Are you a victim of domestic abuse or bullying by your spouse? The following are common examples of domestic abuse and bullying by a spouse in order to gain power and control over you and your relationship which may evolve into physical or sexual violence:
Understanding Bullying & Domestic Abuse
Using Intimidation
- Making you afraid by using looks, actions, gestures
- Throwing or Smashing things
- Destroying your personal property, photos, or mementos
- Abusing pets
- Displaying weapons
- Breaking windows or furniture
- Locking you in or out
Using Emotional Abuse
- Putting you down
- Making you feel bad about yourself
- Calling you names
- Making you think you are crazy
- Playing mind games
- Humiliating or Degrading you in public
- Making you feel guilty
- Criticizing constantly
- Using verbal abuse, insults and ridicule
- Undermining your self-esteem
- Treating you as inferior regarding education, wealth, physical ability
- Yelling, Screaming and Cursing at you
Using Isolation
- Controlling what you do, who you see and where you go
- Controlling what you read and who you talk to
- Limiting your outside involvement
- Using Jealousy to justify actions
- Isolating you from friends or family
Using Coercion & Threats
- Making and/or carrying out threats to do something to hurt you
- Threatening to harm family or friends
- Making economic or sexual threats
- Threatening to leave you
- Threatening to commit suicide
- Making you do illegal things
- Making you drop charges
Using Economic Abuse
- Preventing you from getting or keeping a job
- Making you ask for money
- Giving you an allowance
- Taking your money
- Controlling the purchase of clothes and food
- Not letting you know about or have access to family finances, income, or assets
- Controlling economic resources and how they are used
Using Children
- Making you feel guilty about the children
- Using the children to relay messages
- Using visitation to harass you
- Threatening to take the children away
Using Domination
- Treating you like a servant
- Making all the major decisions
- Acting like the king or queen of the castle
- Defining men’s and women’s roles
- Demanding their needs always come first
Stalking
- Repeatedly call, text or email you
- Monitor your phone calls or social media
- Monitor your computer use
- Use hidden cameras or GPS to track you
- Drive by or hang out at you home, school or work
- Follow or show up wherever you are
Minimizing, Denying & Blaming
- Making light of the abuse
- Not taking your concerns about abuse seriously
- Denying the abuse happened
- Shifting responsibility for abusive behavior
- Claiming you caused it
Domestic Violence/Physical Abuse
- Twisting Arms
- Tripping
- Biting
- Pushing
- Shoving
- Hitting
- Slapping
- Choking
- Pulling Hair
- Punching
- Kicking
- Grabbing
- Using a weapon
- Beating
- Throwing you down
If you are a married victim of domestic violence or abuse, once you commence a divorce action, you will no longer be legally bound to the batterer and no longer under their control. You will have a chance for a new start and to get on with your life.
During the course of your divorce proceedings, our firm will remain steadfast to ensure that you are not bullied into an unfair agreement with regard to custody, child support, spousal support, equitable distribution and counsel fees. We will fight for you and with you to provide support, confidence and a sense of security while resolving your difficult and emotional divorce matters. We are committed to help you resist the urge to succumb to bullying by your spouse and accept an unfair settlement.
