin Domestic Abuse Injunctions page into Spanish!

We updated our Florida Statewide Programs page to reflect the new website for the Florida Domestic Violence Statewide Hotline.

We added a new law related to serving a civil protection order to our Selected D.C. Statutes page that was added by the legislature in April 2021 as well as 5 new laws regarding anti-stalking protection orders. Look out for a new FAQ section on anti-stalking orders coming soon!

Based on 2021 changes to the law, we added information to three questions in English and Spanish in our D.C. State Gun Laws page about not being able to get a firearm when there is an ex parte extreme risk protection order in place, not just a final order. In addition, in our D.C. Extreme Risk Protection Orders section, we updated How do I get an extreme risk protection order? in our to remove the requirement to attach evidence and supporting document to the petition when filing, We also updated What types of orders are there? How long do they last? to increase the length of an order from 10 days to 14 days as well as to explain that the judge can extend an ex parte order for additional 14-day periods in English and Spanish.

Based on 2021 changes to the law that replaced the term “mentally defective” with “incapable of appraising the nature of a person’s conduct” in the definition of sexual abuse, we updated What is the legal definition of sexual abuse? in our Oregon Sexual Abuse Protection Orders page in English. Spanish soon to come!

We translated into Spanish our recently reviewed question called “What is spyware?” on our Electronic Surveillance page.

We added two statutes to our Selected Louisiana Statutes page regarding the rights of victims of domestic violence and sexual assault to terminate their lease.

In our Florida Injunction for Protections Against Domestic Violence section, based on changes to the law, we included protections available for pets in What protections can I get in an injunction for protection against domestic violence? We also improved the question by delineating adding the protections you can get in temporary, ex parte order. In addition, in our Florida Custody section, we revised I am a member of the child’s extended family. Can I get temporary or concurrent custody of the child? based on changes to the law about the requirements to file for concurrent custody and to include the definition of extended family member, which now includes “fictive kin.” Changes made in English; Spanish coming soon. We also added a related statute to our Selected Florida Statutes page in English.

We translated into Spanish our recently expanded Massachusetts Housing Laws section.

On our California Domestic Violence Restraining Orders page, based on changes to the law, we updated What if the abuser violates the order? to include information about probation or a conditional sentence as a possible punishment, as well as the increased penalties for multiple violations. We also updated What is the legal definition of domestic violence in California? to expand upon the definition for disturbing one’s peace and coercive control. Changes made in English.

We translated into Spanish our recently revised VAWA Self-petitions section.

We added the county designation for 224 listings in our Places that Help section for local programs and legal assistance organizations. This allows users to sort listings by county instead of by town, so they don’t miss resources that are located in another town but serve people in their town.

In our Nebraska Legal Assistance page, we updated the descriptions for 8 Legal Aid resources and translated them into Spanish.

In our Alaska Places that Help page, we added the county for 61 entries so that we could organize the resources by county instead of by town, thereby making it easier for people to know which organization serves their area.

On our South Carolina Places that Help page, we updated 18 resources as follows: 2 Statewide Programs, 7 Local Programs, 8 Legal Assistance, 1 Lawyer Referral Services. We also added 22 new resources as follows: 2 Statewide Programs, 16 Local Programs, 4 Legal Assistance. All changes were made in English and, for the first time, all resources were translated into Spanish!

We added a new question in English to our Ohio Domestic Violence/Dating Violence Protection Orders page called Can I get a protection order if I’m a minor? We added a similar question called Can I get a protection order if I’m a minor? What if the abuser is a minor? to our Stalking or Sexually Oriented Offense Protection Orders page. Spanish soon to come. We also revised four questions to add the term “dating violence protection order” and changed the name of the section to make it clearer that this section applies to victims of dating violence too, not just domestic violence.

We updated and reorganized 12 questions in our Nebraska State Gun Laws section to make it easier to use and more state specific. All changes in English, but Spanish is coming soon!

We added the Elder Victims of Crime Program (part of Area Agency on Aging of Western Arkansas) to our Arkansas Local Programs page and Legal Assistance page in English (Spanish coming soon). We also updated all of the resources in our Arkansas Legal Assistance and added six new legal organizations in English and Spanish.

We updated the contact information for two listings in our New Jersey Lawyer Referral Services page. We also added information about the Reduced Fee Referral Program to the Morris County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service description. Changes made in English and Spanish.

On our South Carolina Places that Help page, we updated 52 Courthouse Locations and added 4 new courthouses.

In our North Carolina Civil No Contact Orders (“50C Orders”) section, we added information about an employer being able to file on behalf of an abused employee to the question Am I eligible to file for a civil no-contact order? Changes made in English and Spanish.

We added four questions addressing Stimulus Payments to our Frequently Asked Questions About Courts and Covid-19 section in English. Spanish coming soon!

We translated into Spanish our newly added Georgia Child Support section.

We reviewed our Electronic Surveillance page and added a new question called “What is spyware?” Spanish translation coming soon. 

We translated into Spanish our recently updated and reorganized Iowa State Gun Laws section.

We translated into Spanish our newly expanded Connecticut Housing Laws section.

We translated into Spanish our newly reviewed Abuse in Immigrant Communities section. 

We translated into Spanish our Substantial Risk Orders in Virginia.