In a recent case I worked on, Wife submitted text messages as evidence of domestic violence and threats made by Husband. The threats in the text messages were short and to the point. Husband had learned that Wife’s boyfriend had been arrested for pretty horrific domestic violence in front of the children. He requested, and was granted, temporary custody of the three minor children.

Wife responded by filing her own Domestic Violence Restraining Order (DVRO) against Husband (with whom she had not lived nor seen for several years) and took the kids back from him—now with no visitation pending resolution of the Domestic Violence issues related to the threats in the text messages that she alleged he had sent her. The text messages were ominous and deeply threatening and any judge in their right mind would have granted a Temporary DVRO on the basis of this evidence.