State v. Goyette

Defendant, who was found guilty of violating a final relief-from-abuse order that had incorporated a stipulation prohibiting him from abusing or harassing his estranged wife, appeals the conviction on the grounds that the underlying order was invalid and that the trial court erred in instructing the jury on the definition of harassment. We conclude that the court’s instruction requires reversal of the conviction.

Defendant and the complainant were married in 1988 and had three children before separating in September 1993, at which time a temporary relief-from-abuse ordered was issued against…