Commonwealth v. Tyrone

The defendant appeals from his conviction of assault and battery on a family or household member under G. L. c. 265, § 13M, as appearing in St. 2014, c. 260, § 23. He argues that the evidence was insufficient to prove that he and the victim (his former girlfriend) were in a "substantive dating ... relationship" as defined in G. L. c. 265, § 13M(c )(iii), and that that part of the statute is unconstitutionally vague and violates the separation of powers. We affirm.

1. Sufficiency of the evidence. General Laws c. 265, § 13M(c ), defines "family or household member" as "persons who (i) are or…