Jennifer Horwitz obtained her degree from Harvard Law School and she has 25 years of experience representing people accused of domestic violence offenses. She has appeared in municipal, district and superior courts all over greater Seattle and King County and is well-known to the Courts and prosecutors who handle these cases. Jennifer has won dismissals, acquittals, and reduction of charges for numerous clients fighting domestic violence accusations. Jennifer Horwitz will personally represent you on all aspects of your case (in court and behind-the-scenes) and she will never delegate work on your case to a less experienced attorney.
Jennifer Horwitz knows that domestic violence accusations can flow from a variety of complex situations. She has dealt with cases involving fabricated or exaggerated allegations, allegations that arose as part of a divorce and/or child custody battle or a break-up of a relationship, allegations that arose at a gathering where drugs or alcohol was involved, cases in which the person charged is actually the victim of domestic violence, and cases in which third parties reported seeing or hearing domestic violence when, in fact, they were mistaken about what they witnessed.
Domestic violence allegations can also arise in the context of other issues on the part of the accused person or the alleged victim. These issues may include: diagnosed or undiagnosed mental health issues, substance abuse issues, medical issues, or other issues that would benefit from being addressed with a therapist.
Crimes That Constitute Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is a broad category, including any and all of the following when the victim is a household or family member or a current or previous intimate partner or spouse:
- Assault
- Property Damage
- Burglary
- Kidnapping or False Imprisonment
- Rape or sexual assault (these can be both sex offenses and domestic violence offenses)
- Stalking or cyberstalking
- Harassment
- Violations of no contact or protection orders
- Interfering with the Reporting of a Domestic Violence Offense
There was a time when domestic violence allegations were not taken seriously enough by law enforcement. Now, the pendulum has swung in the other direction and any allegation of domestic violence will almost always result in the arrest of one of the parties involved. However, this does not mean that an incident of domestic violence actually occurred. This is why it is so critical to have an aggressive and experienced attorney fighting for you against such accusations.
Who Can Accuse you of Domestic Violence?
The law casts a wide net in deciding who may press charges for a domestic violence offense. Possible accusers include:
- Spouses and former spouses
- Domestic partners and former domestic partners
- Individuals you have had children with
- Adults related to you by blood or marriage
- Adults with whom you live now or have lived previously (e.g roommates, boarders)
- People with whom you have lived or been romantically involved
- People who you are dating
- Parents and children (including stepparents and stepchildren)
Possible Collateral Consequences of Charges and/or Conviction
A mere accusation of domestic violence can have far-reaching consequences beyond the scope of the criminal case itself. A domestic violence accusation or conviction can affect job or licensing status, particularly for healthcare and other professionals. A domestic violence conviction can have an impact on a pending citizenship application and can trigger deportation for non-citizens. Domestic violence incidents alleged to have taken place in a school setting or involving another student can have consequences for your ability to remain enrolled as a student at that school. Jennifer Horwitz consults and works with a team of immigration and licensing attorneys in order to address the consequences of the case in your life. Jennifer Horwitz has experience handling school discipline matters if your criminal case triggers a school disciplinary proceeding.
Vigorous Advocacy Against Domestic Violence Accusations
Jennifer Horwitz is respected by her peers as an authority on domestic violence cases. She regularly teaches seminars on various aspects of domestic violence defense.
Jennifer will start your representation by speaking to you about what may be important background information for the case. This will include the history of your relationship with the accuser, the current state of the relationship, and your understanding of why the police were called in the case. If a no contact order has been put in place, she will assist you in navigating issues around getting personal belongings, if you are no longer living in your house and other issues such as having contact with children or pets.
Once Jennifer is provided with evidence in your case, you will review it together. Evidence can include the police report, witness statements, the recording of the 911 call, any video from police body or in-car cameras and any photos. Jennifer will also discuss with you whether you have possible important evidence in your case in the form of phone messages, texts, emails, social media posts or statements of witnesses not included in the police report.
The next step may involve doing an investigation on your case. Jennifer works closely with an experienced and highly capable investigator on all of her cases. An investigation may involve witness interviews of third parties or the alleged victim. It may involve running a background check on the alleged victim. If the alleged victim actually wants the case dismissed and has his or her own attorney, Jennifer will work closely with them on strategy if that is authorized by both clients. Jennifer may also review court files on related cases, such as filings in divorce cases, or cases in which the same victim has previously made a similar accusation against another person. Jennifer will follow up on leads you have provided in order to build or bolster your defense. Jennifer will confer with you about goals for the case and come up with a strategy for accomplishing those goals.
Defenses Jennifer Horwitz May Use in Your Case
Jennifer has successfully defended many domestic violence cases. She has several strategies and approaches to these cases. Her approach to your case will depend on the particular allegations and evidence in your case. She has effectively won dismissals in previous cases under the following circumstances:
- The allegations were not supported by the evidence – such as a description of a brutal physical assault where no physical injuries were observed by law enforcement or documented in pictures
- The alleged victim had a history of making false accusations against other people
- The alleged victim has a documented history of fraudulent crimes or conduct
- The alleged victim is not going to cooperate in the prosecution of the case. Under these circumstances, Jennifer will analyze whether the case is provable without the cooperation of the prosecution’s key witness
- There is evidence that the alleged victim is actually the perpetrator and that you have been wrongly accused
- There is evidence that the accusation is fabricated to enable the alleged victim to gain leverage, such as in a divorce or child custody case that is ongoing or for revenge
Jennifer will also analyze the legal issues in your particular case. Legal issues may include the admissibility of any statements you made to law enforcement, the admissibility of prior statements by the alleged victim to law enforcement, the admissibility of the 911 recording, the conduct of the police in obtaining evidence and other issues.
Contact Jennifer Horwitz Law – A Premier Seattle Domestic Violence Attorney
A domestic violence accusation is a potentially life-altering event. It is important to retain an attorney who is experienced and has a deep knowledge of the law surrounding these charges. Jennifer will treat you with respect and compassion and will be relentless in defending you. Jennifer has a proven track record of flipping the script in these cases, changing your experience from feeling victimized to one in which you feel more in control. In some cases, Jennifer has reached the best result in the case through strategic negotiation with the prosecutor. In other cases, her years of trial experience have led to the right outcome. Jennifer is known to the prosecutors she deals with as a tenacious and fearless trial attorney, and this hard-earned reputation often works to help get a case resolved. Jennifer is committed to getting the best outcome that can be achieved in your case and she will be relentless in working toward that result. Jennifer Horwitz has worked with many clients who identify as part of the LGBTQ community. For more information, please feel to call our office or fill out the contact form to schedule an initial consultation.
Jennifer Horwitz represents people who have been accused of domestic violence in Seattle and all throughout Washington State and King County including Bellevue, Issaquah, and Sammamish.