Coercive Control Statute Map / WA
Washington
Uses phrase in protection orders · Primary / Carlton brief or statute text · Last reviewed August 31, 2026
What “pattern” means here
RCW 7.105 uses coercive control in the protection-order scheme: a pattern of behavior used to cause fear, decrease, or destroy a person's sense of safety, or to compel or induce a person to engage in conduct from which they have a right to abstain. Pattern is statutory.
Statutes
Wash. Rev. Code § 7.105.010
Coercive control defined for civil protection orders.
Wash. Rev. Code § 7.105.010 lists these behaviors. The labels are tactics, not statutes.
Expert standard
Confirm the forum's reliability standard (Daubert, Frye, Sargon, or the local equivalent).
What Carlton Research can speak to
Carlton Research can speak to pattern analysis (coercive control breadth, depth, escalation, entrapment, and more). Research is built to the evidentiary rules of the jurisdiction that will hear it. Carlton Research does not recommend parenting time or custody. Research establishes whether a pattern of coercive control is present. Inquire about specific testimony requests or speaking engagements.
Protection-order definition. Confirm whether the family-law custody statute uses the same words; do not assume they travel automatically.
Carlton, C. (2026). Coercive Control Statute Map: Washington. Coercive Control Observatory. Last reviewed August 31, 2026.