Yes, You Can Get Criminal Charges For A Couple’s Quarrel Over A Phone
Smartphones can be a big help. They can let your loved ones know that you are stuck in traffic, so they don’t worry when you are late. They can help you find a route to almost anywhere, so you don’t get lost. They can even resolve disputes between family members or friends about which building is the tallest in the world, whether lemons and limes come from the same species of plant, and whether allspice is one spice or a mixture. Of course, they generally do more harm than good to interpersonal relationships. Instead of engaging with each other, family members ignore each other as they stare on their screens. When people get secretive about their phones, tempers fly. Sometimes this leads to physical altercations, and sometimes this leads to criminal charges. If you got into a heated fight with your partner over smartphone use, and now one or both of you are facing criminal charges, contact a Pittsburgh assault defense lawyer.
Pennsylvania Domestic Violence Laws, or Lack Thereof
Domestic violence laws assume that physical violence is a worse offense when it is directed at a member of your family. Some states define specific offenses as involving violence or threatened violence against close family members or romantic partners; they have laws on the books against domestic battery, for example. Pennsylvania does not have these laws. In Pennsylvania, the criminal charges are the same whether the person who complained to the police was your spouse or a stranger with whom you picked a fight. In family law cases where the phrase “domestic violence” appears on every page of the court documents, the criminal cases that the family court case cites may list charges with names like assault, harassment, or stalking. In other words, the criminal charges are the same regardless of the relationship between the accuser and the defendant.
In the News
Until recently, things were going well for Devin Bush. He recently signed a one-year contract with the Cleveland Browns, which is close enough to home that he is able to continue living in his Bell Acres home, where he lived when he played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. In May 2025, though, he got into an argument with his girlfriend at their home, and during the argument, he struggled to grab her phone, and eventually took it away from her and smashed it. Bush’s girlfriend, whose name news reports did not disclose, went to a neighbor’s house with her daughter and called 911. Bush is now facing misdemeanor charges for assault and summary charges for harassment. The jail released him on bail without charging him bail money.
Contact Gary E. Gerson About Criminal Defense Cases
A criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are facing criminal charges for assault or related offenses after an argument with your spouse or partner escalated into physical violence. Contact the law offices of Gary E. Gerson in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania about your case.
Sources:
wtae.com/article/devin-bush-arrest-allegheny-county-pennsylvania/64672559
pcadv.org/policy-center/pennsylvania-laws/
