Are Threats From Your Ex Scaring You? Talk To A Personal Injury Lawyer
Breakups can be very difficult situations and some take them better than others. For example, some ex lovers may take to threatening their ex partners in a way that crosses over from mere pique and into assault. Pursuing this type of case may require the help of a personal injury attorney.
Threats From an Ex Lover May Fall Under the Assault Heading
Love is often a situation that can very easily fall into its direct opposite – hate. Those who have been dumped or hurt may make threats at an ex simply to intimidate them or upset them. However, others may cross the line and commit assault with mere verbal phrases. The intensity of what they say must be so real and so immediate that a person fears for their lives in that moment, even if no harm comes to them.
And if this happens, a person can very easily pursue a personal injury case. This type of assault is considered both a criminal and civil case and can be approached in both court types. Proving this case, though, will be a challenge to many. That's because assault is such a unique charge and is one that is particularly difficult to work with when threats are involved.
Proving Assault In This Case
Threats may fall under assault but only in specific circumstances. That's because assault has a very specific definition. For example, you need to believe that the person making the threat would actually harm you. Past acts of aggression – such as domestic assault – or even past verbal assault may be used as evidence of a person's intent. In essence, you – and any other reasonable person – must believe that harm is imminent.
And there is the difficult aspect here – imminence. An ex saying that they will "slit your throat next week" is not committing assault because the act is in the future. However, an ex claiming that they will slit your throat who moves towards you and reaches towards you with their hand in their pocket is definitely committing assault, even if there is no knife in their pocket or on their person.
The law gets murky in these situations because you don't need to be physically harmed to suffer assault – emotional injury is enough. Therefore, you should contact a personal injury lawyer right away to learn more about your rights. These professionals can look through your situation, gather evidence, and present a solid and hard-to-combat case against your ex that may get them in serious trouble.