Do I Need an Order of Protection to Deal with My Ex’s Stalking?

 Posted on March 13, 2023 in Family Law

In Texas, just as in every other state in the country, stalking is considered a serious crime. The Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) defines stalking as “engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for his or her safety or the safety of others or suffer substantial emotional distress.”

One of the most frequent times a stalker’s behavior is triggered and during a divorce or breakup. If you are going to end a relationship and your partner is harassing, stalking, or threatening you, obtaining an order of protection is a critical first step in keeping you and your children safe.

Stalking Statistics

It is estimated that almost 14 million people a year are stalked, with one in three women and one in six men reporting they have been stalked. The majority of people who are being stalked know their stalkers – 40 percent are stalked by a current or intimate partner and 42 percent are stalked by an acquaintance. Approximately 75 percent of people who are being stalked are eventually threatened with physical violence by their stalker.

Types of Stalking

When many people hear about a stalker, they often imagine the stalker lurking in the shadows and physically following the individual. While physical stalking is a dangerous reality and happens every day, virtual stalking is just as prevalent and can be just as dangerous. Stalkers often bombard their targets with phone calls, text messages, emails, and other forms of online communication.

A stalker will often track their target’s activity on social media sites to see who they are “talking” with and what types of activities they may be doing. They may even attempt – and be successful – in hacking into their target’s social media accounts to read private messages. There are many instances where the stalker will hack into their target’s account and sent all kinds of messages and expose online information to the target’s family, friends, and co-workers.

Contact a Collin County Order of Protection Lawyer for Help

It is not uncommon for a spouse or partner to be upset about a pending divorce or breakup and try to talk the spouse who wants the divorce out of going through with it. However, when the line between the rational desire to discuss the relationship to obsessive behavior and acts that put your emotional, physical, and/or financial safety in jeopardy, it is time to share with your divorce attorney the behavior of that spouse and take the necessary steps to obtain an order of protection.

To learn more, call Pfister Family Law at 972-954-6455 to schedule an initial consultation with a dedicated Frisco, TX divorce lawyer and find out what legal options you may have.

Sources:

https://www.stalkingawareness.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/SPARC_StalkngFactSheet_2018_FINAL.pdf

https://www.justice.gov/ovw/stalking