On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Domestic Violence on Thursday, August 23, 2012.
Domestic abuse is absolutely a very real situation. The abuse can invoke continual fear and emotional trauma, which is why those who hurt others should be held accountable.
However, while there are very real situations of domestic violence that happen in Missouri — and around the country — there are also incidents where a person is falsely accused of domestic violence. These false accusations can leave a lasting impact on a person’s life, especially when it’s one parent lying in an attempt to gain child custody.
Recently, one former state representative was forced out of the Legislature after the ethics committee started an investigation due to the domestic violence charges he was facing. However, since then a judge assigned to the case has acquitted the former lawmaker on those charges.
These most recent charges stemmed from some sort of alleged incident with an ex-girlfriend. In the past, his ex-wife also accused him of domestic violence, but last month he was acquitted on that accusation.
For the lawmaker, once some members of the House found out about the alleged incident, an ethic complaint was filed against him. Saying this created a “hostile work environment” the representative resigned.
In general, while in this case there were no children involved in the case, the incident does highlight the fact that just because someone is accused of domestic violence it does not mean anything actually happened.
Our firm is there to help not only the victims of domestic abuse, but we are also here to stand up for the person facing false domestic violence claims. To learn more about our practice, please visit our St. Louis domestic abuse page.
Source: The Arizona Republic, “Former Arizona lawmaker acquitted of domestic violence,” Mary Jo Pitzl, Aug. 22, 2012
