Originally Posted by
Readysteady 
I'm sorry that you and your kids are going through this. It's a shame when you're the victim and end up looking like the guilty one. They weren't friends. Also record him if possible. It might not legally hold up in some states (as far as evidence), but I don't think it's illegal for "friends" to hear it. Hang in there!
Actually, yes, it IS illegal to record someone without his/her knowledge in several states. Each state's wiretap law is different--some allow recording when one of the parties to a conversation consents, others require the consent and knowledge of BOTH parties. Not only are recordings in two-party states inadmissible in court, the act of recording is a criminal offense. Nobody needs to give an abuser an excuse for filing a criminal charge against her!
(And, yes, the "wiretap" law doesn't only apply to taped phone conversations, but also in-person spoken communications secretly recorded using a video cam, cell phone, tape recorder, etc.)