Category Archives: Domestic Violence Charges
The Hope Card Program and Florida Domestic Violence Cases
Florida enacted several new laws in 2024, with the goal of preventing domestic violence, and specifically, with the goal of preventing violence-plagued relationships from escalating to the point of serious injury or death. These new laws require additional procedures by the courts and by law enforcement when police respond to domestic violence calls or… Read More »
New Florida Domestic Violence Laws for 2024
Police get calls about domestic violence all the time; some couples and families have such a volatile relationship that the police know which house to go to before the 911 dispatcher even tells them the address. Sometimes the incident turns out to be a tempest in a teacup, where two members of the same… Read More »
South Florida Rapper Accused of Domestic Violence Against Wife and Infant Daughter
On reality television, people play a fictionalized version of themselves. It is easy to idealize or, conversely, to have a one-sided love-hate relationship with the cast members, because they seem like fictional characters. In fact, many former cast members of reality TV shows are relieved when the season ends and they can go back… Read More »
Depositions in Domestic Violence Cases
When witnesses testify at trial in movies, the witness testimony often reveals surprising plot twists. In real life, it is still suspenseful for a defendant when a witness takes the stand at a criminal trial, even though the defendant already knows what the witness is going to say. What the defendant cannot predict is… Read More »
Will The Jury Acquit You Just Because Your Accuser Has A Motive For Lying?
The jury cannot return a verdict of guilty unless the prosecution’s evidence and arguments leave no room for reasonable doubt, but to establish reasonable doubt, you must do more than just say, “He’s lying!” You must show why the exhibits that the prosecutors show do not mean what the prosecutors say they mean or… Read More »
How Hard Is It To Get Prosecutors Not To Charge You?
Getting arrested on suspicion of a crime is not like standing in front of two doors, behind one of which a terrible fate awaits you, and deciding which one to open. It is more like the beginning of a flowchart. Your case can take many different paths. If you focus only on “incarceration” versus… Read More »
On Facing Criminal Charges During The Holiday Season
South Florida is an ideal place to spend the holidays; here, you can avoid most of the holiday stress that plagues the rest of the country. In South Florida, no one has to spend the morning shoveling snow in order to get to work, and you don’t have to rearrange your closets to make… Read More »
Reality TV Star Will Face Criminal Charges If She Violates Restraining Order And Contacts Estranged Husband’s Girlfriend
High net worth divorce has always been ugly, but it is even uglier in the age of social media. Instagram brings out the worst in everyone, from vanity to vindictiveness to impulsiveness. Perhaps social media only amplifies the unsavory impulses that reality TV excites; now everyone is famous for no discernible reason. When combined… Read More »
Miami-Dade Police Officer Charged With Stalking After Allegedly Planting Apple AirTags In Ex-Girlfriend’s Car
Consumer GPS technology has changed some aspects of everyday life so much that young people are incredulous when older folks tell them about how different life was before computers could tell you exactly where you were and how to get to where you wanted to be. Compasses that always point north and driving directions… Read More »
Palm Beach Gardens Police Officer Arrested For Stalking Ex-Girlfriend
Domestic violence does not have to involve physical injuries, or even any physical contact, to count as domestic violence. Stalking and harassment by a former romantic partner or an estranged spouse meet the legal definition of domestic violence, and people who experience these non-physical forms of domestic violence are entitled to the same protections,… Read More »
Broward Prosecutors Drop Charges Against Miami Dolphin Mark Walton in Domestic Violence Case After Pregnant Alleged Victim Refuses to Testify
In November 2019, Mark Walton of the Miami Dolphins was arrested after police responded to a domestic violence call at the residence in Davie that Walton shares with his girlfriend Jasmin Thompson. Thompson, who was five weeks pregnant at the time of the incident, alleged that Walton pushed her against a wall and struck… Read More »
What Should I Do If I Was Falsely Accused of Domestic Violence in South Florida?
Domestic violence is a very serious criminal offense. Under Florida law (Florida Statutes § 741.28), battery against a family member or a household member could lead to jail time. While there is no doubt that domestic abuse is a real problem, it is also true that false accusations can happen. If you were falsely… Read More »
Miami Dolphins Running Back Arrested on Domestic Battery Charges, Released By Team
According to reporting from NBC News, former Miami Dolphins running back Mark Walton has been arrested on domestic violence charges in Broward County, Florida. Prosecutors believe that Mr. Walton struck a pregnant woman following a dispute. He was booked into a county jail on aggravated battery charges—and he has since been ordered by a… Read More »
South Florida High School Principal Arrested After an Alleged Domestic Battery Incident
According to reporting from CBS 4 Miami, Richard Jean, the principal of Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy High School, has been arrested on domestic battery charges. The incident, which occurred off-campus, involved an unidentified male. The alleged victim signed a sworn affidavit stating that Mr. Jean picked him up and threw him to the ground… Read More »
Defending Your Case Against a Domestic Violence Charge
Domestic violence is an emotionally-charged topic that often leads to accused individuals being assumed to be guilty before they are proven to be. This is frequently true with all types of abuse accusations, such as accusations of child and animal abuse, because the thought of violence against a defenseless party often prompts a visceral… Read More »
What is Domestic Violence?
You probably think you know what domestic violence entails. Hitting, kicking, and shoving one’s intimate partner are all forms of physical domestic violence. But the definition of domestic violence is actually much broader. It describes a wide range of destructive behaviors that can cause the victim to suffer significant physical, emotional, psychological, and financial… Read More »
What Higher Domestic Violence Prosecutions Mean to the Accused
The holidays include a lot of wonderful events and feelings. However, they also come with some negativity, including a significant increase in domestic violence cases. As reported in the Orlando Sentinel, Florida prosecutors are trying more misdemeanor domestic violence cases than ever before. For example, prosecutors in Orange-Osceola County handled almost 300 more of… Read More »
Defending a Wrongful Domestic Violence Accusation
The national media is focusing on a Florida judge who recently jailed a woman for failing to appear at a criminal trial against her husband. According to reports by ABC News, the husband’s charges stem from a domestic violence accusation that he choked his wife and threatened her with a kitchen knife as she… Read More »
New Florida Laws on Domestic Violence
A new Florida law is being heralded for the added protection it provides victims of domestic violence. However, it is equally as important for a person accused of domestic violence to know the terms of the new legislation and understand what a possible violation looks like. Without this knowledge, a defendant may take seemingly… Read More »
The Added Difficulties of Domestic Violence Charges in Florida
Recent allegations 0f spousal abuse against Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice sparked heated discussion, debates and arguments about America’s treatment of domestic violence victims and perpetrators. Rice’s punishment by the National Football League (NFL) was largely criticized as too lenient, according to a report by ABC News. Rice is required to sit out two games, including… Read More »
