Arkansas Domestic Violence Overview

Arkansas CodeTitle 9: Family Law: Chapter 15: Domestic Abuse: Subsection 103: Definitions.

"Domestic abuse" means:

(A) Physical harm, bodily injury, assault, or the infliction of fear of imminent physical harm, bodily injury, or assault between family or household members; or

(B) Any sexual conduct between family or household members, whether minors or adults, which constitutes a crime under the laws of this state;

(3) "Family or household members" means spouses, former spouses, parents and children, persons related by blood within the fourth degree of consanguinity, any children residing in the household, persons who presently or in the past have resided or cohabited together, persons who have or have had a child in common, and persons who are presently or in the past have been in a dating relationship together; and

(4)(A) "Dating relationship" means a romantic or intimate social relationship between two (2) individuals which shall be determined by examining the following factors: (i) The length of the relationship; (ii) The type of the relationship; and (iii) The frequency of interaction between the two (2) individuals involved in the relationship. (B) "Dating relationship" shall not include a casual relationship or ordinary fraternization between two (2) individuals in a business or social context.