Domestic violence is a serious problem that deserves to be treated with the utmost caution and care, but there’s an ugly consequence of this kind of attention: false accusations. Because of the immense social stigma that domestic violence carries, those who are accused often face massive backlash from society and are often given little recourse to try and preserve their name and reputation. This gives an accuser significant leverage over the accused and subjects them to a long and difficult battle to try to absolve themselves.
However, there are several things you can do that will give you an advantage when fighting wrongful domestic violence charges. Here are four ways you can proactively protect yourself from these accusations and work quickly to preserve your name and reputation.
KNOW WHEN ABUSE ALLEGATIONS ARE UTILIZED
Domestic violence occurs in a number of situations, but most often during instances of extreme tension and conflict in the home, such as during a divorce. Violence victims usually garner sympathy from courts, giving them the upper hand in everything from property division to child custody litigation. When your home life is tense, you need to start doing everything you can to keep your record clean. Avoid conflict, de-escalate situations, and stay calm in order to avoid even a potential “threat of harm” which can be interpreted as abuse.
USE WITNESSES
If any events are planned that could result in conflict, it’s important to make sure there are more sets of eyes on the situation than just yours and your spouse’s. If a conflict should occur, a witness can testify to what started the conflict, the environmental condition, and whether any obvious injuries were suffered. If you’re not at an event where this kind of conflict could occur, having witnesses who can testify where and when you were in certain places can be used to corroborate your claim and poke holes in your spouse’s story if they claim otherwise.
USE EVIDENCE AVAILABLE TO YOU
Do you have any store receipts, phone records, or work time sheet logs that can corroborate your side of the story? If so, this could be the evidence that clears your name by pointing out any factual and documentary inconsistencies in your accuser’s story.
CHANGE YOUR PASSWORDS
Does your spouse or partner have access to your cell phone, email account, or other forms of electronic information? While this is a sign of trust, you may want to consider taking control of these accounts as soon as possible. Those who are bent on ruining someone else’s reputation have been known to go so far as to fabricate evidence in the form of threatening emails and text messages that support the false claims of abuse, and this is often done because they have access to the accused’s passwords. Keep all of your communication avenues private.
Have you been falsely accused of domestic violence? Call The Clarke Law Firm today at (615) 796-6299 to request a case evaluation and get help fighting back!
