What exactly does that mean? What can you do to defend yourself?

Under the Illinois Domestic Violence Act, “harassment” is defined as “knowing conduct which is not necessary to accomplish a purpose that is reasonable under the circumstances; would cause a reasonable person emotional distress; and does cause emotional distress to the petitioner.”

Under the statute, the following conduct is presumed to cause emotional distress:

(i) creating a disturbance at petitioner’s place of employment or school;

(ii) repeatedly telephoning petitioner’s place of employment or residence;

(iii) repeatedly following petitioner about in public;

(iv) repeatedly keeping petitioner under surveillance by remaining present outside his or her home, school, place of employment, vehicle or other place occupied by petitioner or by peering in petitioner’s windows;

(v) improperly concealing or removing petitioner’s minor child from petitioner’s care or the jurisdiction or repeatedly threatening to do so unless you were fleeing the threat of domestic violence;

(vi) threatening physical force, confinement or restraint.

If you are served with notice of an order of protection, contact an experienced criminal law attorney immediately. An attorney can review your case for its best possible defense. Perhaps there were legitimate reasons for your repeated contact with the other party. For example, you might have driven by their home because it was directly on your way to work. If you have been falsely accused, you might convince a judge that there are issues with the credibility of the person accusing you.

If you have questions about this or another related Illinois criminal or traffic matter, please contact Matt Keenan at 847-568-0160 or email matt@mattkeenanlaw.com.

See our related blog posts here and here.

(Besides Skokie, Matt Keenan also serves the communities of Arlington Heights, Chicago, Deerfield, Des Plaines, Evanston, Glenview, Morton Grove, Mount Prospect, Niles, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Rolling Meadows, Wilmette and Winnetka.)

The post WHAT IS HARRASSMENT UNDER ILLINOIS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LAW? appeared first on A SKOKIE CRIMINAL LAWYER EXPLAINS THE LAW 1-847-568-0160.

What can you do?

If you are falsely accused, an attorney may be able to cast doubt on the credibility of the accuser. Are the accusations designed to harass or intimidate you? Is he or she simply being vindictive? There may be other inconsistencies in the evidence. At times, it may be useful to hire a private investigator look into the accuser’s allegations.

If you have received notice of an order of protection, contact an experienced criminal law attorney immediately. Do not try to represent yourself. What you think is a reasonable explanation might convince the judge that you are a threat. The judge may rule against you based on what he or she perceives is a bad attitude or a failure to take responsibility. Be advised that an Order of Protection can have serious consequences as it can keep you out of many jobs, and you cannot get it removed from your record, so it is best to take the matter seriously.

If you have questions about this or another related Illinois criminal or traffic matter, please contact Matt Keenan at 847-568-0160 or email matt@mattkeenanlaw.com.

(Besides Skokie, Matt Keenan also serves the communities of Arlington Heights, Chicago, Deerfield, Des Plaines, Evanston, Glenview, Morton Grove, Mount Prospect, Niles, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Rolling Meadows, Wilmette and Winnetka.)

The post I’VE BEEN FALSELY ACCUSED OF ABUSE UNDER THE ILLINOIS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ACT. WHAT CAN I DO? appeared first on A SKOKIE CRIMINAL LAWYER EXPLAINS THE LAW 1-847-568-0160.

How is abuse defined, and what are your options?

Under the Illinois Domestic Violence Act, abuse is defined as “physical abuse, harassment, intimidation of a dependent, interference with personal liberty or willful deprivation but does not include reasonable direction of a minor child by a parent or person in loco parentis.”

If you have been served with notice of hearing on an order of protection, contact an experienced criminal law attorney immediately. Do not try to represent yourself. What you think of as a legitimate explanation might convince the judge that your accuser has reason to be afraid. The judge may rule against you based on what he or she perceives is a bad attitude or a failure to take responsibility.

An experienced criminal law attorney can review your case for its best possible defense. Were you acting in self defense? Can you show that your spouse or former partner was making things up? Do they suffer from a mental illness? Be advised that an Order of Protection can have serious consequences as it can keep you out of many jobs, and you cannot get it removed from your record, so it is best to take the matter seriously.

If you have questions about this or another related Illinois criminal or traffic matter, please contact Matt Keenan at 847-568-0160 or email matt@mattkeenanlaw.com.

(Besides Skokie, Matt Keenan also serves the communities of Arlington Heights, Chicago, Deerfield, Des Plaines, Evanston, Glenview, Morton Grove, Mount Prospect, Niles, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Rolling Meadows, Wilmette and Winnetka.)

The post WHAT IS “ABUSE” UNDER THE ILLINOIS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ACT? appeared first on A SKOKIE CRIMINAL LAWYER EXPLAINS THE LAW 1-847-568-0160.