Bill > SB1141

This bill aims to amend the California Family Code to define "disturbing the peace of the other party" in domestic violence cases to include a pattern of behavior known as "coercive control." Coercive control involves unreasonably interfering with a person's free will and personal liberty, such as isolating the victim from their support system, depriving them of basic necessities, or compelling them to engage in or abstain from certain conduct. By expanding the definition of "disturbing the peace" to include coercive control, this bill would create a rebuttable presumption that awarding child custody to a party who has engaged in coercive control is detrimental to the child's best interests. Additionally, the bill acknowledges the rise in domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that increased isolation of victims has made abuse, including coercive control, more likely to go undetected and unreported.