Client Story: Stalked by an Ex: Cait’s Story

Cait was being stalked by an ex-boyfriend, Dave. They had dated for a while, but Cait had broken up with him over a year earlier. Dave was in her past – or so she thought. Cait came to us for help. She was seeking a Domestic Restraining Order against Dave. He had been relentlessly pursuing her. He called her, emailed her and sent her hundreds of texts. Cait had more than 60 texts of her own documenting that she had repeatedly asked him to leave her alone. But Dave continued to try to contact Cait. He called her mother. He went to her mother’s home. He tracked down Cait’s new boyfriend and started calling him.

By the time we met Cait, she had taken some significant measures to avoid Dave. She had changed her phone number and her email address. She had blocked him on all her social media. She had even moved to a new home in the hope that Dave would leave her alone. He continued to call her mother and stop by her mother’s home. Eventually, Dave found out Cait’s new address and showed up outside her home.

Dave’s stalking behavior was creepy and certainly unnerved Cait, but when she spoke with us, she said that he was not threatening her with physical violence and did not think that Dave would hurt her. He had no criminal record and no history of violence. Because of this we had a choice to seek either a Domestic Restraining Order or a Harassment Prevention Order.

Cait qualified for a Domestic Restraining Order because she and Dave had been in a “substantive dating relationship”. However, Cait was not in danger of immediate physical harm. This fact made us decide that the better course of action was to seek a Harassment Prevention Order. This would have the same desired effect, Dave would leave Cait alone. She opted not to file criminal charges against Dave because all she wanted was for Dave to leave her alone. Learn more about Harassment Prevention Orders and Domestic Restraining Orders here.

A Lawrence District Court judge granted a Harassment Prevention Order to Cait. Dave is required to stay away from Cait. He cannot visit her, call her, text her for as long as the order is in place. If, in that time, Dave reappears in Cait’s life he can be arrested for violating the order. The issuance of the Harassment Prevention Order is a civil proceeding, but violating it has criminal consequences.

Cait wisely came to us to help her. Even though she was not in physical danger, Dave’s behavior caused her considerable anxiety. Having to uproot her life and change her contact information repeatedly took a toll on her peace of mind. We were able to remove this stress from Cait’s life and give her a good outcome to a difficult situation. Contant Law 617-227-8383.

Put Contant in your contacts.