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Accomplished Domestic Assault Lawyers in Minneapolis, Minnesota

50+

Years Of Collective Experience

10,000

Cases Successfully Resolved

100%

Criminal & DWI Defense

175+

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Four Minneapolis Domestic Assault Attorneys, One Powerful Law Firm

Attorney Kyle Dreger

Kyle Dreger

Attorney Gerald Miller

Gerald Miller

How Can Our Domestic Assault Attorneys in Minneapolis Help You?

Protected Relationships

Prohibited Conduct

Restraining Orders

Using Domestic Assault Convictions in Family Court

According to one estimate, one in four women are the victim of relationship violence at some point during their lives. Even if that statistic is inflated, there is no doubt that domestic violence is one of society’s most serious problems. In addition to violence, these incidents usually involve betrayal and abuse of power. Many people consider these things just as bad, or even worse, than the abuse itself.

A cornerstone of criminal defense is that there are almost always two sides to the story. That principle is very important to us at Gerald Miller, P.A. If you face domestic assault charges, we offer a vigorous defense. If you need protection, we offer assistance in this area as well. Our team does not take sides. Our team stands up for individual rights.

Protected Relationships

Any experienced Minneapolis Domestic Assault Violence lawyer will confirm that almost all domestic assault cases involve husbands and wives. And, in most of these cases, the alleged abuser is the husband and the alleged victim is the wife. Common law marriages are not legal in Minnesota. Therefore, these relationships always involve two people who are legally married.

Dating violence is a distant second. Frequently, these alleged victims only file charges in extreme cases. The law protects these relationships, but a situation like “dating partners” is rather hard to define. The couple need not be engaged, but one or two dates usually does not constitute a relationship.

Relationships created by blood or marriage are also protected. That includes two people who had a child together. These incidents are rather rare because although these relationships are often contentious and
abusive, extreme violence is rather uncommon.

Prohibited Conduct Defense

The domestic violence law does not just prohibit physical violence. It applies to all of the following:

  • Physical Harm: Technically, physical injury is not a requirement. However, unless the alleged victim sustained a noticeable injury, it’s hard to prove that an assault occurred. It’s even harder to prove the assault
    was intentional and not accidental.
  • Imminent Fear of Physical Harm: A verbal threat might not be sufficient. Additionally, the threat must be credible. If the alleged abuser does not own a gun, threatening to shoot the alleged victim is not an imminent
    threat of physical harm.
  • Terroristic Threat: This category covers a wide range of behavior, such as criminal sexual conduct, direct interference with an emergency call, and false imprisonment (e.g. blocking someone’s path or confiscating
    someone’s car keys).

As mentioned, prosecutors must not only prove the conduct. They must prove the conduct was intentional (which is not the same thing as malicious). And, they must prove these things beyond a reasonable doubt. When hiring an attorney, remember that the defenses provided by a Minneapolis Domestic Assault Violence lawyer may be different from those provided by a Minneapolis Assault lawyer. Pick wisely!

Restraining Order Defense

Most police officers are legally required to inform alleged victims of their right to a restraining order. This additional step does more than offer more protection. It undercuts a common defense, which is the alleged victim fabricated the assault to cause problems for the alleged abuser.

Restraining orders are not just pieces of paper. They impose additional restrictions and additional penalties. Most restraining orders include provisions for financial support payment and/or surrender of firearms. Additionally, violating a restraining order is a very serious offense.

Finally, restraining orders allow alleged victims to put third parties, like daycares and schools, on notice about the issues.

Using Domestic Assault Convictions in Family Court

Domestic assault convictions have no lookback period or statute of limitations. Theoretically, any conviction could adversely affect any future family law matter, especially a child custody dispute. The conviction is especially relevant if the child the subject of the suit witnessed the assault or was the victim.

Frequently Asked Questions

In this context, domestic violence is either physical violence or the imminent, credible threat of physical violence. Emotional and other non-physical violence could be the subject of a restraining order, which is a related procedure.

Simple domestic violence is usually a misdemeanor. Extreme domestic violence, such as criminal sexual conduct or violence which results in serious bodily harm, is usually a felony. Minnesota lawmakers recently eliminated the marital CSC immunity provision.

You just asked a mouthful. In most cases, alcohol is one of the most prominent contributing factors. Domestic abuse usually involves underlying emotional issues as well, such as abuse of power and betrayal of trust.

Technically, alleged victims are witnesses in these criminal cases. Witnesses can ask prosecutors to drop charges, but only prosecutors have the authority to do so. In fact, if any witness, including an alleged victim, refuses to cooperate, the state could issue a subpoena.

Most domestic assault cases, including violation of a protective order, are misdemeanors (up to six months in jail) or gross misdemeanors (up to a year in jail). Many other domestic assault cases are felonies, and some are very serious felonies.

How We Make A Difference For You

See What Our Clients Say

abdiqani jamal
abdiqani jamal
05:28 04 Mar 23
For 2 years of my life I lived in fear and anxiety of prison and having my record ruined for the rest of my life at such a young age over a crime I never committed. For that time I worked with this law firm on this case and the professionalism and care I received was one I have never seen before in my life. We ended up taking the case to trial and quite honesty what I saw was unbelievable, Brody was one of the greatest lawyers I have ever come across in my life, the attention to detail, the hard work, and intelligence was out of this world we won a unanimous decision of not guilty and to say that I have been satisfied with choosing this law firm is a complete understatement. I truly believe that if I had not been working with this firm and my lawyer was not Brody Hacken I would not have received this victory and I would be sitting in a prison with my entire life ruined today. I mean this with all sincerity thank you so much for saving my life.
Doug Fanning
Doug Fanning
12:55 02 Mar 23
Gerald Miller helped me with a bizarre situation. Something was illegal that most of us would not think it was. Gerry was able to use his years of experience and long time relationships to get the charge adjudicated. This saved my job and I am ever grateful to Gerry. Great law firm with established roots in the community.
Richard Huntley
Richard Huntley
21:42 16 Feb 23
Reached out to Kyle for some clarification and guidance in my situation and he was very helpful and took the time to ensure he understood the situation before answering my questions. Don’t hesitate to reach out.
Jaime Miller
Jaime Miller
15:32 18 Jan 23
Sumanth Prakash
Sumanth Prakash
18:28 05 Jan 23
Very comforting and helpful !! I really looked up to them and very responsive at any time
Austin Thompson
Austin Thompson
16:08 27 Dec 22
In my own experience with Mr. Kyle dreger, he was incredibly professional and down to earth while simultaneously being comforting and light hearted to work with on my case. He managed to lower a possible several year prison sentence down to a year of house arrest with probation time. I would recommend Mr. Dreger to anyone in need of legal assistance. Mr. Dreger fought for me to ensure I got the best possible outcome from my case

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Keeping You Informed

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What Does Domestic Violence Mean in Minnesota?

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