Relating to coercive control in domestic violence

HB 5336 updates West Virginia's domestic violence law to explicitly include "coercive control" as a defined form of abuse. The bill defines coercive control as a pattern of behavior meant to dominate and isolate a partner, such as controlling finances, monitoring communications, threatening harm, or restricting contact with friends and family. This change ensures non-physical tactics like emotional manipulation and isolation are legally recognized under domestic violence statutes. The bill directly affects victims of such abuse and legal proceedings by expanding the scope of what qualifies as domestic violence in court and law enforcement responses.