Act No. 48 Page 1 of 1
2023
This act summary is provided for the convenience of the public and members of the General Assembly. It
is intended to provide a general summary of the act and may not be exhaustive. It has been prepared by the
staff of the Office of Legislative Counsel without input from members of the General Assembly. It is not
intended to aid in the interpretation of legislation or to serve as a source of legislative intent.
Act No. 48 (H. 45). An act relating to abusive litigation filed against survivors of domestic
abuse, stalking, or sexual assault
Subjects: Domestic relations; abuse prevention; abusive litigation
This act creates a new subchapter within Vermont’s domestic abuse prevention
chapter to establish a procedure to allow survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault or
stalking to request a court to issue an order restricting the abuser’s ability to file new
litigation against the survivor if a court has found that the abuser has filed litigation
primarily for the purpose of abusing, harassing, intimidating, threatening, or maintaining
contact with the survivor.
Once an order is issued, the abuser must request permission from the court to file any
new action against the survivor. The abuser would only be able to proceed with new
litigation if the court determines that the new litigation is being initiated, advanced, or
continued primarily for the purpose of abusing, harassing, intimidating, threatening, or
maintaining contact with the survivor.
Effective Date: September 1, 2023
VT LEG #370619 v.2