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Online abuse held to be domestic violence…
A spurned partner carried out a Facebook and internet smear campaign against his former partner. The Family Court’s decision to make a protection order was upheld in the High Court.
The Court found the behaviour left the victim reasonably concerned about future slandering and psychological abuse, and the behaviour was not remedied by the offensive posts being removed from social media and other websites.
The case is a reminder that the definition of “domestic violence” includes more than physical violence. Psychological abuse will also be domestic violence, and that can include comments made online.
Please note that Rainey Collins is not contracted to provide Legal Aid, other than in the Treaty of Waitangi area. We therefore are unable to take on any Civil or Family Legal Aid work. If you require Legal Aid in those areas, you can search the list of Legal Aid lawyers on the Ministry of Justice website.
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