Restraining Orders

This section defines domestic violence for the purposes of getting a domestic violence protective order. Kentucky law defines “domestic violence and abuse” as one or more of the following acts between “family members” or “members of an unmarried couple:”

1. causing physical injury or serious physical injury;

2. committing sexual assault, which includes any degree of rape, sodomy, sexual abuse, or incest;
3. a criminal attempt, conspiracy, facilitation, or solicitation to commit sexual assault;
4. committing assault;
5. committing stalking;
6. committing the acts described in strangulation in the first degree or strangulation in the second degree; 
7. a criminal attempt, conspiracy, facilitation, or solicitation to commit the strangulation in the first or second degree; 
8. putting you in fear of immediate physical injury, serious physical injury, sexual abuse, strangulation, or assault;
9. committing cruelty to animals in the 1^st or 2^nd degree;
10. torturing a dog or cat; 
11. committing sexual crimes against an animal; or
12. making you afraid that the abuser will commit the acts listed in numbers 9 through 11, above, to a pet you’re close to, in order to force you to do something, control you, punish you, scare you, or get revenge against you.¹

Note: It’s important to know that the abuser does not have to be arrested or convicted for committing any of these crimes listed above.

¹ Ky. Rev. Stat. § 403.720(2), (8), (9)