Domestic violence is defined in North Carolina as committing an act of bodily injury, causing fear of bodily injury, or committing a sex offense upon a person with whom the offender has a personal relationship or a child of such a person. Specifically, G.S. 50B-1(a) states that
Domestic violence means the commission of one or more of the following acts upon an aggrieved party or upon a minor child residing with or in the custody of the aggrieved party by a person with whom the aggrieved party has or has had a personal relationship, but does not include acts of self-defense:
- Attempting to cause bodily injury, or intentionally causing bodily injury; or
- Placing the aggrieved party or a member of the aggrieved party’s family or household in fear of imminent serious bodily injury or continued harassment, as defined in G.S. 14-277.3A, that rises to such a level as to inflict substantial emotional distress; or
- Committing any act defined in G.S. 14-27.2 through G.S. 14-27.7.
As noted above, the statute requires that the offender and the aggrieved party have a “personal relationship.” This is defined by statute as a relationship where the two parties are: