Aguilar v. Valdez-Mendoza

Summary

The court held that a biological parent and her child’s stepmother are not related by “affinity” under the Protection from Domestic Abuse Act. Applying the ordinary meaning of the statutory term, the court concluded that affinity arises through marriage between one spouse and the other spouse’s blood relatives, and does not extend to the child’s other biological parent. The court therefore reversed the district court and vacated the domestic abuse protection order.