Virginia

VIRGINIA allows domestic violence protective orders to include pets. In addition, federal law includes the crime of stalking and actions that make the victim fear that the stalker will hurt the victim's pet, service or emotional support animal, or horse (18 U.S.C. § 2261A (2019)) . BLUE STATES specifically provide for the inclusion of pets in protective/restraining orders. GRAY STATES do…

VIRGINIA is considered a One-Party Consent State, in that at least one person involved in the recorded communication must give permission. BUT... There are circumstances and spaces that can affect whether you can legally record your abuser, even in a 1-party consent state.   DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT! We know you, like all the others, probably already are documenting, but the…

The Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) exists to protect victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and other crimes from their abusers being able to track and locate them, potentially putting them in continued harm's way. The program gives victims a legal substitute address where their first-class mail will be forwarded (free of charge) to their actual address. This substitute address…