Q: Is it a violation of a RO if threats are sent to a 3rd party, but 3rd person isn’t asked to pass on the threat but does?
I hold a harassment RO against a sibling in WI. The injunction requires them to avoid “causing” anyone from contacting me. Contact was to a mutual family member where they, unprompted, threatened to ruin me financially and lied about my conduct; a repeat of some of the behavior that the court was made aware of in the original RO petition and hearing (among threats of violence).
While they didn’t explicitly ask the 3rd party/mutual family member to communicate with me or not tell me, the purpose of sibling’s contact was solely to threaten and warn them about their plan for me. The 3rd party then contacted me, and said they thought I needed to hear the threats and then gave me proof of the written communication. This news has caused me great anxiety and stress. With this general background, could this possibly violate the RO?
A: I believe that the Court would find this to be a threat through a third party. You would need to find exceptions to the hearsay rule to have these threats admitted into evidence. The third party receiving the communication would need to testify. A statement by the person It would be considered obvious that the writer of the communication intended for this to be passed back to you.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
