What if Battery Does Not Cause Bodily Harm?
There are some instances in which assault and battery are not blatantly violent in nature or do not cause physical harm. Nonconsensual touching is a good example of this. While not all sexual assaults and unlawful touching cause bodily injury, they are always considered at least 2nd Degree Assault and Battery and can go up to aggravated assault depending on the circumstances.
Domestic violence situations, such as a husband holding his wife and/or children hostage while in possession of a weapon, are another type of assault and battery charges. Even if the husband releases his family members without causing them bodily injury, they were threatened with bodily harm, had enough reason to believe that harm could happen, and a deadly weapon was involved.