Self-defense is always a very good defense, and you would be surprised how often it is used in these types of cases. It is not uncommon for the alleged victim to fail to mention that they slapped the other party first or that they were throwing things at the other party. If that information is revealed, then we see that the accused was simply trying to avoid being hit when the accuser was struck by a defensive type of movement. Self-defense is a very realistic and arguable defense in these types of cases. We actually won our last domestic violence trial on a self-defense theory and the client was acquitted of all charges.