Approximately 32.9% of women and 27.3% of men in the State of California will experience abuse from a partner that comes in the form of physical violence, stalking, and/or sexual violence. Sadly, these are topics that are still sometimes considered taboo and tend to be situations in which people feel that they have to keep to themselves. However, nothing is more important than to reach out for help.

Perhaps one of the biggest issues of a relationship that is rarely addressed by a professional are threats of violence. Threats are different from physical acts of abuse. However, they can most definitely be a form of abuse on their own.

What Are Examples of Threats of Violence?

There is a fine line between joking around, saying something cruel merely out of anger but with zero intentions to act out that anger, and genuinely wishing harm on someone. Authentic threats of violence that require that the victim reaches out for help fall into the latter category but can sometimes involve the second category as well – or can at least be a sign of, and lead to, potential violence in the future.

Some specific examples of threats of violence can include:

• “Talk to him/her again, and I’ll knock both yours and his/her lights out.”
• “If I see you walking out that door in those shorts, I’ll throw your laptop out a two-story window.”
• “I’ll catch this house on fire if you don’t delete all of your social media accounts.”
• “I’m going to shoot your dad if you tell him you’re thinking about divorcing me.”
• “If you don’t get an abortion, I’ll kill our unborn child in your sleep.”
• “I’m going to purposely crash this car next time you act like a backseat driver.”
• “Don’t wanna listen to me? Your cat might not be alive when you get back.”

Notice how physical threats can be directed towards you specifically, towards someone else, or towards a beloved possession/building.

Receive Legal Help for Verbal Threats in California

Verbal threats of violence, at first, may seem like no big deal. You might brush it off in the beginning, thinking they’re merely a control tactic and that the threats don’t mean anything, but as time goes on, those threats might just get more serious and more frequent. As a result, you may genuinely fear for your safety – or even for your life in general.

When it comes to this, it’s critical to contact police if you feel you’re in immediate danger as threats most definitely can result in actual violence or physical damage. It’s also a good idea to get in touch with a California attorney specializing in domestic violence to side with you in the courtroom. This way, you can potentially work towards get a restraining order and receive any other legal help you require to ensure you’re safe and sound.

If you reside in Southern California and are dealing with verbal threats from a partner or ex, please contact Torrence L. Howell now at (909) 920-0908.