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Legal Information: Hawaii

Restraining Orders

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Laws current as of November 15, 2024

Step 4: Service of process

The harasser must be “served,” or formally given the petition and the papers that tell him/her about the temporary restraining order (if there is one) and the hearing date for the injunction against harassment.

There are different rules for service depending on which district you live in. You may have to take the court papers to the police or to a process server. There also may be fees for having it served. For more information on the procedure and the fees for service of the order in the First, Second, Third and Fifth circuits, you can go to the Hawai’i State Judiciary website.

Your TRO is not officially in effect until the respondent receives a copy. You may want to check with the police or the process server who was serving the papers to confirm that the harasser was served.1

You can find more information about service of process in our Preparing for Court – By Yourself section, in the question called What is service of process and how do I accomplish it?

1 Hawai’i State Judiciary website