Restraining Orders

This section defines domestic violence for the purposes of getting a protection order. Domestic violence is when a family or household member or someone you are in a dating relationship with does any of the following:

• attempts to cause or recklessly causes you bodily injury;
• by the threat of force, puts you in fear of immediate, serious physical harm;
• commits menacing by stalking;
• commits aggravated trespass;
• commits any act with respect to a child that would result in the child being an “abused child” (as defined by law),¹ which includes mental injury that harms or threatens to harm the child’s health or welfare;² or
• commits a sexually oriented offense,¹ which is defined as any of the following acts:
  • rape;
  • sexual battery;
  • unlawful sexual contact with a minor (see the statute sections (A)(2) and (3) for certain conditions regarding the age difference of the victim and offender);
  • gross sexual imposition;
  • sexual imposition;
  • importuning (soliciting a minor for sexual activity);
  • voyeurism (deals with secretly videotaping sexual acts or similar actions);
  • compelling prostitution;
  • promoting prostitution;
  • pandering obscenity;
  • pandering obscenity involving a minor;
  • illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material or performance;
  • felonious assault when committed with a sexual motivation; and
  • committing menacing by stalking with a sexual motivation.³
  • Note: There are additional acts involving human trafficking, murder, manslaughter, kidnapping and other crimes when sexually motivated, which we have not included in the above list; to read these, see sections (A)(4),(7)-(11) of the law.

¹ Ohio Rev. Code § 3113.31(A)(1)
² Ohio Rev. Code § 2151.031(D)
³ Ohio Rev. Code § 2950.01(A)