What’s New on WomensLaw.org

We translated into Spanish the 11 newly created questions on our Utah Custody page.

We translated into Spanish recent edits to the question What are the legal definitions of domestic abuse, sexual assault, abuse of a child, and abuse of a vulnerable adult in Maryland? on our Maryland Restraining Orders page.

We translated into Spanish recent revisions made in our Arizona Suing an Abuser for Money section.

To prepare our Iowa Divorce page for translation into Spanish, we revised all five questions for clarity and accuracy.

To prepare our Iowa Crimes page for translation into Spanish, we revised If I am the victim of a crime, where can I get additional help in Iowa? for clarity and accuracy.

We revised our Iowa Suing an Abuser for Money page for clarity and accuracy in order to prepare it for translation into Spanish.

We created a new Michigan Extreme Risk Protective Orders section with 10 new questions. We also added 10 related statutes to our Selected Michigan Statutes page. Questions added in English; Spanish coming soon!

We created the new question “If I am a minor, will the judge appoint an attorney for me?” in our Kentucky Protective Orders/Domestic Violence Orders section and our Interpersonal Protective Orders section.

We created three new questions related to military deployment and custody on our Kentucky Custody page:

• Will deploying affect my ability to get custody of my child?
• Can a temporary custody agreement made due to deployment be changed?
• What happens if I am deploying soon and I am the only person responsible for my child?

We also added six related statutes to our Selected Kentucky Statutes page.

We added four crimes related to sexual exploitation of minors and peeping to our North Carolina Crimes page and four related statutes to our Selected North Carolina Statutes page.

We restructured our West Virginia Crimes page by creating a chart that lists the crime names on one side and the statute numbers on the other side. Now, users can sort crimes alphabetically, making it easier to find crimes by name, or they can sort them according to how they appear in the statutes. We also added 17 crimes to the list of possible crimes in West Virginia that the abuser may have committed.

We restructured our Washington Crimes page by creating a chart that lists the crime names on one side and the statute numbers on the other side. Now, users can sort crimes alphabetically, making it easier to find crimes by name, or they can sort them according to how they appear in the statutes. We also added the crimes of “coercion,” “luring,” “trafficking,” and “criminal trespass in the second degree.” All changes made in English and Spanish.

We restructured our Virginia Crimes page by creating a chart that lists the crime names on one side and the statute numbers on the other side. Now, users can sort crimes alphabetically, making it easier to find crimes by name, or they can sort them according to how they appear in the statutes. We also added the crime of “abuse and neglect of incapacitated adults.” All changes made in English and Spanish.

We restructured our Utah Crimes page by creating a chart that lists the crime names on one side and the statute numbers on the other side. Now, users can sort crimes alphabetically, making it easier to find crimes by name, or they can sort them according to how they appear in the statutes. We also added seven crimes to the list of possible crimes in Utah that the abuser may have committed. All changes made in English and Spanish.

We restructured our Oklahoma Crimes page by creating a chart that lists the crime names on one side and the statute numbers on the other side. Now, users can sort crimes alphabetically, making it easier to find crimes by name, or they can sort them according to how they appear in the statutes. We also added the crime “domestic abuse with a prior pattern of physical abuse.” All changes made in English and Spanish.

We restructured our Tennessee Crimes page by creating a chart that lists the crime names on one side and the statute numbers on the other side. Now, users can sort crimes alphabetically, making it easier to find crimes by name, or they can sort them according to how they appear in the statutes. We also added four crimes related to sexual offenses.

We restructured our Ohio Crimes page by creating a chart that lists the crime names on one side and the statute numbers on the other side. Now, users can sort crimes alphabetically, making it easier to find crimes by name, or they can sort them according to how they appear in the statutes. We also added the crimes of “resisting arrest” and “pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor.”

We added 12 crimes related to sexual offenses and criminal mischief to our Iowa Crimes page. We also added 16 related statutes to our Selected Iowa Statutes page.

We translated into Spanish recent revisions to the types of court forms linked on our New Jersey Download Court Forms page.

We translated into Spanish the recently updated resources on our Kansas Local Programs page.

We translated into Spanish recent revisions to What types of alimony are there? on our Florida Divorce page.

We translated into Spanish the following in our Minnesota legal information:

• one newly created question and revisions to two questions on our Custody page;
• revisions on our Suing an Abuser for Money page;
• two newly created questions and revisions to three questions on our Divorce page; and
• revisions to seven questions on our Restraining Orders page.

We added the crimes of “sexual extortion” and “aggravated sexual extortion” to our Mississippi Crimes page. We also added three related statutes to our Selected Mississippi Statutes page.

We restructured our Pennsylania Crimes page by creating a chart that lists the crime names on one side and the statute numbers on the other side. Now, users can sort crimes alphabetically, making it easier to find crimes by name, or they can sort them according to how they appear in the statutes. We also added the crimes of “aggravated assault,” “aggravated indecent assault,” “invasion of privacy,” and “involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.”

On our New Hampshire Custody page, we did the following:

• Created a new subsection called Mediation in custody and visitation cases including four new questions about the mediation process:
  
  • What is mediation?
  • What happens in mediation?
  • Who gets sent to mediation?
  • If I am a domestic violence victim, do I have to do mediation?
• Created a new subsection called The effect of military deployment on custody and visitation including five new questions about the ways custody is affected when one parent is deployed due to military duty:
  
  • If I don’t have a custody order, can I get one before a parent deploys?
  • Can a parent change a custody order due to military duty?
  • Can a parent who is deployed give his/her visitation rights to a family member?
  • What happens if a parent can’t attend a hearing due to military duty?
  • What happens to my temporary custody order when the deployed parent returns?

We also added 5 statutes related to custody to our Selected New Hampshire Statutes page.

On our Pennsylvania Custody page, we revised the following questions based on 2024 legislative changes clarifying the factors to be considered in a custody case:

• Can a parent who committed violence get custody or visitation?
• I am the child’s grandparent or great-grandparent. Can I get custody or visitation?
• How will a judge make a decision about custody?

And we revised the following questions for clarity:

• I have a custody order. Can I move with my child?
• If a parent with custody rights has moved away due to military duty, can s/he give those rights to his/her family members?

On our New Jersey Extreme Risk Protection Orders page, we updated the link to the New Jersey Courts’ Petition for Termination of Final Extreme Risk Protective Order in the question What types of orders are there? How long do they last?

We restructured our New Jersey Crimes page by creating a chart that lists the crime names on one side and the statute numbers on the other side. Now, users can sort crimes alphabetically, making it easier to find crimes by name, or they can sort them according to how they appear in the statutes. We also added the crimes of “stalking of children and persons with mental defect” and “endangering welfare of children.” Changes made in English and Spanish.

We updated the contact information for the Chicanos Por La Causa’s De Colores program on our Arizona Local Programs page.

On our U.S. Virgin Islands Crimes page, we updated the link to the Department of Human Services’ website, which has information on victims’ compensation.

We restructured our Nevada Crimes page by creating a chart that lists the crime names on one side and the statute numbers on the other side. Now, users can sort crimes alphabetically, making it easier to find crimes by name, or they can sort them according to how they appear in the statutes. We also added three new crimes related to fraud and false personation. Crimes added in English; Spanish coming soon!

Based on 2024 legislative changes, we added 12 new immigration-related statutes to our Selected Federal Statutes page. 

We translated into Spanish recent revisions to the question What are the grounds for divorce? on our New York Divorce page.

We translated into Spanish our Louisiana Child Support, Crimes, and Download Court Forms pages. Now the Spanish translation of the Louisiana Legal Information section is complete! That makes Louisiana the 38^th state to be completely translated into Spanish on our website!

In our Montana Download Court Forms page, we added links to the Montana Judicial Branch website for forms related to child support, common law marriage, and name changes for adults and children. 

We revised the following two questions in our Oklahoma Custody section, based on 2024 legislative changes adding child abuse to the factors judges must consider when awarding custody:

• Can a parent who committed domestic violence, child abuse, stalking, or harassment get visitation or custody?
• Aside from domestic violence, child abuse, stalking, and harassment, are there other reasons why the judge might not order custody or visitation?

We revised our Oklahoma Suing an Abuser for Money page to clarify the availability of attorney fees in small claims cases. Changes made in English; Spanish coming soon!

We also added a statute related to custody to our Selected Oklahoma Statutes page.

On our Washington Download Court Forms page, we updated links to the Washington State Courts website’s forms for protection orders, extreme risk protection orders, orders restricting abusive litigation, and custody.

On our New Jersey Restraining Orders page, we updated the links in Do I have to register my protection order in NJ in order to get it enforced? and What if I don’t register my protection order? Will it be more difficult to have it enforced? to the updated New Jersey Domestic Violence Procedures Manual that was edited in 2022.

In our Illinois Stalking No Contact Orders section, we revised Who is eligible for a stalking no contact order? to include that the following additional people can file a petition:

• a victim of stalking who is a service member of the Illinois National Guard or any reserve military component serving in Illinois who already has a military protective order (MPO); or
• the Staff Judge Advocate of the Illinois National Guard or any reserve military component serving in Illinois who is filing on behalf of a victim of stalking who already has a military protective order (MPO). However, the stalking victim must agree (consent) to a petition being filed by the Staff Judge Advocate.

The revision is based on a law that took effect in July 2023; we regret the delay in updating this information. (Spanish soon to come.)

In our Hawaii Divorce section, we revised What factors will a judge consider when deciding alimony? to make the factors easier to understand. We also created a new question called How long can alimony last? Lastly, in our Hawaii Crimes page, we updated links to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s website for the Restitution and Victim Services office and the Crime Victim Compensation Commission.

In our New Mexico Restraining Orders section, we revised Do I need to tell the court in New Mexico if I move? in English and Spanish to add additional information. 

Based on 2024 legislative changes, we revised our Delaware Suing an Abuser for Money page to add that the right to sue someone for money damages if they distribute an intimate image now also applies to “deep fake” images, which are created or changed using digital technology that creates a realistic but false image, audio, or video (“synthetic media”).

We translated into Spanish the recently updated resources on our Kansas Lawyer Referral Services and Legal Assistance pages.

We translated into Spanish recent revisions to 29 questions and five new questions on our T Visa for Trafficking Victims page.

On our About Abuse – Abuse Using Technology page, we translated into Spanish recent revisions to 22 questions and six newly created questions in the following sections:

• Abuse Involving Connected Devices
• Abuse Involving Texts, Photos, and Videos (non-consensual dissemination of intimate image/”revenge porn”)
• Cyberstalking and Online Harassment

In our Massachusetts Restraining Orders section, we revised 6 questions to update the links to various court forms on the Mass.gov website. Changes made in English and Spanish. We also added links the following court forms on our Massachusetts Download Court Forms page:

• extreme risk protection orders;
• divorce;
• custody and parenting time;
• child support; and
• small claims court.

Spanish coming soon.

We added the question How is paternity established in South Carolina? to our South Carolina Custody section. Spanish coming soon!

In our Florida Restraining Orders, we revised 5 questions to update the links to various court forms on the Florida Courts website and we revised one question in our Florida Crimes page to update the link to the VINE program. We also revised 11 questions in the Florida Workplace Protections page for accuracy and clarity. All changes made in English and Spanish. Lastly, we added a statute related to small claims court to our Selected Florida Statutes page.

On our Kansas Crimes page, we did the following:

• Restructured the page by creating a chart that lists the crime names on one side and the statute numbers on the other side. Now, users can sort crimes alphabetically, making it easier to find crimes by name, or they can sort them according to how they appear in the statutes;
• Added the crimes of “violation of a protective order,” “criminal carrying of a gun,” and “selling sexual relations;”
• Updated the link to the Crime Victims Compensation Board, where you can find more information on victims’ compensation in Kansas.

All changes made in English and Spanish.

We restructured our Maine Crimes page by creating a chart that lists the crime names on one side and the statute numbers on the other side. Now, users can sort crimes alphabetically, making it easier to find crimes by name, or they can sort them according to how they appear in the statutes. We also added the crime of “endangering welfare of dependent person.” All changes made in English and Spanish.

We revised our Arizona Suing an Abuser for Money page to add that neither party is allowed to be represented by an attorney unless both of them agree to it in writing. We also added a related statute to the Selected Arizona Statutes page.

Based on legislative amendments that took effect 1/1/24, we revised the California Suing an Abuser for Money page in English and Spanish to update the small claims court limit from $10,000 to $12,500. We also added a related statute to our Selected California Statutes page.

In our Arkansas Domestic Violence Orders of Protection page, we revised Step 3: The ex parte hearing to clarify that if a victim is denied an ex parte order, s/he still has the right to request a hearing for a final order where both sides are present and can offer evidence. In our Arkansas Suing an Abuser for Money page, we added that under Arkansas law, attorneys are not allowed to represent either party in small claims court. (Spanish coming soon.) We also added a statute related to small claims court to our Selected Arkansas Statutes page.

We restructured our Guam Crimes page by creating a chart that lists the crime names on one side and the statute numbers on the other side. Now, users can sort crimes alphabetically, making it easier to find crimes by name, or they can sort them according to how they appear in the statutes. We also added the crime of “disclosure of family violence shelter.”

We revised our Maryland Crimes page to add the crime of ‘driving while under the influence or impairment of alcohol or drug prohibited,’ in English and Spanish.

We restructured our Washington, D.C. Crimes page by creating a chart that lists the crime names on one side and the statute numbers on the other side. Now, users can sort crimes alphabetically, making it easier to find crimes by name, or they can sort them according to how they appear in the statutes.

We also added 17 crimes related to sex offenses, prostitution, identity theft, and gun laws. Crimes added in English; Spanish coming soon.

We restructured our Delaware Crimes page by creating a chart that lists the crime names on one side and the statute numbers on the other side. Now, users can sort crimes alphabetically, making it easier to find crimes by name, or they can sort them according to how they appear in the statutes. We also added 14 crimes related to abuse, assault, burglary, fraud, cruelty to animals, and gun laws.

On our Tennessee Custody page, we translated into Spanish the question What is a parenting plan and what are “parental responsibilities”? as well as recent revisions to How will a judge make a decision about custody?

We translated into Spanish seven new questions and four revised questions on our Virtual Hearings page.

In our Guam Restraining Orders section, we did the following:

• Revised How can a victim advocate help me during the court process? to add a link to our Guam Advocates and Shelters page;
• Revised Who can get an order of protection? to define what the fourth degree of affinity means, which is included in the definition of family or household member;
• Revised an additional 14 questions to improve the clarity and accuracy of the information.

Based on 2024 legislative changes, we revised three questions in our Louisiana State Gun Laws page to add that if the abuser was age 15 or 16 at the time s/he was “adjudicated delinquent” of committing certain crimes, s/he may be violating the law against possessing a firearm. 

We updated the Ohio Coalition for Domestic Violence on our Ohio Statewide Programs page in English and Spanish.

We restructured our Wyoming Crimes page by creating a chart that lists the crime names on one side and the statute numbers on the other side. Now, users can sort crimes alphabetically, making it easier to find crimes by name, or they can sort them according to how they appear in the statutes. We also added three crimes related to assault, unlawful acts via telephone, and firearms.

We revised our Colorado Download Court Forms page in English and Spanish to update the link to the Colorado Courts website’s court forms and to list the types of court forms available.

We restructured the Crimes page for Nebraska by creating a chart that lists the crime names on one side and the statute numbers on the other side. Now, users can sort crimes alphabetically, making it easier to find crimes by name, or they can sort them according to how they appear in the statutes. We also added six crimes related to sexual offenses, trafficking, domestic assault, abandonment, and abuse of a vulnerable or senior adult. All changes made in English and Spanish.

We restructured our Wisconsin Crimes page by creating a chart that lists the crime names on one side and the statute numbers on the other side. Now, users can sort crimes alphabetically, making it easier to find crimes by name, or they can sort them according to how they appear in the statutes. Changes made in English and Spanish.

In our Arizona Injunctions Against Workplace Harassment section, we revised How is an injunction against workplace harassment different from other types of protective orders? in English and Spanish to update the possible filing fee that could be charged.

We added seven crimes to our Mississippi Crimes page related to kidnapping, assault, offenses against children, crimes against public peace, and computer crimes. We also added seven related statutes to our Selected Mississippi Statutes page.

We updated the resource on our Utah Lawyer Referral Services page in English; Spanish coming soon!

We updated one resource on our Utah Statewide Programs page in English and Spanish.

We restructured the Crimes page for North Dakota by creating a chart that lists the crime names on one side and the statute numbers on the other side. Now, users can sort crimes alphabetically, making it easier to find crimes by name, or they can sort them according to how they appear in the statutes.

We restructured our Maryland Crimes page by creating a chart that lists the crime names on one side and the statute numbers on the other side. Now, users can sort crimes alphabetically, making it easier to find crimes by name, or they can sort them according to how they appear in the statutes. Changes made in English and Spanish.

We added the following four crimes to our Illinois Crimes page in English and Spanish: violation of a civil no contact order, violation of a stalking no contact order, aggravated stalking, and harassing and obscene communications.

On our About Abuse – Financial Abuse page we updated the link in If someone opened up accounts in my name without my permission, is this identity theft? for the National Conference of State Legislature’s state identity theft statutes.