What’s New on WomensLaw.org

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November 2019

We added the crimes of “indecent assault,” “false caller identification information display,” and “unlawful electronic transmission of sexually explicit visual material” to our Texas Crimes page in English and Spanish.

In our Texas Custody page, we added information to What is a standard possession order? about the typical terms in a standard possession order for parents who live 100 miles apart or less. Changes made in English; Spanish soon to come.

We added one statute to our Selected Delaware Statutes page based on an Email Hotline inquiry.

Based on 2019 changes to the law, in our Texas Custody page, we added information in English about:

additional people who can file for conservatorship in Other than a parent, who else can file for managing or possessory conservatorship (custody)?
the right to apply for, renew, and keep a child’s passport in What is sole managing conservatorship (SMC)?
additions rights of a conservator in What is conservatorship (custody)? What types are there?

Spanish soon to come!

We added six statutes related to abusive civil actions to our Selected Tennessee Statutes page.

Based on 2019 additions to the law, we added a new section with five new questions to our Tennessee Suing an Abuser page.

Based on 2019 additions to the law, in our Oklahoma Restraining Orders section, we updated the information in four questions, including What are the reasons (grounds) for getting a protective order? We also updated What types of protective orders are available? How long do they last? to reflect that an emergency temporary order of protection can now last for up to 14 days instead of just until the next date that the court is open. All changes in English.

We added 8 New York statutes on extreme risk protection orders on our Selected New York Statutes page.

We added a New York Extreme Risk Protection Orders page. Spanish translation coming soon!

In our South Carolina Custody page, we updated the link to court forms on the South Carolina Judicial Branch website. We also updated the links in our South Carolina Download Court Forms page and added links for family court forms and for restraining orders based on harassment and stalking.

We updated the links and information in English and Spanish on our Oklahoma Download Court Forms page.

Based on a 2019 addition to the law that makes it illegal to possess a firearm if you are on probation pursuant to a deferred judgment for a felony, we updated two questions in our Nebraska State Gun Laws section. We also updated the links to resources found on Nebraska Legal Aid’s website on our Nebraska Custody page and Divorce page.

We added a statute related to a trafficking victim’s right to sue the trafficker for money damages to our Selected Nebraska Statutes page.

Based on 2019 amendments to the law, we added information to our Nebraska Suing an Abuser page about a trafficking victim’s right to sue the trafficker for money damages.

We updated the links on our Rhode Island Custody page to link to the newest child support schedule of payments based on monthly income and to link to the newest modification request form. We also updated the website and phone number for the state’s victim compensation program on our Rhode Island Crimes page.

Based on 2019 additions to the law, in our Rhode Island Domestic Violence Restraining Orders section, we updated the information in Am I eligible? Do I file in family court or district court? regarding children who can be eligible for a restraining order. We also updated What protections can I get in a domestic violence restraining order? to include the fact that the judge can include a provision for the safety of household animals and pets.

We added the crime of “disclosing intimate images” to our Selected Washington Statutes page.

We added two statutes to our Selected Ohio Statutes page about suing in civil court if an abuser shares your private sexual images and the crime of nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images.

We added the crime of coercion to our Selected Nevada Statutes page in English.

We added the crime of “nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images” to our Selected Missouri Statutes page.

We added the crimes of sex trafficking and forced marriage to our Selected Maryland Statutes page.

We added the crimes of strangulation in the first and second degrees to our Kentucky Selected Kentucky Statutes page.

We added seven statutes to our Utah Selected State Statutes section, mostly relating to sexual violence protective orders.

Based on 2019 additions to the law, we revised three questions in our Nevada Restraining Orders section regarding the length of time that temporary and extended orders can last. The changes were made in the Orders for Protection Against Sexual Assault page, Orders for Protection Against Domestic Violence page, and Orders for Protection Against Stalking & Harassment page. All changes made in English and Spanish.

We added 19 questions to our Preparing for Court - By Yourself section. The new questions address such topics as Time Limits (Statutes of Limitation), Subject Matter Jurisdiction, Motions, and Collecting a Judgment, in English. Spanish coming soon!

Based on 2019 additions to the law, we created three new questions in our Nevada Restraining Orders section. The question, entitled Can an order for protection be changed or ended early? was added to our Orders for Protection Against Sexual Assault page, Orders for Protection Against Domestic Violence page, and Orders for Protection Against Stalking & Harassment page. All changes made in English; Spanish coming soon.

In our Nevada Custody section, we revised If I have a custody order from another state, can I enforce it in Nevada? to update the notice requirements that a petitioner must follow when registering an out-of-state custody order. We regret the delay in making this update, which is based on a 2017 change to the law. Changes made in English; Spanish coming soon.

Based on a new law, we created a Sexual Violence Protective Orders section in our Utah Restraining Orders section.

We added a new question and updated all the information on our Abuse in Tribal Communities page in English– Spanish coming soon! WomensLaw thanks attorney Janet Routzen, Rosebud Sioux Tribe, and former executive director of the White Buffalo Calf Woman Society, for her help in creating and editing this information!

We updated five resources on our Hawaii Legal Assistance and one resource on Lawyer Referral pages.

We updated all the links on our National Organizations pages in English and Spanish.

In our Utah Protective Orders due to Domestic Violence/Abuse section, we updated four questions based on changes in the law, including adding aggravated animal cruelty as an abusive act that could qualify someone for an order in What is the legal definition of domestic violence in Utah?

We updated the information and resources, including a direct link to to DV LEAP, which helps victims with civil appeals cases on our After a Decision is Issued page in Preparing for Court - By Yourself in English. Spanish coming soon!

In our Nevada Orders for Protection Against Domestic Violence section, based on 2019 changes to the law, we added information to Step 4: Service of process about requesting alternate service if law enforcement cannot serve the abuser at his/her home. We also updated the penalties for violating an order in What can I do if the abuser violates the order? Changes made in English; Spanish coming soon.

We also added the crime of coercion to our Nevada Crimes page in English and Spanish.

Based on 2019 changes to the law, in our Nevada Orders for Protection Against Domestic Violence section, we made the following changes: 1) We added three additional criminal acts that could qualify someone for an order in What is the legal definition of domestic violence in Nevada? 2) We updated the relationship requirements in Who is eligible for an order for protection against domestic violence? 3) We clarified the basis for granting a temporary order in What is an order for protection against domestic violence? What types of orders are there? All changes made in English and Spanish.

Based on a new law that tolls protection order expiration dates when the abuser is in jail or prison, we added a new question to our Wyoming Restraining Orders section called, What happens to my protection order if the abuser goes to jail or prison?

Based on a 2019 change to the law that increased the length of time that a protection order can be extended (from one year to three years), we revised the information in two questions in our Wyoming Protection Orders section.

Based on 2019 changes to the law regarding the effect of voluntary admission into treatment on firearm possession, we updated two questions in our Connecticut State Gun Laws page in English and Spanish.

In Delaware, we added 8 statutes on lethal violence protective orders to the Selected Delaware Statutes page. More information coming soon!

October 2019

Based on a 2019 change to the law that added strangulation as a ground for an interpersonal protective order, we revised the information in two questions in our Kentucky Interpersonal Protective Orders section.

We added the crimes of strangulation in the first and second degrees to our Kentucky Crimes page.

Based on a 2019 change to the law that added strangulation as a ground for a protective order, we revised the question What is the legal definition of domestic violence in Kentucky? in our Kentucky Protective Orders / Domestic Violence Orders section.

We updated the contact information for Safe on Seven Domestic Violence Center (S.O.S.) on our North Carolina Local Programs page.

We added an Illinois Firearms Restraining Orders page in English and 9 corresponding statutes to the Selected Illinois Statutes page. Spanish translation coming soon!

We updated and reorganized our entire Domestic Violence in the Military section in English. This update involved rewriting many questions using new guidance that had been issued by the Department of Defense, updating outdated links, and adding new resources. Spanish coming soon!

We updated our Ohio 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 one related statutes to the Ohio Selected Statutes section. Spanish coming soon!

We updated the resources on our Nebraska Download Court Forms page.

On our Louisiana Restraining Orders page, we added the question What types of stalking protective orders are there? How long do they last?

On our Louisiana Restraining Orders page, we revised the question What types of sexual assault protective orders are there? How long do they last? to add information about the court process and how an order may be renewed.

We added the crimes of sex trafficking and forced marriage to our Maryland Crimes page in English and Spanish.

In our Maryland State Gun Laws page, we updated two questions based on changes to the law that expand the amount of crimes that are considered “crimes of violence” for firearm prohibition purposes. Changes were made in Spanish and English.

We added the crime of “nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images” to our Missouri Crimes page.

In our Maryland Custody section, we revised the question What is mediation? Is it ordered for victims of abuse? to add information about the process for parties to request a substitute mediator and to clarify how many hours the mediation can last. All changes were made in English and Spanish.

We added new links to custody-related court forms on our Idaho Custody page and new links to small claims court forms on our Idaho Suing an Abuser page.

We added the crime of “disclosing intimate images” to our Washington Crimes page iin English and Spanish and to the Selected Washington Statutes page in English.

Based on changes to the law, we revised the information in What is the legal definition of telephone harassment in Idaho? and What is the legal definition of malicious harassment in Idaho? in our Idaho Protection Orders Against Malicious Harassment, Stalking, and Telephone Harassment page.

We added the crime of “use of telephone to annoy, terrify, threaten, intimidate, harass or offend” to our Idaho Crimes page.

We updated the Iowa Elder Abuse Protective Orders page based on changes to the legal definition of a “vulnerable elder.”

Based on new laws, we added two new questions to our Indiana Firearms Seizure and Retention page called What happens if a dangerous individual possesses a gun after the judge removes his/her firearms? and Under what circumstances can the firearms be returned to the individual? We also revised the information in the question How are firearms removed from a dangerous individual under this law? For how long are they removed?. We added four related statutes to our Selected Indiana Statutes page.

Based on changes to Indiana law, we updated What types of order for protections are there? How long do they last? iin our Indiana Orders for Protection page to include information about not being able to get an ex parte order based only on harassment.

We added information on our Ohio Suing An Abuser page about suing in civil court if an abuser shares your private sexual images. We also added the corresponding statute to our Selected Ohio Statutes page.

We added the crime of nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images to our Ohio Crimes page in Spanish and English.

We added a Vermont Extreme Risk Protection Orders page and 5 corresponding statutes to the Selected Vermont Statutes page.

September 2019

On our Ohio Places that Help page, we added descriptions of services and updated the contact information for 84 State and Local Programs and 25 Legal Services/Lawyer Referral Services. All updates were made in English and Spanish.

We updated the contact information for the 244 courthouses on our Texas Courthouse Locations page in English and Spanish.

We translated into Spanish our Oregon Sexual Abuse Protective Orders.

We translated into Spanish our Ohio Download Court Forms page.

We translated into Spanish our recently-updated Ohio Domestic Violence Protection Orders section.

We updated all 86 courthouses on our Ohio Courthouse Locations page in English and Spanish. We changed the contact information from the clerk’s office to the courts of common pleas and added each court’s website to make it easier for users to access the information that they need.

We updated all 26 resources on our Illinois Legal Assistance pages in English and Spanish!

We translated into Spanish our recently created District of Columbia Extreme Risk Protection Orders page.

We added a new section about Orders of Protection for Adults with Disabilities to our Illinois Restraining Orders page. Spanish coming soon!

Based on 2019 changes to the law, we added added four new questions about non-parent visitation in the Who can get custody and visitation section of our Illinois Custody page. Spanish coming soon!

Based on 2019 changes to the law, we added added two new questions about “equitable caregivers” and made one edit to a question about visitation in the Who can get custody and visitation section of our Georgia Custody page. We also added one related statute to our Selected State Statutes page. Spanish coming soon!

We translated into Spanish our Connecticut Local Programs.

Based on feedback from Loveisrespect, we made changes to our information and resources in Information for Teens and Young Adults in English ans Spanish!

We translated into Spanish over 200 organizations that are listed in our National Organizations page.

We added the crime of distribution of an intimate image to our Indiana Crimes page and Selected Indiana Statutes page.

With the help of ASISTA, we completely re-wrote our T Visa for Trafficking Victims page in English to make it even more plain-language than it already was! Spanish coming soon. We also added one related statute in English to our Selected Federal Statutes page.

We updated the Divorce information in Washington, in English and Spanish, by adding three new questions with information on residency, grounds and alimony requirements. We also added two related statutes to our Selected Washington Statutes page.

We added one new resource on our Chat Rooms and Message Boards page in English and Spanish.

We translated into Spanish our newly added Massachusetts Workplace Protections page.

We translated into Spanish our Massachusetts Extreme Risk Protection Orders page.

We translated into Spanish our newly created page on Elder Abuse under our Abuse in Specific Communities section.

Based on an email hotline response, we added the South Carolina statute on registering an out-of-state custody order to our Selected South Carolina Statutes page.

We updated the Divorce information in Virginia, in English and Spanish, by adding five new questions with information on residency, grounds and alimony requirements. We also added five related statutes to our Selected Virginia Statutes page.

We added ASISTA to our National Organizations - Immigration page in English and Spanish.

We updated the Divorce information in Oklahoma, in English and Spanish, adding information on residency, grounds and alimony requirements, and added two related statutes to our Selected State Statutes page.

We added a New Mexico Custody section in our Legal Information section, and we also added ten related statutes to our New Mexico Selected Statutes section. The additions are in English and Spanish!

We added the crime of criminal stalking to our Indiana Crimes page and Selected Indiana Statutes page.

Based on July 2019 changes to the law, we updated multiple questions in our Indiana Orders for Protection (due to Domestic Violence) page. We included new grounds for which a child can get an order to multiple questions; we re-wrote the question called Can I get an order for protection if I’m a minor?; and we added a new question called Aside from domestic or family violence, what are the other reasons for which I can get an order for protection? to include the new ground of harassment as the basis for an order.

We translated into Spanish our newly updated question Who can get custody? in our New Jersey Custody page.

We translated into Spanish the new question How does an abuser give up his/her guns and ammunition? and the other two updated questions in our Colorado State Gun Laws page.

Based on 2019 changes to the laws, in our Illinois Orders of Protection section, we updated Who is eligible for an order of protection? to add information on the additional people who can be protected by an order. We also updated multiple questions in our Illinois Stalking No Contact Orders section to include that an authorized agent of a school, workplace, or house of worship can file for an order. All changes were made in English and Spanish.

We added a Litigation Abuse page in our About Abuse section in English and Spanish.

We updated all of our information and resources in Information for Teens and Young Adults in English – Spanish coming soon!

Based on an Email Hotline inquiry, we added a law regarding criminal statutes of limitation to our Selected Indiana Statutes page.

We added two new resources to our National Organizations - Military section in English and Spanish.

August 2019

At the bottom of every state’s Know the Laws - By State page, we added a link in English and Spanish to our Places that Help page for the state.

On our Georgia Crimes page, we updated the name of the crime that was formerly called “sexual assault” and is now called “improper sexual contact” based on a 2019 change to the law. Changes made in English and Spanish.

Based on a 2019 addition to Georgia’s laws, we added information in English and Spanish to our Georgia Custody page. Specifically, we added that blindness cannot be the reason that custody can is denied to a parent to the question How will a judge make a decision about custody?

We revised the content in the Ways to educate yourself section in English and Spanish. We also relocated it to our Court System Basics section to make it easier to find.

We added a District of Columbia Extreme Risk Protection Orders page in English and 5 corresponding statutes to the Selected District of Columbia Statutes page. Spanish translation coming soon!

Based on 2019 changes to the law, we added information to four questions in our D.C. State Gun Laws page in English and Spanish. We also hyperlinked various crimes that prohibit someone from getting a firearm to the definitions of those crimes to make the information easier to understand.

We added the crime of violation of an extreme risk protection order to our Selected D.C. Statutes page in English and to our D.C. Crimes page in English and Spanish.

We translated into Spanish our Ohio Stalking or Sexually Oriented Offense Protection Orders section in our Restraining Orders page.

In our New Jersey Custody page, we updated the question Who can get custody? in English. Spanish coming soon!

We translated into Spanish our Ohio Suing an Abuser page.

We translated into Spanish our Ohio Moving to Another State with Your Ohio Protection Order and the Enforcing an Out-of-State Order in Ohio sections.

We translated into Spanish our recently added a question called Is a step-child considered to be a child for the purposes of VAWA? in our VAWA for Abuse Victims page. We also translated it in our U Visa for Crime Victims page and T-Visa for Trafficking Victims page.

We translated into Spanish the information we recently added to the California Civil Harassment Orders section. We updated the questions Am I eligible to file for a civil harassment order? Who can I file against? and What protections can I get in a civil harassment order? and we also created a new question in both the Civil Harassment Orders section and the Domestic Violence Restraining Orders section called If I qualify for both a CHO and a DVRO, which one should I apply for?

We translated into Spanish our Oregon Extreme Risk Protection Orders section in our Restraining Orders page.

Based on an Email Hotline inquiry, we added a law regarding the division of property during divorce to our Selected California Statutes page.

We translated into Spanish our Reproductive Abuse and Coercion page on our Forms of Abuse section.

We translated into Spanish our District of Columbia section on Employment Discrimination on our Workplace Protections page.

We translated into Spanish or Maryland question Under what circumstances can I request that the court records be shielded from public view? in our Restraining Orders page.

We translated into Spanish the information we have in our Georgia Housing Laws.

We translated into Spanish our Ohio Crimes page.

We translated into Spanish our Ohio Custody page.

We translated into Spanish our Ohio Divorce page.

We updated the resources on our Michigan Sheriff Departments page in English and Spanish.

We updated the resources on our Ohio Sheriff Departments page in English and Spanish.

We updated the contact information for 72 courthouses on our Virginia Courthouse Locations page and added 170 new courthouses. All changes were made in English and Spanish.

We updated the resources on our Virginia Sheriff Departments page in English and Spanish.

In Illinois, we added nine new statutes on Firearm Restraining Orders to our Selected Illinois Statutes page.

Based on an Email Hotline inquiry, we added a law regarding modifying and discontinuing protection from abuse orders to our Selected Pennsylvania Statutes page.

We created a new page about Elder Abuse in English in Abuse in Specific Communities. Spanish coming soon!

In our Arkansas Domestic Violence Orders of Protection page, we added information to What can I do if the abuser violates the order? about affirmative defenses that an abuser can claim at trial regarding the petitioner’s actions. We also added possible penalties for a Class D felony violation. Changes made in English; Spanish soon to come. We also added two related statutes to our Selected Arkansas Statutes page in English and Spanish.

We created a new question called “How does an abuser give up his/her guns and ammunition?“ and updated two other questions in our Colorado State Gun Laws page. All changes in English, Spanish coming soon!

We updated the resources on our Oregon Sheriff Departments page in English and Spanish.

We added a question called “What happens if USCIS denies my U visa application?“ and updated four other questions in our U visa section based on recent directives and guidance from ICE, USCIS, and DHS. All changes in English, Spanish coming soon!

We translated into Spanish our Maryland Extreme Risk Protective Orders page.

We updated the resources on our Maryland Sheriff Departments page in English and Spanish.

Based on an Email Hotline inquiry, we added the definition of a “dating relationship” to the question Am I eligible to file for a DVRO? in our California Domestic Violence Restraining Orders section in English and Spanish.

We added a Massachusetts Workplace Protections page in English and one corresponding statute to our Selected Massachusetts Statutes page. Spanish translation coming soon!

We updated and revised seven more questions in our T-Visa for Trafficking Victims page in English. Spanish coming soon!

We updated the resources on our Chat Rooms and Message Boards page in English and Spanish.

July 2019

We added information to our Massachusetts Extreme Risk Protection Orders page in English. Spanish translation coming soon!

Based on an Email Hotline inquiry, we added a law regarding fee waivers to our Selected Indiana Statutes page.

We just published our Preparing for Court video blog series! This series is narrated in Spanish with English subtitles. They include information on things to consider and do before filing a court case, where and how to start your court case, what happens after you file, what to expect at a hearing or trial and how to prepare for it, and court-based examples illustrated by actors on how to make objections, admit evidence, and conduct direct and cross-examination.

Based on an Email Hotline inquiry, we added a law regarding paternity to our Selected Pennsylvania Statutes page.

We added 18 new courthouses and revised the contact information for 58 courthouses on our Massachusetts Courthouse Locations page in English and Spanish.

In our Ohio Custody page, we updated the links to the Ohio Bar Association in the question Where can I find more information about custody in Ohio?

We created a new page on Reproductive Abuse and Coercion in English in Forms of Abuse. Spanish coming soon!

We added an Oregon Extreme Risk Protective Orders page in English and 6 corresponding statutes to the Selected Oregon Statutes page. Spanish translation coming soon!

We translated into Spanish our Discovery Basics section. This new section explains how to use and respond to various discovery tools, including, document requests, depositions, interrogatories, a bill of particulars, and witness lists.

In Minnesota, we added a Housing Laws page with a short description of a law in Minnesota that allows certain tenants to end their lease. We will be adding more information to this page later.

We added a question called Is a step-child considered to be a child for the purposes of VAWA? in our VAWA for Abuse Victims page. We also added a similar question in our U Visa for Crime Victims page and T-Visa for Trafficking Victims page. All additions were made in English; Spanish soon to come.

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