Litigation Exception to No Contact Order

The Appeals Court found that a woman violated a restraining order barring contact with her ex-lover by threatening, through his attorney, to release economically damaging information unless he agreed to certain demands related to the custody of their child.  The woman had argued that her contact with the attorney was covered by the “litigation exception” to no contact restraining orders.  The Appeals Court, however, explained that the “litigation exception” entitled the woman to enter into negotiations with her ex-lover’s counsel but not to use those negotiations as a guise to harass her ex-lover.  L.F. v. L.J., 71 Mass.App.Ct. 813 (May 30, 2008).