Control tactics, such as using the legal system to repeatedly drag women through expensive litigation in the Family Court or launching a defamation lawsuit, or smear campaign, in a brazen attempt to silence or discredit their partner's words, and preserve their own reputation, is rife. Abusers are highly adept at reversing the victim and aggressor roles.

Smear Campaign

and

Litigation Abuse

A narcissistic smear campaign is used to discredit another person by hijacking the narrative of a relationship after it has ended. A narcissist will spread lies or create embellishments about their victim in order to destroy the individual’s reputation. This is a common behavior for those with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) when they realize they have lost control over this other person.

How Domestic Violence Perpetrators Manipulate Systems

"Abusers may use a wide range of tactics against domestic violence survivors in the legal system. Domestic violence survivors and advocates report that common tactics used by abusers include: Litigation abuse

* Repeatedly contacting survivor’s attorney in order to harass the attorney or to increase the survivor’s legal fees.

* Filing frivolous motions, appeals, motions for revisions, and motions for reconsideration of court orders.

* Attempting to re-litigate issues that have already been decided by the court.

* Abusing the discovery process by seeking embarrassing or irrelevant

information about the survivor and by demanding excessive discovery.

* Bringing contempt motions against a survivor without cause.

* Portraying themselves as the victim by seeking their own protection

orders against the survivor and/or the survivor’s friends and family."

Know the red flags

The function of narcissistic harems.

Narcissistic Supply.

Flying Monkey.

"Loving the drama. Some flying monkeys really thrive on the drama. When you’re involved with a narcissist, it’s almost inevitable that you’ll be involved in a few dramas along the way. What can beat the adrenaline of being caught up in lies, secrecy, and deception?

Being a narcissist. Flying monkeys often have strong narcissistic traits themselves, including a desire for attention, a lack of empathy, and a desire to bully and manipulate others. They may be involved in a family, work, or other situation in which they know that their best opportunity to fulfill their narcissistic desires comes from allying themselves with a more powerful narcissist."

Professional Literature Regarding Coercive Control and Litigation Abuse

1. “What Is Legal Abuse?” — DomesticShelters.org

Although written for a broader audience, it is concise, accessible, and clearly explains litigation abuse, retaliatory filings, delays, false allegations, and financial exhaustion as tactics of coercive control.

2. “The Importance of Identifying Legal Abuse and Recognizing Its Consequences in Family Law” — AFCC

AFCC (Association of Family and Conciliation Courts) is influential among Family Court professionals. This article discusses how survivors often expect protection from Family Court but instead experience continued abuse through the legal system.

3. “Legal systems abuse and coercive control” — Heather Douglas

Published in Criminology & Criminal Justice (2018).

This is one of the foundational academic articles discussing how abusers weaponize the legal system to continue coercive control after separation. It is widely cited in discussions of litigation abuse.

4. “Endless Litigation in Family Court as a Method of Post-Separation Coercive Control” — Mairead McCormack (2025)

A very strong and current scholarly article specifically examining how abusive partners exploit Family Court proceedings to maintain control through repeated litigation, delays, false narratives, and procedural abuse.

5. “When the Family Court Becomes the Continuation of Family Violence After Separation: Understanding Litigation Abuse”

A judicial/family violence resource discussing how court proceedings themselves can become an extension of abuse.

6. Evan Stark — “Coercive Control: How Men Entrap Women in Personal Life”

This is the seminal work on coercive control and is highly respected internationally among domestic violence experts, advocates, and increasingly courts.

7. “Litigation Abuse: A Form of Post-Separation Abuse” — A. Romero

This article directly discusses how abusers use court proceedings to harass, intimidate, financially drain, and psychologically destabilize survivors after separation.