(The Center Square) — Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed a bill aimed at closing a “deadly” loophole in New York domestic violence laws that will allow courts to issue orders of protection to victims’ family members, regardless of their age.
The “Melanie’s Law” legislation, signed by Hochul on Monday, expands the jurisdiction of the state’s family court to allow orders of protection to cover all family members impacted by domestic violence, giving them access to the same protection orders as the victim of domestic abuse. Previously, protection orders were only available to those close to the victim under the age of 18.
The measure was named after Melanie Chianese, a 29-year-old woman who was murdered in 2022 by her mother’s ex-boyfriend. Chianese had requested orders of protection for herself and her 4-year-old grandson while the alleged abuser, Paul Senecal, was awaiting sentencing on a felony domestic violence charge, authorities said. Senecal, who was later convicted of the slaying, is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
“Today is a big step forward for domestic violence,” Cheryl Chianese-Cavalli, Melanie’s mother, said at Monday’s signing ceremony. “Melanie’s Law will save lives and her legacy will live on forever in our hearts.”
Under state law, a domestic violence protection order gives victims greater security, including escorts by police officers if they need to enter a property where the suspect lives. It also sets restrictions on where abusers can go and how close they can get to the protected person, according to the state.
Domestic violence has been on the rise in New York, with the number of “intimate partner homicides” reported in New York City alone increasing by 29.2% between 2022 and 2023, according to victim advocacy groups.
“No one should feel helpless to protect their children, no matter how old they might be, from their abuser,” Kelli Owens, executive director of the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, said in a statement.
The bill’s primary sponsor, state Sen. Michelle Hinchey, D-Saugerties, said making orders of protection available to relatives of domestic violence victims will provide “a safeguard for those who often bear the ripple effects of abuse.”
“Domestic violence leaves a trail of trauma that impacts entire families, and when people come forward for help, they deserve a legal system that offers protection and compassion,” she said in a statement.
Another sponsor, state Assembly member Brian Cunningham, D-Brooklyn, said the passage of Melanie’s Law “will finally close a harmful and deadly loophole to legally protect friends, roommates, and family against violent and emotionally abusive abusers.”
