Definitions of Domestic Violence - Oklahoma

Defined in Domestic Violence Civil Laws
Citation: Ann. Stat. Tit. 43, § 109

'Domestic violence' means the threat of the infliction of physical injury, any act of physical harm or the creation of a reasonable fear thereof, or the intentional infliction of emotional distress by a parent or a present or former member of the household of the child against the child or another member of the household, including coercive control by a parent involving physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, economic, or financial abuse.

'Stalking' means the willful course of conduct by a parent who repeatedly follows or harasses another person, as defined by title 21, § 1173.

'Harassment' means a knowing and willful course or pattern of conduct by a parent directed at another parent that seriously alarms or is a nuisance to the person and that serves no legitimate purpose, including, but not limited to, harassing or obscene telephone calls or conduct that would cause a reasonable person to have a fear of death or bodily injury.

Defined in Child Abuse Reporting and Child Protection Laws

This issue is not addressed in the statutes reviewed.

Defined in Criminal Laws
Citation: Ann. Stat. Tit. 21, §§ 641; 642; 644; Tit. 22, § 60.1

'Assault' is any willful and unlawful attempt or threat or offer with force or violence to do corporal hurt to another. 'Battery' is any willful and unlawful use of force or violence upon the person of another.

Any person who commits any assault and battery against a current or former intimate partner or a family or household member, as defined by title 22, § 60.1, shall be guilty of 'domestic abuse.'

'Domestic abuse' means any act of physical harm or the threat of imminent physical harm that is committed by an adult, emancipated minor, or minor child age 13 or older against another adult, emancipated minor, or minor child who is currently or was previously an intimate partner or family or household member.

'Harassment' means a knowing and willful course or pattern of conduct by a family or household member or an individual who is or has been involved in a dating relationship with the person, directed at a specific person that seriously alarms or annoys the person and which serves no legitimate purpose. The course of conduct must be such as would cause a reasonable person to suffer substantial emotional distress and actually must cause substantial distress to the person. 'Harassment' shall include, but not be limited to, harassing or obscene telephone calls and fear of death or bodily injury.

'Stalking' means the willful, malicious, and repeated following or harassment of a person by an adult, emancipated minor, or minor age 13 or older in a manner that would cause a reasonable person to feel frightened, intimidated, threatened, harassed, or molested and actually causes the person being followed or harassed to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, threatened, harassed, or molested. Stalking also means a course of conduct composed of a series of two or more separate acts over a period of time, however short, evidencing a continuity of purpose or unconsented contact with a person that is initiated or continued without the consent of the individual or in disregard of the expressed desire of the individual that the contact be avoided or discontinued. Unconsented contact or course of conduct includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Maintaining a visual or physical proximity to the individual
• Approaching or confronting that individual in a public place or on private property
• Appearing at the workplace of the individual or contacting the individual's employer or coworkers
• Appearing at the individual's residence or contacting the individual's neighbors
• Entering onto or remaining on property owned, leased, or occupied by the individual
• Contacting the individual by telephone, text message, electronic message, electronic mail, or other means of electronic communication or causing the telephone or electronic device of the individual or the telephone or electronic device of any other person to ring or generate notifications repeatedly or continuously, regardless of whether a conversation ensues
• Photographing, videotaping, audiotaping, or, through any other electronic means, monitoring or recording the activities of the individual
• Sending any physical or electronic material or contacting the individual by any means, including any message, comment, or other content posted on any internet site or web application
• Sending any physical or electronic material to the individual's family member, household member, any current or former employer, any current or former coworker, or any friend of the individual, or contacting such person by any means, including any message, comment, or other content posted on any internet site or web application, for the purpose of obtaining information about, disseminating information about, or communicating with the individual
• Placing an object on or delivering an object to property owned, leased, or occupied by the individual
• Delivering an object to the individual's family or household member, employer, coworker, or friend, or placing an object on or delivering an object to property owned, leased, or occupied by such a person, with the intent that the object be delivered to the individual
• Causing a person to engage in any of the acts described in this list

Persons Included in the Definitions
Citation: Ann. Stat. Tit. 22, § 60.1

The term 'family or household members' includes the following:

• Parents, including grandparents, stepparents, adoptive parents, and foster parents
• Children, including grandchildren, stepchildren, adopted children, and foster children
• Persons otherwise related by blood or marriage living in the same household
• Persons not related by blood or marriage living in the same household

The term 'intimate partner' includes the following:

• Current or former spouses
• Persons who are or were in a dating relationship
• Persons who are the birth parents of the same child, regardless of their marital status or whether they have lived together at any time
• Persons who currently or formerly lived together in an intimate way, primarily characterized by affectionate or sexual involvement

A sexual relationship may be an indicator that a person is an intimate partner but is never a necessary condition.

The term 'living in the same household' includes any of the following:

• Persons who regularly reside in the same single-dwelling unit
• Persons who resided in the same single-dwelling unit within the past year
• Persons who have individual lease agreements whereby each person has his or her own private bedroom and shares the common areas