Fort Lee NJ Harassment Attorneys

Criminal harassment charges usually arise out of some form of a prior relationship, whether that be intimate or not. Therefore, these are typically associated with both Temporary and Final Restraining Order requests. The governing statute in New Jersey for Criminal Harassment is N.J.S.A. 2C:33-4.  This offense is considered a petty disorderly persons offense (PDP), thus subjecting anyone convicted of a potential thirty (30) days in the Bergen County Jail and up to a $500.00 fine. In addition, if convicted you will have a criminal record, a record that is not eligible to be expunged for at least two (2) years. As you can tell these are rather serious charges and ones that should not be taken lightly. Our law firm, the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall, has the experience and knowledge to defend these charges since we have:

  • Over two-hundred (200) years of combined experience
  • A team of ten (10) criminal defense attorneys that devote their entire practice to criminal law
  • Our firm has seven (7) former prosecutors
    • Three (3) of our attorneys were former assistant county prosecutors and held directorial positions of the Drug, Gang, and Gun Task Force, Major Crimes Division, Trial Division, Juvenile Division
    • Three (3) of our attorneys were former municipal prosecutors in over twenty-five (25) towns
  • One (1) of our attorneys is Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Criminal Trial Attorney, a distinction held by less than 1% of attorneys in this State
  • One (1) of our lawyers was recently selected to Super Lawyers Rising Stars 2020 list for New Jersey which is a highly credentialed, peer-influenced, third-party validated, and a patented process that selects only 2.5% of the attorneys in New Jersey to this list
  • Selected to the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 and Top 40 Under 40

The Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall has been defending individuals charged with harassment, simple assault, disorderly conduct, shoplifting, stalking and terroristic threat throughout Bergen County, including towns like Paramus, Hackensack, Little Ferry, Fort Lee, Elmwood Park, Palisades Interstate Park, Ramsey, Saddle Brook, Rutherford and Fair Lawn for over fifteen (15) years.  If you or anyone you know has been charged with harassment please feel free to contact our offices located in Hackensack, Fort Lee, or Paramus at 201.429.9783 for a consultation. We are available around the clock to help assist in any way possible and our initial consultations are always free. Here is some information, including the necessary elements about harassment.

Criminal Harassment: N.J.S.A. 2C:33-4

In order for the State to obtain a conviction for a harassment charge (N.J.S.A. 2c:33-4), the prosecutor must prove the following three (3) elements beyond a reasonable doubt:

  1. That the defendant made or caused to be made some type of communication;
  2. That it was the defendant’s purpose in making or causing the said communication to harass another; and lastly,
  3. That the communication was in one of the specified manners or any other manner similarly likely to cause annoyance or alarm to its intended recipient.

Forms of Communications include the following:

  • Any verbal or written communications;
  • Any conveyed by any electronic communication device, including but is not limited to a wire, radio, electromagnetic, photoelectric or photo-optical system, telephone, including a cordless, cellular or digital telephone, computer, video recorder, fax machine, pager, or any other means of transmitting voice or data and communications made by sign or gesture;
  • Any anonymous Communications, specifically any communications that are made at extremely inconvenient hours or involve offensive language or any other manner likely to cause annoyance or alarm;
  • Lastly, any other communication that intrudes into an individual’s legitimate expectation of privacy.

It is important to note here that unlike disorderly conduct, the defendant must have a purpose to harass another person before they can be convicted of harassment.  Profanity or offensive language standing alone does not establish the requisite intent to harass another.

Potential Penalties if Convicted:

As stated earlier, harassment, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:33-4, is a petty disorderly persons offense (misdemeanor). If convicted, a defendant may face up to thirty (30) days in the Bergen County Jail and up to a $500.00 fine. In addition, the defendant may be facing either a temporary or final restraining order, which can make things very difficult if granted. If you or your loved one’s harassment charge arose out of a domestic violence dispute (i.e. girlfriend/boyfriend, husband/wife, father/son, roommates) then you or your loved one will be required to surrender any and all guns and will be prohibited from owning any guns in the future if convicted.

Harassment Lawyer in Paramus NJ

The Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall has over 200 years of combined experience on staff. If you or a loved one has been charged with harassment, stalking, criminal mischief, a temporary restraining order in Bergen County it is imperative that you speak to a qualified criminal trial attorney as the essential defense evidence may dissipate quickly. If you have any other questions or concerns regarding potential harassment charges please feel free to contact our Hackensack Office at 201.429.9783 for a free initial consultations. Our office serves all of Bergen County including towns like Fort Lee, Paramus, and Hackensack.