Safeguard yourself before you’re charged with domestic violence

You may be in a contentious relationship with a spouse or romantic partner. Maybe the two of you fight a lot. Sometimes, it gets especially heated. There have even been moments when you feared your arguments could escalate dangerously. Your significant other ramps up the conflict to uncomfortable levels. You would never lay a hand on anyone. In fact, you always try to defuse the situation to bring things under control.

Your partner, who has a combustible personality, might someday decide to charge you with domestic violence. You are innocent. Is there anything you can do proactively just in case that does happen?

Actions you can take

Take steps now if you think your partner might baselessly claim that you committed domestic violence.

• Store important documents such as your birth certificate and driver’s license in a place known only to you. If your partner gets them, it could lead to a big headache for you.
• Don’t get involved with your partner in verbal jousts that end up becoming huge fights. When an argument between the two of you takes a nasty turn, walk away.
• Inform the people who know you best that your relationship is rocky. Mention that your partner could ultimately charge you with domestic violence, which you did not commit. You might need those people to vouch for your character later on.
• Change the passwords from your personal electronic devices like your cell phone, tablet, and computer. That can stop your partner from sending themselves menacing messages from one of your devices and falsely asserting you did it.
• If your partner acts in an abusive manner toward you, alert someone. Consider telling a person who works for an agency that assists abuse victims. That way, you establish that your partner, not you, is the aggressor.

Shield your reputation

You can’t be too cautious under these circumstances. Do what you need to in order to steer clear of a groundless domestic violence charge. If you are accused, have someone who knows this subject thoroughly advise you.