Statutes: Oklahoma

As used in the Protection from Domestic Abuse Act and in the Domestic Abuse Reporting Act,1 Sections 40.5 through 40.7 of this title, and Section 150.12B of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes:

1. “Dating relationship” means intimate association, primarily characterized by affectionate or sexual involvement. For purposes of this act,2 a casual acquaintance or ordinary fraternization between persons in a business or social context shall not constitute a dating relationship;

2. “Domestic abuse” means any act of physical harm or the threat of imminent physical harm which is committed by an adult, emancipated minor, or minor child thirteen (13) years of age or older against another adult, emancipated minor or minor child who is currently or was previously an intimate partner or family or household member;

3. “Family or household members” means:

a. parents, including grandparents, stepparents, adoptive parents and foster parents,

b. children, including grandchildren, stepchildren, adopted children and foster children,

c. persons otherwise related by blood or marriage living in the same household, and

d. persons otherwise related by blood or marriage;

4. “Foreign protective order” means any valid order of protection issued by a court of another state or a tribal court;

5. “Harassment” means a knowing and willful course or pattern of conduct by a family or household member or an individual who is or has been involved in a dating relationship with the person, directed at a specific person which seriously alarms or annoys the person, and which serves no legitimate purpose. The course of conduct must be such as would cause a reasonable person to suffer substantial emotional distress and must actually cause substantial distress to the person. “Harassment” shall include, but not be limited to, harassing or obscene telephone calls in violation of Section 1172 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes and fear of death or bodily injury;

6. “Intimate partner” means:

a. current or former spouses,

b. persons who are or were in a dating relationship,

c. persons who are the biological parents of the same child, regardless of their marital status or whether they have lived together at any time, and

d. persons who currently or formerly lived together in an intimate way, primarily characterized by affectionate or sexual involvement. A sexual relationship may be an indicator that a person is an intimate partner, but is never a necessary condition;

7. “Mutual protective order” means a final protective order or orders issued to both a plaintiff who has filed a petition for a protective order and a defendant included as the defendant in the plaintiff’s petition restraining the parties from committing domestic violence, stalking, harassment or rape against each other. If both parties allege domestic abuse, violence, stalking, harassment or rape against each other, the parties shall do so by separate petition pursuant to Section 60.4 of this title;

8. “Rape” means rape and rape by instrumentation in violation of Sections 1111 and 1111.1 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes;

9. “Stalking” means the willful, malicious, and repeated following or harassment of a person by an adult, emancipated minor, or minor thirteen (13) years of age or older, in a manner that would cause a reasonable person to feel frightened, intimidated, threatened, harassed, or molested and actually causes the person being followed or harassed to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, threatened, harassed or molested. Stalking also means a course of conduct composed of a series of two or more separate acts over a period of time, however short, evidencing a continuity of purpose or unconsented contact with a person that is initiated or continued without the consent of the individual or in disregard of the expressed desire of the individual that the contact be avoided or discontinued. Unconsented contact or course of conduct includes, but is not limited to:

a. maintaining a visual or physical proximity to the individual,

b. approaching or confronting that individual in a public place or on private property,

c. appearing at the workplace of the individual or contacting the employer or coworkers of the individual,

d. appearing at the residence of the individual or contacting the neighbors of the individual,

e. entering onto or remaining on property owned, leased or occupied by the individual,

f. contacting the individual by telephone, text message, electronic message, electronic mail, or other means of electronic communication or causing the telephone or electronic device of the individual or the telephone or electronic device of any other person to ring or generate notifications repeatedly or continuously, regardless of whether a conversation ensues,

g. photographing, videotaping, audiotaping, or, through any other electronic means, monitoring or recording the activities of the individual. This subparagraph applies regardless of where the act occurs,

h. sending any physical or electronic material or contacting the individual by any means, including any message, comment, or other content posted on any Internet site or web application,

i. sending to a family member or member of the household of the individual, or any current or former employer of the individual, or any current or former coworker of the individual, or any friend of the individual, any physical or electronic material or contacting such person by any means, including any message, comment, or other content posted on any Internet site or web application, for the purpose of obtaining information about, disseminating information about, or communicating with the individual,

j. placing an object on, or delivering an object to, property owned, leased or occupied by the individual,

k. delivering an object to a family member or member of the household of the individual, or an employer, coworker, or friend of the individual, or placing an object on, or delivering an object to, property owned, leased, or occupied by such a person with the intent that the object be delivered to the individual, or

l. causing a person to engage in any of the acts described in subparagraphs a through k of this paragraph; and10. “Victim support person” means a person affiliated with a domestic violence, sexual assault or adult human sex trafficking program, certified by the Attorney General or operating under a tribal government, who provides support and assistance for a person who files a petition under the Protection from Domestic Abuse Act.