Definitions of Domestic Violence - Maine

Defined in Domestic Violence Civil Laws

Citation: Rev. Stat. Tit. 19-A, § 4002

The term 'abuse' includes the following acts between family or household members or dating partners or by a family or household member or dating partner upon a minor child of a family or household member or dating partner:

• Attempting to cause or causing bodily injury or offensive physical contact, including sexual assaults
• Attempting to place or placing another in fear of bodily injury through any course of conduct, including, but not limited to, threatening, harassing, or tormenting behavior
• Compelling a person by force, threat of force, or intimidation to engage in conduct from which the person has a right to abstain or to abstain from conduct in which the person has a right to engage
• Knowingly restricting substantially the movements of another person without that person's consent
• Committing or threatening to commit a crime of violence dangerous to human life against the person
• Repeatedly and without reasonable cause following the plaintiff or being at or in the vicinity of the plaintiff's home, school, business, or place of employment
• Engaging in the unauthorized dissemination of certain private images
• Engaging in sex trafficking

'Economic abuse' means causing or attempting to cause a person to be financially dependent by maintaining control over the person's financial resources, including, but not limited to, unauthorized or coerced use of credit or property; withholding access to money or credit cards; forbidding attendance at school or employment; stealing from or defrauding of money or assets; exploiting the person's resources for personal gain of the defendant; or withholding physical resources such as food, clothing, necessary medications, or shelter.

Defined in Child Abuse Reporting and Child Protection Laws

This issue is not addressed in the statutes reviewed.

Defined in Criminal Laws

Citation: Rev. Stat. Tit. 17-A, §§ 207-A; 209-A; 210-B; 210-C; 211-A

A person is guilty of 'domestic violence assault' if the person commits an act of assault and the victim is a family or household member as defined in title 19-A, § 4002.

A person is guilty of 'domestic violence criminal threatening' if the person commits an act of criminal threatening and the victim is a family or household member.

A person is guilty of 'domestic violence terrorizing' if the person commits an act of terrorizing and the victim is a family or household member.

A person is guilty of 'domestic violence stalking' if the person commits an act of stalking and the victim is a family or household member.

A person is guilty of 'domestic violence reckless conduct' if the person commits an act of reckless conduct and the victim is a family or household member.

Persons Included in the Definition

Citation: Rev. Stat. Tit. 19-A, § 4002

'Family or household members' means the following:

• Spouses or domestic partners and former spouses or former domestic partners
• Individuals presently or formerly living together as spouses
• Parents of the same child
• Adult household members related by consanguinity or affinity
• Minor children of a household member when the defendant is an adult household member

For the purposes of title 15, §§ 1023(4)(B-1) and 1094-B; this chapter; and title 17-A, §§ 15, 207-A, 208-D, 208-E, 208-F, 209-A, 210-B, 210-C, 211-A, 1802, 1804 and 2301(1) only, the term includes individuals presently or formerly living together and individuals who are or were sexual partners. Holding oneself out to be a spouse is not necessary to constitute 'living as spouses.'

For purposes of this subsection, 'domestic partners' means two unmarried adults who are domiciled together under long-term arrangements that evidence a commitment to remain responsible indefinitely for each other's welfare.

'Dating partners' means individuals currently or formerly involved in dating each other, whether or not the individuals are or were sexual partners.