First Discussion of Coercive Control in a Reported Appellate Decision Since it Was Added to the Domestic Violence Statute

The topic of coercive control is one that rightfully has gotten a lot of attention in the last few years. It is coming up more and more as part of custody cases. Moreover, in January of 2024, New Jersey’s Domestic Violence statute was amended to include coercive control – not as a predicate act of domestic violence (though prior proposed versions of amendments to the statute included it as such), but rather, among the statutory factors courts must consider when determining whether to issue a Final Restraining Order (FRO).