- A. In this chapter, the following terms have the meanings indicated.
B. Terms Defined.
(1) “Abuse” means:
- (a) An act that causes serious bodily harm;
- (b) An act that places an individual in fear of imminent serious bodily harm;
- (c) Battery or assault and battery;
- (d) Rape or sexual offense as defined by Criminal Law Article, §§3-303—3-306, Annotated Code of Maryland, or attempted rape or sexual offense; or
- (e) False imprisonment.
- (2) “Batterer” means an individual who has abused a current or former spouse, or current or former cohabitant.
- (3) “Nonshelter services” means those services provided to the victim of domestic violence and any immediate family while not residing at the safe accommodation.
- (4) “Office” means the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention.
- (5) “Program” means a local domestic violence service program, in a specific area of the State, designed to meet the needs of a victim of domestic violence and the family.
- (6) “Safe accommodation” means that location where the victim of domestic violence and children may take refuge from the batterer.
- (7) “Shelter” means a specific facility operated by a domestic violence program designed to be a safe accommodation.
- (8) “Shelter services” means those services provided to the victim of domestic violence and any children while they reside at the safe accommodation.
- (9) “Victim of domestic violence” means an individual who has received deliberate, severe, and demonstrable physical injury or is in fear of imminent deliberate, severe, and demonstrable physical injury from a current or former spouse, or a current or former cohabitant, as defined in Family Law Article, §4-501, Annotated Code of Maryland.
Authority: Family Law Article, §§4-501 and 4-513—4-516, Annotated Code of Maryland
Effective date: March 25, 1985 (12:6 Md. R. 594)
Regulation .02 amended effective December 25, 1989 (16:25 Md. R. 2709)
Regulation .04A amended effective December 25, 1989 (16:25 Md. R. 2709)
Regulation .05A, B amended effective December 25, 1989 (16:25 Md. R. 2709)
Chapter revised effective February 12, 1996 (23:3 Md. R. 166)
Chapter recodified from COMAR 07.06.04 to COMAR 07.01.15 effective June, 2009
Chapter recodified from COMAR 07.01.15 to COMAR 01.04.01 effective December 24, 2012 (39:25 Md. R. 1610)
Regulation .02B amended effective December 24, 2012 (39:25 Md. R. 1610)
Regulation .04E repealed effective December 24, 2012 (39:25 Md. R. 1610)
Regulation .07C amended effective December 24, 2012 (39:25 Md. R. 1610)
Regulation .09C amended effective December 24, 2012 (39:25 Md. R. 1610)
Regulation .10A amended effective December 24, 2012 (39:25 Md. R. 1610)
Regulation .11B amended effective December 24, 2012 (39:25 Md. R. 1610)