Allegations of domestic violence attract heavy legal implications if one is found guilty as charged. By definition, these are acts of violence meted out to a family member by another that results in mental torture or physical injuries. The two common types are child abuse cases and mistreatment of one’s spouse, also known as spousal abuse. The violence applies to married people, those dating and those living together. A domestic violence lawyer in Cleveland TN helps in unhooking the defendant from the claws of the law by providing sufficient representation in the case.
The abuse can take different forms as outlined below.
- Physical abuse.
- This is the physical infliction of pain by way of hitting, battering, shoving, biting, slapping, punching and all other forms of violent behavior.
- Sexual abuse.
- This refers to coercing or any attempt to coerce somebody into engaging in sexual contact without the consent of the victim.
- Emotional abuse.
- This type of abuse entails the invalidation of an individual’s sense of self-esteem or self-worth.
The type of the charges preferred against the defendant will vary in harshness depending on the severity of the injuries suffered by the victim. If a minor was present during the incident, the case is likely to take a more unfavorable turn for the aggressor. The counsel of a lawyer will be useful in coming up with a winning strategy.
It so happens that, at times, an individual is charged wrongly when in reality he or she is innocent. The false allegations will need an expert attorney to prove to the court that the charges are baseless. It could be that the defendant really didn’t intend to cause the pain, or it was simply an accident. Better still, it might have been an act of self-defense after a struggle ensued. In other cases, the false charges could be as a result of mere hatred, jealousy or malice.
Chancey-Kanavos is a domestic violence lawyer with experience in helping individuals accused of domestic violence to be acquitted.