Allegations of domestic violence are more common than most people would imagine. For example, in one year there were 108,525 calls to the Philadelphia Police Department regarding domestic violence and 6,256 domestic violence-related arrests. That's over 300 calls per day.
Special rules apply to domestic violence allegations and people can be arrested without police and prosecutors having to go through normal pre-arrest procedures and impartial review. This is why it is important to consult an experienced attorney immediately if you are facing allegations of domestic violence. Our lawyers (Michael Parkinson, Timothy Tarpey, and James Lloyd) are criminal defense attorneys and former Philadelphia Assistant District Attorneys with more than 40 years experience who have handled hundreds of traffic offenses and DUI cases. Talk to an experienced attorney for a free consultation at (215) 352-3432.
There are ways to successfully defend allegations of domestic violence or abuse. Below are examples of recent cases in which we obtained excellent results for our clients charged with offenses based on allegations by family members, and current or former spouses, boyfriends, and girlfriends.
Commonwealth v. E.M.
Our client was called to his mother's home when his niece made allegations that she was abused by her father who had partial custody. When the alleged abuser attempted to remove the juvenile from her home against her will, our client intervened. After receiving a complaint from the alleged abuser, police arrested our client and charged him with multiple felonies including criminal conspiracy and aggravated assault, 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 2702. Our client was facing a prison sentence of up to 40 years.
Result: At trial, our client was found not guilty of all charges.
Commonwealth v. M.B.
Our client’s wife accused him of repeatedly assaulting her. Bucks County Police arrested our client and charged him with multiple cases of assault.
Result: Our attorney was able to have one of the casesdismissed at the preliminary hearing. At trial on the remaining case, our attorney presented evidence that the accuser was addicted to narcotics and fabricated the allegations in order to extort money from our client. Our client was found not guilty of all charges at trial.
Commonwealth v. D.B.
Our client was charged with numerous charges including assault and weapons offenses based upon allegations made by an ex-fiancé. The charges carried a possible prison sentence of up to 14 years.
Result: All charges were withdrawn.
Commonwealth v. R.D.
Our client with no prior criminal record was arrested and charged with domestic violence after allegations were made by his girlfriend. Our client was charged with assault and related offenses which could have resulted in a prison sentence of 9 years.
Result: All charges were withdrawn.
Commonwealth v. K.H.
Our client's ex-girlfriend told police that our client threatened her with a gun. The police immediately searched our client's house but found no gun or other evidence. Police arrested our client anyway and charged him with crimes including felony Violation of the Uniform Firearms Act ("VUFA"), 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 6106, assault and related offenses. Our client was facing up to 21 years in prison.
Result: All charges were withdrawn.
Commonwealth v. E.M.
Our client, a mother of two young children, was being abused by her husband. When she threatened to go to the police, the husband called the police first and claimed that he had been abused by our client. Our client, who had no criminal record, was arrested and charged with assault and related offenses which could have resulted in a prison sentence of up to 7 years and loss of the custody of her children.
Result: After our attorneys showed the District Attorney's Office evidence that proved the husband was lying, all charges were withdrawn.
Commonwealth v. P.S.
Our client, a 49 year-old woman, with no prior criminal record was arrested and charged with domestic violence after allegations were made by her estranged boyfriend. Our client was charged with assault and related offenses which could have resulted in a prison sentence of up to 6 years.
Result: All charges were withdrawn.
Commonwealth v. T.G.
Our client, a 23 year-old mother, with no prior criminal record was arrested and charged with domestic violence after allegations were made by her ex-boyfriend after they had a dispute about child custody. Our client was charged with assault and related offenses which could have resulted in a prison sentence of up to 6 years.
Result: All charges were withdrawn.
Commonwealth v. R.F.
Police arrested our client and charged him with domestic violence after his child's mother made allegations. Our client was charged with assault, terroristic threats, 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 2706, and related offenses which could have resulted in a prison sentence of up to 9 years.
Result: All charges were withdrawn.
Commonwealth v. K.C.
Our client's girlfriend alleged that he assaulted and injured her.
The police arrested our client based on these accusations and charged
him with aggravated assault, 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 2702, recklessly endangering
another person,
18 Pa.C.S.A. § 2705, and related offenses. Our client was facing up to 29 years incarceration.
Result: Charges dismissed.
Commonwealth v. J.R.
The mother of our client's child told police that our client assaulted her on a Philadelphia Street in broad daylight. The police responded immediately but no other witnesses could confirm the allegations. Police arrested our client anyway and charged him with crimes including felony aggravated assault, 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 2702, terroristic threats, 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 2706, and related offenses. Our client was facing up to 25 years in prison.
Result: All charges were withdrawn.
Of course, past results are not a guarantee of a similar outcome in current or future matters. The outcome of a particular case or matter obviously depends on a variety of factors, and we do not make any guarantee, promise or other assurance that the same or similar results will be obtained.