New law targets abusive litigation by domestic violence perpetrators

Article here. Excerpt:

'Some domestic violence survivors say they face abuse in the courts, even long after they’ve severed ties with their partner. A new Washington law, which took effect Jan. 1, seeks to stop what’s known as “abusive litigation.”

Catherine West is an attorney with the advocacy group Legal Voice. She said a survivor of domestic violence can be continually dragged into court by an ex-partner, ostensibly to challenge a protection order or child custody agreement. But, West said, the real purpose is often just to get the survivor in the courtroom.

“They have to confront their former partner. It’s really a way of continuing to exert control,” West said.

She said the law won't keep people from being able to access the courts. She said it only rises to the level of abusive litigation if a person, say, repeatedly files motions in different courts or in front of different judges to try and get an additional hearing after a judge has already ruled on a set of facts.
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The law gives judges the discretion to determine if filings by a domestic violence perpetrator against a former partner amount to abusive litigation.'