Manhattan Domestic Violence Lawyer

Domestic Violence / Intimate Partner Violence Attorney Serving Manhattan and All of NYC

Victims of domestic violence (“DV”) and their children deserve special care and protection. No matter how strong a person is, continued emotional, verbal, and physical violence is bound to erode a person’s self-esteem and make them subjection to domination and control. Intimate-partner violence (“IPV”) is particularly destructive because it is caused by those who should nurture and protect instead of violate and abuse. It is not surprising that a victim of DV or IPV should suffer trauma and perhaps even post-traumatic stress disorder (“PTSD”) that continues long after the physical threat abates. If you or a loved one is a victim of spousal or intimate partner abuse, don’t delay. Contact a Manhattan Domestic Violence Attorney at Chaim Steinberger, P.C. today for compassionate advocacy.

Thus the DV victim must be treated with care, kindness, and understanding. A victim might not be ready to confront certain aspects of the divorce. The victim might not be knowledgeable about the finances. And parts of the victim’s story might seem implausible until one realizes the constraints they were under and the very real challenges they faced.

Children Are Victims Too

Children of DV victims require special considerations as well. Even if they themselves were not physically assaulted, witnessing IPV likely traumatized them. Moreover, to feel safe, they might align themselves with the abuser.

These cases, therefore, require the special skills of a kind, caring, nurturing New York City lawyer, who can help the DV victims and their children recover from the traumas they’ve endured. Let Chaim Steinberger be a dedicated advocate in your corner.

Allegations of Domestic Violence or Abuse

In a case involving allegations of domestic violence or abuse, the evaluation should address the following information:

• Each parent’s thoughts about the history of conflict resolution during the relationship and subsequent to separation;
• Each parent’s thoughts about the history of violence in the relationship;
• Each parent’s reports of psychological, emotional, verbal, physical, financial, or sexual abuse;
• Each parent’s reports of fear of the other and reasons for that fear;
• Each parent’s reports of the first, worst, and most recent incidents of violence;
• Each parent’s reports of threats, including threats to harm the other person, pets, children, or property;
• Each parent’s understanding of where the children were when the parents fought and when these incidents occurred and each parent’s understanding of how the children were (or were not) affected by the fighting;
• Evidence that the evaluator explored, with sufficient depth, each of these issues;
• An analysis of the allegations with a formulation of whether the evidence most likely points to abuse of a type referred to in the literature as coercive controlling violence (CCV), abuse of a type referred to in the literature as situational couple violence (SCV), or abuse of a type referred to in the literature as separation-instigated violence (SIV);
• Once a hypothesis has been developed, evidence that the evaluator considered the following issues in developing the most appropriate parenting plan:
• Whether or not there was a primary perpetrator;
• The potency of the violence and whether the risks are increasing or decreasing post-separation;
• Parenting problems (if any) of each parent;
• The perspective of the children.

In cases with a likelihood of CCV, evidence that the evaluator considered and understood the following:

• The importance of safety planning and lethality risk;
• Whether or not the abusive parent has taken responsibility for the abuse and its impact on the victim and children;
• Whether or not the abusive parent is using the children to control or otherwise undermine the parenting of the other parent;
• The inherent risks associated with the abusive parent having either legal or a significant amount of physical custody.

A Manhattan Domestic Violence Attorney Can Help

Reach out to a Manhattan Family Law Attorney at Chaim Steinberger, P.C. for a free telephone consultation and to get a no-obligation sense of his style, and the care and devotion he has for his clients. Contact us by filling out our convenient online form or call (212) 964-6100. Dealing with domestic violence can be challenging, both emotionally and legally. But you are not alone. We are here for you. As a victim of domestic violence, you may have options available to you under the law. Unfortunately, many of us are woefully unfamiliar with what our specific rights are. Schedule a meeting with our firm to develop together a plan for your healing and moving forward to a better life.

Additional Resources:

For more information, additional resources, or to obtain help, contact any one of these resources:

National Domestic Violence Hotline: https://www.thehotline.org/

For a longer list of other national resources and organizations who support or help victims of DV, go to the website of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence: https://ncadv.org/resources

For information on how to develop a personalized safety plan, go to: https://ncadv.org/personalized-safety-plan

New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence: https://opdv.ny.gov/

New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence: https://www.nyscadv.org/