Stalking or cyber harassment victims may be tormented not just by exes, but by anyone: from strangers to classmates, neighbors or mere acquaintances. We often hear horror stories of students posting a barrage of mean-spirited, fabricated and harmful online messages, resulting in emotional harm. The term “doxxing” is now part of the national repertoire. Neighbors quarrel, escalating to the point where one or both feels unsafe. These situations frequently lead to months or years of fear and uncertainty, yet sometimes without legal recourse.

This was due in large part to a glaring loophole that has existed for decades in New Jersey’s domestic violence laws. Only certain categories of victims were protected. Until now, the only “victim of domestic violence” entitled to a restraining order under the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act (PDVA) of 1991, N.J.S.A. 2C:25-17 et seq., was one who met the requirement of spouse, household member, person with whom the perpetrator shares a child, or had a dating relationship. The PDVA was drafted to focus specifically on victims of “domestic” violence. It did not protect everyone threatened or endangered or harassed in numerous ways. Where perpetrators were strangers, classmates, neighbors or mere acquaintances, the PDVA did not provide a remedy. This left victims susceptible to abuse with little redress under New Jersey’s domestic violence laws.