The term Domestic Violence is one which brings certain images and ideas to mind. Perhaps the most common perception is that of physical violence inflicted upon one person by another. One of the more commonly held views is that this sort of violence involves a husband as the perpetrator and the wife as the victim. While such cases are, sadly, a reality for some in Washington State, Domestic Violence as a term can be used to describe a wide range of crimes that may encompass robbery, abuse of children or spouse. Even threats of violence are taken into consideration here. Basically, Domestic Violence refers to any criminal act that is carried out by one family member against a fellow member of the family.

But what defines a family member? In these days where divorce is commonplace and the extended family almost the norm, there are many who struggle with the boundaries when it comes to ascertaining what constitutes ‘family’ or ‘members’ of a family or household.

In short, a family member or household member need not be someone who is actually living with or currently closely associated with the family in question. Therefore, ex partners who no longer reside in the family home are still legally classified as ‘family members’ when it comes to charges of Domestic Violence.

Is your boyfriend considered a family member? Or your ex-girlfriend? Yes, people who have been dating in the past or are presently seeing each other are categorized as family members.

Likewise individuals who have a child, irrespective of whether they live together or have ever lived together. While the more obvious family members such as parents and children, siblings and grandparents and stepparents and stepchildren and siblings are easily pigeonholed as family members, when it comes to ‘brother of the ex-boyfriend’ type scenarios many feel the edges are blurry. And the last thing you need when you are part of a possible Domestic Violence case, be it as alleged perpetrator or as the victim, is lack of clarity.

That’s where we can help in Washington State. As elsewhere, it’s imperative that victims and alleged perpetrators of crimes that come under the Domestic Violence category seek professional advice. The Seattle Criminal Defense Team of SQ Attorneys has the experience and expertise when it comes to providing high impact representation for people charged with crimes in the domestic violence bracket. We cover the following areas: King County, Pierce County, Snohomish County, Kitsap County, Thurston County and these cities and towns: Algona, Bellevue, Black Diamond, Bonney Lake, Bothell, Burien, Des Moines, Duvall, Edmonds, Enumclaw, Everett, Federal Way, Hunts Point, Issaquah, Kenmore, Kent, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park, Lake Stevens, Lakewood, Lynnwood, Maple Valley, Marysville, Medina, Mercer Island, Monroe, Mountlake Terrace, North Bend, Puyallup, Redmond, Renton, Sammamish, Sea Tac, Seattle, Shoreline, Snohomish, Tacoma, Tukwila, University Place, and/or Woodinville, for any other city or town in Western Washington, call The Criminal Defense Team of SQ Attorneys at (206) 441-0900 for an initial free consultation.