What is considered domestic violence in North Carolina?
Under North Carolina domestic violence laws, domestic violence is defined as abuse or acts of violence between two people who share a personal relationship.
When thinking about what constitutes domestic violence, it’s important to recognize that domestic violence laws don’t only apply to married couples.
In addition to spouses, domestic violence can occur between:
- Parents (or guardians) and their children
- Grandparents and their grandchildren
- Two people who live together
- Opposite-sex couples who are dating
- Two people who have a child together
The following acts of abuse are considered to be domestic violence in North Carolina:
- Intentionally causing physical injury or attempting to cause physical injury.
- Keeping the abused person or a member of the abused person’s family in a state of fear with threats of injury or continued harassment.
- Committing sexual assault, rape, or other sex-related crimes on the abused person.