How to Prove Verbal Abuse at Home

Verbal and emotional abuse can take many different forms. Someone in the home may name-call, shout, demean, or blame. In some instances, long periods of silence may qualify as abuse. If any of these harmful behaviors sound familiar, you may be experiencing verbal abuse in your home. 

However, some people suffer the harm of emotional abuse without even realizing it. It is important to recognize the common signs and patterns of behavior associated with verbal abuse. 

No one should have to put up with this behavior from a family member, spouse, or other household member. If you hope to file a legal claim for damages, you will need to know how to prove verbal abuse at home. 

The effects of verbal abuse can be emotionally devastating. Victims may suffer from low self-esteem or self-worth. In severe cases, the emotional and psychological effects can be all the more dire. 

Some of the most common examples of verbal abuse tactics are described below:

Blaming

When someone speaks hurtfully to you and then attempts to blame you for their actions, this is a form of abuse. If a friend or family member belittles or hurts you verbally, you are not responsible for their behavior. 

Blaming is one of the most common forms of emotional abuse. Victims should never feel responsible for the hurt that they have experienced. 

Shaming

If someone speaks to you in a sarcastic, critical, or mocking tone, it may qualify as verbal abuse. A household member could make hurtful comments about your clothing, appearance, or voice.

Any comment that makes the victim feel inferior qualifies as shaming. You should not feel ashamed of who you are, especially in your own home. If you have experienced serious verbal abuse, make sure to speak with a legal professional to seek recourse.

Mocking

Oftentimes, verbally abusive people will make jokes about their victims. Perpetrators often joke about things that make their victims feel weak or vulnerable. This is part of an attempt to undermine the victim’s self-confidence and self-esteem.

Jokes at the victim’s expense may be made in public or in private. Wherever they happen, these behaviors are unacceptable and may constitute abuse. 

Humiliation

There are many ways that abusers attempt to humiliate their targets. Humiliation happens when you are insulted in front of other people. Abusers sometimes attempt to insult or undermine their victims in front of others, such as: 

• Friends
• Family members
• Dating partners
• Coworkers
• Strangers in a public setting 

This type of behavior can be very damaging for the victim. Social embarrassment and ostracization are psychologically devastating.

If you have experienced this type of abuse, make sure to reach out to the premier legal team at Morgan and Morgan. You may be owed significant financial compensation for the damages that you experienced. 

Unreasonable Criticism

Criticism with the aim of making you feel negative emotions may be classified as abuse. 

Arguments and disagreements in the home are normal, and everyone experiences them. But when criticism is a common pattern of communication, victims should not excuse it. Unreasonable criticism can be especially hurtful coming from someone in your household. 

Criticism may occur in public or in private. Regardless, abusive criticism is not intended to be constructive or helpful. This is an unhealthy and harmful way of communicating.

Raising Their Voice

Frequent yelling, screaming and shouting all constitute forms of verbal abuse. When someone raises their voice to intimidate or scare you, it is unacceptable and wrong. 

Shouting and cursing are ways of displaying and securing power. If someone attempts to control you or intimidate you in this way, you should not excuse or dismiss it. Speak with an attorney about the possibility of pursuing a legal claim.

Threatening

You should never take any threat lightly. Although threats are often considered to be a form of verbal abuse, they signal the possibility of physical abuse or attacks. 

Those who make threats are trying to control and intimidate their victims. Threatening is incredibly abusive behavior. Abusers attempt to incite fear in order to control the other person’s thoughts or behavior. 

Gaslighting

Gaslighting is a type of verbal abuse that can be incredibly difficult to spot. When they engage in gaslighting, abusers attempt to make their victims question their thoughts, feelings, or reality.

If you find yourself feeling uncertain about your own experiences, you may be the victim of this emotionally abusive tactic. Do not excuse this type of behavior. When you experience gaslighting, you should speak with an attorney about how to prove verbal abuse at home. 

Withholding

This type of emotional abuse happens when the perpetrator refuses to provide a reasonable amount of attention or affection. Abusers may choose to withhold in the following ways: 

• Refusing to speak with you
• Ignoring your questions
• Not looking at you
• Failing to acknowledge your presence
• Leaving the room when you enter 

Because people rely on emotional support from those in their homes, withholding is a serious and harmful method of emotional abuse. 

These are only some examples of forms of verbal abuse in the home. If you have questions about how to spot verbal abuse, reach out to a knowledgeable legal specialist. 

Even if you know that you are the victim of emotional and verbal abuse, it can be difficult to know how to proceed. Physical abuse may leave visible evidence. Verbal abuse does not. 

However, you can take steps to secure evidence of verbal abuse at home. Collecting evidence to corroborate your claim will help in the event of any future legal case. 

The skilled tort lawyers at Morgan and Morgan will use the evidence you collect to pursue financial recovery for the damages you sustained. Victims of verbal abuse deserve to seek justice. 

To prove verbal abuse at home, consider the following strategies:

Document Your Experience

Keep detailed notes about each incident of verbal abuse. Write down the time, date, and location of each event. 

If possible, write the exact words that the abuser said, as well as your emotional reaction. As time passes, it may become difficult to remember the details of the abuse you have experienced. This is especially true if verbal abuse is recurring.

Speak With Witnesses

If anyone else in your home has witnessed the abuse, you should speak with them. Eyewitness testimony is incredibly useful for corroborating your account of events. 

An attorney will cite eyewitness testimony to prove that you have experienced a pattern of emotional and verbal abuse.

Recordings and Documentation

Make sure to keep any written or recorded instances of abuse. For instance, maintain a copy of any of the following: 

• Emails
• Letters
• Recorded phone calls
• Recorded conversations
• Memos
• Notes 

Physical documentation can help prove that you have been the victim of abuse. When filing a legal claim, any type of evidence will help show that you sustained damages due to verbal abuse. 
However, never record audio of a conversation or phone call without speaking with an attorney. In some states, you are not allowed to record private conversations without the consent of everyone involved.

The trial-ready attorneys at the firm of Morgan and Morgan are compensated through contingency fees. With this payment approach, victims can seek financial compensation regardless of their economic status. 

When you hire one of our attorneys, we will agree to a portion of the compensation from your verbal abuse case. You will pay nothing unless our legal team secures financial recovery in your case. 

Do not hire any law firm that requires you to pay attorneys’ fees before taking your case. At Morgan and Morgan, attorneys’ fees are free unless we win compensation for you.

Under certain circumstances, verbal abuse victims may be able to recover compensation for the following losses and damages: 

• Mental healthcare costs, including therapy and counseling
• Anticipated expenses of ongoing mental health care
• Emotional trauma and anguish
• PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)
• Embarrassment
• Decreased quality of life
• Psychological pain and suffering

Many of these damages are intangible. Because of this, the opposing party in your claim may try to downplay or devalue your losses. 

Do not let this happen in your abuse lawsuit. The knowledgeable team at Morgan and Morgan knows what it takes to secure financial compensation for our clients. We will fight hard for every dime that you are rightfully owed.

No one should have to experience verbal abuse in their own home. Because they don’t know how to prove verbal abuse at home, many victims are unable to get justice.

If you have been the victim of emotional or verbal abuse, let the compassionate team at Morgan & Morgan represent you. We will happily provide you with a free consultation to discuss the details of your verbal abuse claim. 

Our litigants can build a powerful case to recover the financial compensation that you rightfully deserve. It is vital to hold abusers accountable for their actions. Complete the contact form on our website to schedule your initial meeting with one of our representatives today.