Beware of false accusations of domestic violence

If you are involved in a toxic relationship, you could face a very real risk of being falsely accused of committing acts of domestic violence against your spouse or intimate partner. Clearing your good name after such allegations have already been levied against you can be a Sisyphean task, so you need to be proactive.

Vindictive partners can get restraining orders based on false allegations of abuse. This can result in your being removed from the home and denied access to your children, but it also can result in criminal charges being pressed against you. Scorned spouses have been known to bruise and injure themselves to get photographic evidence that abuse occurred in the relationship.

If you suspect this might be the case, you must do all that you can to protect yourself and deliver a solid defense against defamatory allegations. Don’t allow yourself to get tricked into doing anything that could compromise your position. This might include turning down offers of rougher-than-usual sex or refusing to take the bait and strike back at someone who is goading you to hit him or her. Even rough-housing with your own children could be misconstrued as abusive behavior by a devious partner with an agenda.

If you wind up charged with domestic violence, you should talk to your criminal defense attorney about getting witnesses to testify on your behalf and against your former partner or spouse. He or she may have sent incriminating texts or emails outlying a plan to frame you on criminal charges, and obtaining evidence of this might potentially exonerate you of the domestic violence charges.

Source: Stop Abusive and Violent Environments, “What Should I Do if I Think my Partner is Going to Make a False Accusation?,” accessed April 01, 2016