Wisconsin treats domestic abuse allegations with exceptional seriousness. Under the state's mandatory arrest law, officers who find probable cause that domestic abuse occurred are generally required to make an arrest — which means a single argument, a one-sided phone call, or a misunderstanding can lead to handcuffs and a night in jail before anyone investigates what actually happened. Once an arrest is made, the consequences begin immediately and reach far beyond the courtroom.
The “domestic abuse” label is a modifier that attaches to a wide range of underlying offenses — battery, disorderly conduct, strangulation, criminal damage to property, and more — whenever the alleged victim is a spouse, a former spouse, an adult you live with or used to live with, or a person with whom you share a child. That designation adds a mandatory surcharge, triggers a no-contact order, and can strip away your right to possess a firearm. Each charge carries its own elements and penalties, and each demands a defense built around the specific facts.
Domestic abuse cases are often driven by raw emotion, alcohol, or a high-conflict divorce or custody dispute — and false or exaggerated allegations are far more common than most people realize. At Katz Law LLC, we approach every case without judgment and with a commitment to the presumption of innocence. We move quickly to preserve text messages, call logs, and witness accounts before they disappear, and we hold the prosecution to its burden of proving every element beyond a reasonable doubt.