in Massachusetts it’s appropriate to

seek a restraining order or a 209a in

cases where there is abuse between the

parties that could be either between a

husband and a wife or a romantically

involved partnership the 209a statute is

is very clear there has to be fear of

imminent serious bodily harm that

doesn’t mean that there can’t be threats

that have been made threats could be

made to harm the person but verbal

threats are not enough to rise to the

level of the 209a there actually has to

be threat to do physical harm not just

to call someone a vile name or to put a

string of expletives together

the person seeking the 209a has to go

before the judge has to convince the

judge that they are fearful that the

person who either struck them or did

something overt to them or made the

threat is going to come back and

actually harm them and they’re fearful

of that