Restraining Orders

Generally, a person who is experiencing domestic violence may be able to file for a protection order. As you may know, a protection order is a civil court order, signed by a judge, which tells an abuser to stop the abuse or face serious legal consequences. A judge can order an abuser to stay away from and not contact the victim. A judge may be able to order other protections a specific victim may need to stay safe. You can see more information on protection orders [HYPERLINK TO MAIN RO PAGE] and how to get one on our website. [HYPERLINK TO “STEPS TO GET RO”]

ONLY INCLUDE THIS PARAGRAPH IF WE DON’T KNOW IF THE RELATIONSHIP QUALIFIES – DO NOT INCLUDE IT IF IT’S A SPOUSE OR INTIMATE PARTNER: In general, to get a domestic violence protection order, the parties must have some type of relationship with each other. You can see what relationships qualify someone for a protection order on our website. [HYPERLINK TO Q “WHO IS ELIGIBLE”]

Additionally, a person requesting a domestic violence protection order must allege that some type of abuse has occurred. Here’s a link where you can see the legal definition of domestic violence for purposes of getting a domestic violence protection order. [HYPERLINK TO Q “WHAT IS THE LEGAL DEF OF ABUSE”].