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Terms Used In Missouri Laws 455.032

  • Assault: purposely or knowingly placing or attempting to place another in fear of physical harm. See Missouri Laws 455.010
  • Court: the circuit or associate circuit judge or a family court commissioner. See Missouri Laws 455.010
  • Domestic violence: abuse or stalking committed by a family or household member, as such terms are defined in this section. See Missouri Laws 455.010
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Order of protection: either an ex parte order of protection or a full order of protection. See Missouri Laws 455.010
  • Pet: a living creature maintained by a household member for companionship and not for commercial purposes. See Missouri Laws 455.010
  • Petitioner: a family or household member who has been a victim of domestic violence, or any person who has been the victim of stalking or sexual assault, or a person filing on behalf of a child pursuant to section 455. See Missouri Laws 455.010
  • Respondent: the family or household member alleged to have committed an act of domestic violence, or person alleged to have committed an act of stalking or sexual assault, against whom a verified petition has been filed or a person served on behalf of a child pursuant to section 455. See Missouri Laws 455.010
  • Stalking: is when any person purposely engages in an unwanted course of conduct that causes alarm to another person, or a person who resides together in the same household with the person seeking the order of protection when it is reasonable in that person's situation to have been alarmed by the conduct. See Missouri Laws 455.010
  • State: when applied to any of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" includes such district and territories. See Missouri Laws 1.020

In addition to any other jurisdictional grounds provided by law, a court shall have jurisdiction to enter an order of protection restraining or enjoining the respondent from committing or threatening to commit domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, molesting or disturbing the peace of petitioner, or abusing a pet, pursuant to sections 455.010 to 455.085, if the petitioner is present, whether permanently or on a temporary basis within the state of Missouri and if the respondent’s actions constituting domestic violence have occurred, have been attempted or have been or are threatened within the state of Missouri. For purposes of this section, if the petitioner has been the subject of domestic violence within or outside of the state of Missouri, such evidence shall be admissible to demonstrate the need for protection in Missouri.