NEW YORK STATE LAW PERMITS FAMILY COURT ORDERS OF PROTECTION FOR PERSONS IN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS
On July 22, 2008, New York State Governor David A. Patterson signed into law a bill permitting the Family Court to issue orders of protection to persons in ‘intimate relationships.’
Prior to the new legislation, the Family Court had jurisdiction to grant orders of protection only to victims of domestic violence and other family offenses who were:
1. Married to or divorced from the alleged perpetrator.
2. Related to the alleged perpetrator by blood or marriage.
3. Had a child in common with the alleged perpetrator.
Under the new law, the Family Court may now issue an order of protection in favor of a person who is in an ‘intimate relationship.’ The law defines an ‘intimate relationship’ as:
Persons who are not related by consanguinity or affinity and who are or have been in an intimate relationship regardless of whether such persons have lived together at any time. Factors the Court may consider in determining whether a relationship is an “intimate relationship” include but are not limited to: the nature or type of relationship, regardless of whether the relationship is sexual in nature; the frequency of interaction between the persons; and the duration of the relationship. Neither a casual acquaintance nor ordinary fraternization between two individuals in business or social contexts shall be deemed to constitute an “intimate relationship”
The new law is intended to encompass dating relationships and couples who live together. Both heterosexual and homosexual relationships are included in the law.
This increased access to the Family Court for victims of domestic violence brings New York law into line with that of the other 49 states, all of which currently have similar provisions for orders of protection.
I recently had to move from new york due to a relationship from the kind mentioned in the article. I didnt had time to set in a new place, so I put my belongings in the moving, and headed to another state.