Domestic violence, also referred to as domestic assault, is a very serious and often complicated criminal offense. The reason is because most criminal domestic violence cases are based on a ‘he-said-she-said’ argument. Domestic violence occurs within a household and can involve any number of family members including:

• A spouse or former spouse
• Parent , child, grandparents, aunt, uncle, cousin
• Persons related by blood
• Persons presently living together, or persons who have lived together
• Persons who have children together or who are expecting a child together
• Persons involved in a romance and sexual relationship

Domestic Assault Crimes

Domestic violence is defined as the following:

• Committing as act with intent to cause feat in a family or household member of immediate bodily harm or death. This can include threats.
• Intentionally inflicting bodily harm against a family or household member
• Attempting to inflict bodily harm again a family or household member.

Under the Minnesota state definition of domestic violence, you may still be charged with domestic violence even if a violent act did not occur. If you are facing a domestic assault accusation, it is critical that you act fast and seek legal representation as soon as possible. Many people will hope that the whole mess will just go away on its own; this is rarely the case. You need to act fast in order to avoid criminal convictions.

Civil Implications

There are a number of factors that will affect your domestic violence accusation. These are often referred to as aggravating factors and may include:

• The severity of the accusation
• Your past criminal history, especially pertaining to assault and violence
• Whether a weapon was used
• Whether substantial bodily harm was caused
• The damage done to the victim
• Whether a child was involved

Domestic violence convictions will fall under the categories of misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor or felony. You may be facing prison time, fines, domestic violence counseling, restitution to the victim, a psychological evaluation, restraining orders, anger management, alimony claims, custody battles, property claims and an Order for Protection.

Keep in mind that just because you are facing a domestic violence charge does not mean your conviction is already decided. There are a number of defense strategies that can ensure you the best outcome possible. You may be able to use an alibi defense, a credibility defense or a self-protection defense. It is important to discuss your case and your options with a qualified Minnesota criminal defense lawyer.

Take Action Now

If you or someone you know has been arrested for domestic violence, you will need to contact a qualified assault lawyer. The Law Offices of William K. Bulmer II can provide you with the legal assistance, compassion and knowledge you want when fighting against this serious criminal conviction. A domestic violence criminal charge can negatively impact your entire quality of life and further complicate any charges down the road. Don’t risk your future – contact our Law Offices today for a free consultation at 612-384-7003.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 at 4:23 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.