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October 2018
In our Delaware Divorce page, we updated the information in What are the grounds to file for an annulment in Delaware? based on an amendment to the law. We also revised and reorganized the content of the question to make it easier to read and moved some of the information to a new question we created called What is the difference between an annulment and a divorce?
We added an Extreme Risk Protection Orders page in our Massachusetts Restraining Orders section in English - Spanish coming soon! We also added three related statutes to our Selected Massachusetts Statutes page.
In our Massachusetts State Gun Laws section, we added information about an order of suspension and surrender in two questions related to whether or not an abuser can have a gun when there is a temporary or final abuse prevention order. We also included information about how an extreme risk prevention order based affects one’s rights to have a gun based on an August 2018 change to the law. Spanish soon to come!
In Arizona, we added information in English and Spanish to the question In which county can I file for an order of protection? to explain that if a child is included as a protected party, the petitioner may be referred to the superior court.
In our North Carolina Housing Laws page, we updated links to outside sources in Spanish and English.
We created a Missouri State Gun Laws section in English to explain the gun laws in Missouri relating to domestic violence, orders of protection, and crimes. We also added six related statutes to the Selected Missouri Statutes section.
We completely revised the content on our Massachusetts Abuse Prevention Orders page, rewriting much of the content and adding three new questions (including two questions related to whether a minor can file for an order or be the defendant in an order). All changes in English; Spanish coming soon.
We made new changes to the information and resources for LGBTQIA Victims in English based on feedback from the National LGBTQ Task Force. Thank you to the Task Force for their assistance! Spanish coming soon!
We translated into Spanish our newly updated Oklahoma State Gun Laws section.
We translated into Spanish the newly added District of Columbia Workplace Protections page.
We updated the Massachusetts Download Court Forms page in English and translated the page into Spanish.
We updated links to outside sources in Spanish and English on our Florida Crimes page.
Based on a state-by-state review, we added information to the question Can I get a restraining order against my same-sex partner? on our LGBTQIA Victims page in English – Spanish coming soon!
September 2018
We translated into Spanish the information about the Arkansas Bar Association on our Arkansas Lawyer Referral Services page.
We translated into Spanish the information on the Northeast Legal Aid, Inc. in our Massachusetts Legal Assistance page.
We translated two resources into Spanish and one resource into English in our Connecticut Legal Assistance page.
We translated into Spanish the information of the Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation which provides services to victims/survivors of domestic violence in New York City.
We translated into Spanish the reviewed information for the Virginia Statewide Hotline under the Virginia Statewide Programs.
We translated into Spanish the Dove Project which is one of the Local Programs that provides services services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Washington.
We translated into Spanish ten (10) Local Programs in Texas and seven (7) programs that provide Legal Services for Battered Immigrant Women.
We updated the links to outside sources in Spanish and English on the following New York pages: Crimes, Child Support, and Workplace Protections.
In our South Dakota Divorce section, we added the question “What else do I need to know about getting a divorce based on irreconcilable differences?“ We also added one related statute to the Selected South Dakota Statutes page.
We updated our Arizona Housing Laws section based on a change to the law that includes sexual assault victims as protected tenants. We also divided up the information that we had (going from two questions to three) in order to make it easier to read. All changes made in English and Spanish.
Based on changes to Arizona law, we updated the information in our Divorce section in the question Can I get alimony? in English and Spanish.
We added a District of Columbia Workplace Protections page in English and 3 corresponding statutes to the Selected District of Columbia Statutes page. Spanish translation coming soon!
We translated into Spanish our recently updated information in multiple questions in our Federal Gun Laws page.
We updated the Divorce information in Guam, adding information on residency, grounds and alimony requirements, and added 18 related statutes to our Selected Guam Statutes page.
We translated into Spanish our newly updated Massachusetts State Gun Laws section.
We updated our Oregon State Gun Laws section in English, adding state-specific information to existing questions and reorganizing the entire section to make the information more accessible. We also added five related statutes to the Oregon Selected Statutes section.
Based on a new law passed in 2018, we added information about enforcing a Canadian domestic violence protection order in Wisconsin to five questions in our Enforcing an Out-of-State Order in Wisconsin page. We also added the related statute to the Selected Wisconsin Statutes page.
We updated the Divorce information in West Virginia, adding information on residency, grounds and alimony requirements, and added 11 related statutes to our Selected West Virginia Statutes page.
In our Wisconsin Restraining Orders section, we added the question “In which county do I file the petition?” to our Domestic Abuse Injunctions page, Child Abuse Restraining Orders page, and Harassment Restraining Orders page. We also added the related statute to the Selected Wisconsin Statutes page.
We translated into Spanish the Virginia Download Court Forms page.
We translated into Spanish the changes we made and the information we added to our California Workplace Protections page.
We updated all of our information and resources for LGBTQIA Victims in English – Spanish coming soon!
We translated into Spanish our newly added New Mexico Workplace Protections page.
We updated our Oklahoma State Gun Laws section in English, adding state-specific information to existing questions and reorganizing the entire section to make the information more accessible. We also added three related statutes to the Oklahoma Selected Statutes section.
To make the information easier to find, we moved the child support information from the Wisconsin Custody section to a newly-created Child Support section. We also revised the information in that section and updated the links to outside sources.
We added a new section to our Wisconsin Custody page called Relocating with your child. In that section, we created three new questions and completely re-wrote a fourth question. We also added a new question called What restrictions are in place while a custody case is pending? and we added the related statute to our Selected Wisconsin Statutes page.
In our Louisiana Protective Orders (for Domestic Abuse) page, we added information about relief that a victim can get in the question How can a protective order help me?
In our Wisconsin Child Abuse Restraining Orders page, we updated the information in What is the legal definition of child abuse in Wisconsin? to add child trafficking to the definition of child abuse. This change was effective in the law in 2017. We regret the delay in adding this.
With the help of the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, we completely re-wrote the answer to the question The abuser uses a gun for his/her job. Does the law still apply? in our Federal Gun Laws section in English. Spanish soon to come.
We translated into Spanish all of our updated information on our Jewish Get Law (Divorce Law) page.
We translated into Spanish our recently updated Michigan State Gun Laws.
We translated into Spanish the Washington Download Court Forms page
We translated into Spanish the District of Columbia Download Court Forms page.
We translated into Spanish the recently added the question What can I do if the abuser violates the order? on our Illinois Stalking No Contact Orders page.
August 2018
We added a New Mexico Workplace Protections page in English (Spanish translation coming soon!). We also added 8 corresponding statutes to our Selected New Mexico Statutes page in English.
On our Ohio Domestic Violence Protection Orders page, we updated the questions What is the legal definition of domestic violence in Ohio? and Am I eligible to file for a protection order? to include new information added to the law that allows a victim in a dating relationship to file for an order.
We updated our Massachusetts State Gun Laws section in English, adding state-specific information to existing questions and reorganizing the entire section to make the information more accessible. We also added a related statute to the Massachusetts Selected Statutes section.
We translated into Spanish a recently-added resource on our California Local Programs page.
We added a new resource in our Colorado Legal Assistance page called Bringing Home Justice, where qualified victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and others can receive free (pro bono) representation for civil legal issues. The information is provided both in English and Spanish.
We translated into Spanish our recently added Georgia Housing Laws page to highlight the housing protections available to victims of family violence.
We translated into Spanish our newly added Documenting/Saving Evidence page in our Abuse Using Technology section.
We translated into Spanish our updated Maryland State Gun Laws section, adding state-specific information to existing questions and reorganizing the entire section to make the information more accessible.
We translated into Spanish our updated Divorce information in Arkansas, which added information on residency, grounds and alimony requirements.
We translated into Spanish our recently added question How can I prevent an abuser from sharing my intimate images on Facebook? in our Safety While Using Social Media section.
We translated into Spanish our newly added Personal Jurisdiction section. This section explains what personal jurisdiction is and why it would be important to someone when the abuser lives in a different state.
We translated into Spanish the recently added Risk Protection Orders page in our Florida Restraining Orders section.
Based on changes to Virginia law, we added information about protections regarding a victim’s cell phone to the questions How can a preliminary protective order help me? and How can a (final) protective order help me? Changes made in English and Spanish.
Based on changes to the law, we updated the question How will the amount of child support be decided? in English and Spanish in our Nevada Child Support section. We also added a new statute in English to the Selected Nevada Statutes page.
We updated the Divorce information in Wisconsin, adding information on residency, grounds and alimony requirements, and added three related statutes to our Selected Wisconsin Statutes page.
We updated all of the information in English on our Jewish Get Law (Divorce Law) page. Spanish translation of updated items coming soon!
On our Illinois Stalking No Contact Orders page, we added the question What can I do if the abuser violates the order? about the possible penalties for violating the order. Spanish translation coming soon!
Based on an addition to Utah’s law, we created a new question called Can two people have protective orders against each other (mutual orders)? in the Utah Dating Violence Protective Orders section. We also added a related statute to the Selected Utah Statutes page.
We reorganized our Legal Definitions page in the Court System Basics section in English and Spanish, and added a quick navigation bar so that legal terms are easier to locate.
We added information in English and Spanish about modifying a domestic violence restraining order in California to the question How do I change or extend my order?
Based on additions to Utah law, we created a new question called Can two people have protective orders against each other (mutual orders)? in our Protective Orders due to Domestic Violence/Abuse section.
We added seven new crimes to the Utah Crimes page.
We created a note on our Asylum page in Immigration in English and Spanish to add the following information based on new federal guidance:
“Note: Foreign victims of sexual abuse may qualify for asylum status if their abuse was related to any of the five protected grounds listed above under asylum law. However, for victims of domestic violence or sexual violence committed by an intimate partner, it may not be possible to get asylum based on the abuse. In 2018, the federal government overturned critical protections for domestic violence survivors seeking asylum and restricted the ability of domestic violence survivors fleeing abuse to get asylum. These restrictions prevent judges from making case-by-case decisions on the merits of an individual victim’s claim. We recommend contacting a knowledgeable immigration attorney who has experience working on asylum before applying for any claim.”
Based on changes to Utah law, we updated the following questions: What is the legal definition of domestic violence/abuse in Utah? and How can a protective order help me? and Who can file for a protective order? and What types of protective orders are there? How long do they last? and If I am going through a divorce, will that affect the length of my protective order? We also added nine related statutes to the Selected Utah Statutes page.
On our Illinois Civil No Contact Orders page, we added information to the question What can I do if the abuser violates the order? about the possible penalties for violating the order. Spanish translation coming soon!
We updated our Michigan State Gun Laws section in English, adding state-specific information to existing questions and reorganizing the entire section to make the information more accessible. We also added four related statutes to the Michigan Selected Statutes section.
July 2018
We added one statute about divorce in New York to the Selected New York Statutes page. This statute is also commonly known in New York as the “Get Law,” which concerns religious divorce in Jewish communities.
We added a Georgia Housing Laws page to highlight the housing protections available to victims of family violence. Spanish translation coming soon.
In our Wyoming Domestic Violence Orders of Protection page, we added the information about ex parte temporary orders and re-wrote the information about final protection orders in the question How can a domestic violence order of protection help me?
We added the crime of violation of a court order regarding custody or visitation to our Virginia Crimes page in Spanish and English.
We translated into Spanish our updated Privacy Policy. Check it out to see how WomensLaw protects the privacy of our users!
We translated into Spanish our new Spoofing page in our Abuse Using Technology section.
We translated into Spanish all of our updated information and resources for Abuse Among People Living with HIV/AIDS.
Based on changes to the law that took effect July 1, 2018, we updated the information in the following questions: What is the legal definition of stalking in Wyoming? and Who can file for an order of protection against stalking or sexual assault? and What types of orders of protection are there? How long do they last? in the Wyoming Orders of Protection Against Stalking or Sexual Assault section.
We recently uploaded our new video blog series about divorce. These videos are recorded in Spanish, with English captioning, and they include all the basic information on the divorce process. The videos include: 1. What are the requirements for a divorce? 2. What documents do I need to file and how do I legally notify my spouse? and 3. What does the divorce process look like and what should you consider if you are a domestic violence survivor?
Based on an addition to Illinois law that allows a judge to order a cell phone carried to transfer an account to the victim of abuse, we added information to How can a plenary order of protection help me? in English and Spanish.
We created a new North Dakota Sexual Assault Restraining Orders page in the Restraining Orders section and added 3 corresponding statutes to the Selected North Dakota Statutes page.
We added a Risk Protection Orders page in our Florida Restraining Orders section. Spanish translation coming soon!
We updated the Divorce information in Utah, adding information on residency, grounds and alimony requirements, and added two related statutes to our Selected Utah Statutes page.
We added the question Can I get alimony? to our Virgin Islands, U.S. Divorce page, and added one related statute to our Selected Virgin Islands, U.S. Statutes page.
We updated our Maryland State Gun Laws section in English, adding state-specific information to existing questions and reorganizing the entire section to make the information more accessible. We also added two related statutes to the Maryland Selected Statutes section.
We added 3 statutes related to Divorce in Missouri to the Selected Missouri Statutes page.
We added 14 statutes related to Divorce in South Dakota to the Selected South Dakota Statutes page.
We added 3 statutes related to Divorce in South Carolina to the Selected South Carolina Statutes page.
We added 3 statutes related to Divorce in Hawaii to the Selected Hawaii Statutes page.
We added 11 statutes related to Divorce in Idaho to the Selected Idaho Statutes page.
We updated the Divorce information in Missouri, adding information on residency, grounds and alimony requirements.
We updated the Divorce information in South Carolina, adding information on residency, grounds and alimony requirements.
We updated the Divorce information in South Dakota, adding information on residency, grounds and alimony requirements.
We added the question How can I prevent an abuser from sharing my intimate images on Facebook? in our Safety While Using Social Media section in English. Spanish coming soon!
June 2018
We updated the Divorce information in Hawaii, adding information on residency, grounds and alimony requirements.
We updated information in multiple questions in our Federal Gun Laws page, and added a related statute to our Selected Federal Statutes page. Spanish translation of updated items coming soon!
We made changes and added information to our California Workplace Protections page in English to reflect changes in the law. Spanish translation coming soon!
Due to an oversight, our California Workplace Protections page did not include a 2014 change to the law that added victims of stalking to the list of protected persons. We fixed that now (in Spanish and English) and we apologize for our error.
We added a new question to the Restraining Orders section in 26 states (including 11 states in Spanish) called If I don’t have a hard copy of my out-of-state order, how can law enforcement enforce it? The rest of the states will soon be added!
To make the information easier to find, we moved the child support information from the California Custody section to a newly-created Child Support section, in Spanish and English.
Based on a 2018 addition to the law, we added information to two questions in our California Custody page about a parent being able to request mediation prior to filing a custody petition in court. All changes made in Spanish and English.
We translated into Spanish the information added to the question What are my options for filing a complaint? on our Sexual Assault/Rape page.
We translated into Spanish our Starting a Court Case page. On this page we explain how someone can start the court process by filing the necessary documents and serving the other parties involved.
We translated into Spanish the information we added to our Oklahoma Domestic Violence Protective Orders page, about how an ex parte order of protection can help victims in the question How can a protective order help me?
We translated into Spanish the Digital Evidence page in our Abuse Using Technology section.
We translated into Spanish the new Illinois Housing Laws section. In this section, we added eight new questions explaining the housing protections in place for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, sexual abuse, and stalking in Illinois.
We added the crime of sexual extortion to the Alabama Crimes page.
We translated into Spanish the information added in Am I eligible for a protection order? in our New Mexico Protection Orders (for domestic violence) page to clarify that non-household members can also qualify. We also translated into Spanish the New Mexico Civil Restraining Orders (for harassment or other harm) section, which was updated in English in May 2018.
We translated into Spanish our section in the Texas Custody page called What rights a parent can get when s/he committed domestic violence or sexual assault.
We added a new resource in our National Organizations page called FreeFrom, where they can work with survivors to try to pair them with the appropriate resources in their state to achieve financial stability. The information is provided both in English and Spanish.
We added the crime of voyeurism to our Arizona Crimes page in English (Spanish translation coming soon) and the related statutes to our Selected Arizona Statutes page in English.
We added Spanish translations to all resources on the California Courthouse Locations page.
We added Spanish translations to all resources on the Oregon Local Programs page.
We added Spanish translations to all resources on the Oregon Statewide Programs page.
We added Spanish translations to all resources on the Oregon Legal Assistance page.
We updated our Privacy Policy in English - Spanish coming soon. Check it out to see how WomensLaw protects the privacy of our users!
We added Spanish translations to all resources on the Pennsylvania Statewide Programs page.
We added Spanish translations to all resources on the Pennsylvania Lawyer Referral Services page.
May 2018
We updated the links to court forms on the Kansas Download Court Forms page.
We added Spanish translations to three resources, Chickasaw Nation Domestic Violence Services, Native Alliance Against Violence, and The Osage Nation, in the Oklahoma Local Programs page.
To improve the experience for our readers, we changed the way we cite the laws throughout the website. Instead of using asterisks, we now use footnotes.
We updated the information in English and Spanish on our Male Victims page in our Abuse in Specific Communities section.
We updated the Divorce information in Idaho, adding information on residency, grounds and alimony requirements.
We translated into Spanish our new section on the Washington Custody page called When the parent –or someone who lives with the parent– is abusive.
We updated all of our information and resources for Abuse Among People Living with HIV/AIDS in English – Spanish coming soon!
We translated into Spanish the information to help explain Grounds for an appeal.
We translated into Spanish the information added to the question Can I keep my personal information confidential? in our Texas Family Violence Protective Orders section, which was based on a recently-enacted law.
Based on a new law in Texas, we added information about conversations with an advocate being privileged and confidential to the question called Step 1: Go to the district attorney’s office or the courthouse to file. All changes made in English and Spanish. We also added three related statutes in English to the Selected Texas Statutes page.
We added 10 new resources to the Texas Local Programs page in English. Spanish Coming soon!
To make it easier to find, we separated out the child support information from our Texas Custody page and moved it into a new Child Support section. We also added a link to Get Child Support Safely at the recommendation of the Texas Council on Family Violence. The additions were made in both English and Spanish.
In Texas, we added information to the question What is mediation? in our Custody page regarding the required family violence training for mediators. All changes made in English and Spanish. We also added the related statute to our Selected Texas Statutes page.
We updated Bolton Refuge House, Inc on the Wisconsin Local Programs page.
We added an Extreme Risk Protection Orders page in our Vermont Restraining Orders section.
We re-wrote our New Mexico Civil Restraining Orders (for harassment or other harm) section in English. Spanish soon to come!
We added the crime of interception of oral communications to our Maine Crimes page and our Selected Maine Statutes page.
We updated all 34 of the resources on the Utah Local Programs page.
April 2018
We updated the Utah Statewide Programs page.
We added Timpanogos Legal Center to the Utah Legal Assistance page.
We added a new Illinois Housing Laws section. In this section, we added eight new questions explaining the housing protections in place for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, sexual abuse, and stalking in Illinois. You can find the corresponding statues in the Selected Illinois Statutes section. All changes made in English - Spanish soon to come!
We added a question called “Where can I find additional information about divorce laws in Rhode Island?“
We updated various questions on our Rhode Island Domestic Violence Restraining Orders page to reflect the new law that allow victims of sexual exploitation to get a restraining order. We also added questions called What is the legal definition of sexual exploitation? and Can a minor file for a restraining order?
We added a Starting a Court Case page to our Preparing for Court section in English. On this page we explain how someone can start the court process by filing the necessary documents and serving the other parties involved. Spanish coming soon!
We added information to multiple questions in our Rhode Island State Gun Laws section based on changes to the law that increased the reasons why an abuser can be prohibited from possessing a gun.
We added the crimes of simple assault and disorderly conduct to our Rhode Island Crimes page and our Selected Rhode Island Statutes page.
Based on a change to Rhode Island law, we added information to the questions How can a restraining order help me? and If the abuser’s gun is taken away as part of my restraining order, what will happen to it? about the surrender of firearms and the right to request a hearing to seek that his/her firearms be returned.
On our Oklahoma Crimes page, we added the crime of identity theft in Spanish. (English had been previously added.)
