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Legal Information: Puerto Rico

Restraining Orders

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Updated: 
November 25, 2023

What protections can I get in a protection order?

A protection order can do the following:

  • give you temporary custody of minor children;
  • if you are staying in a shelter for victims of domestic violence, suspend the family relationship between the minor children and the abuser (after consideration of many factors specified by the law);
  • order the abuser to vacate the home that you share with him/her;
  • order the abuser to refrain from bothering, harassing, following, intimidating and threatening you and order him/her to not interfere with the temporary custody of the children;
  • order the abuser to stay a certain distance away from wherever you are;
  • order the abuser to pay support for the child(ren) and for you, if s/he is legally obligated to do so;
  • prohibit the abuser from disposing of your private property or of any joint property;
  • order the abuser to pay for damages caused by the acts of domestic violence, including:
    • moving expenses,
    • expenses for property repairs,
    • legal, medical, psychiatric, psychological, counseling, lodging, shelter and other similar expenses;
  • order the abuser to temporarily hand over to the police of Puerto Rico any firearm that s/he owns and suspend any license to operate a firearm that they may have;
  • prohibit the abuser from denying you access to the children or from taking them outside of Puerto Rico; and
  • order anything else that the judge believes can benefit your safety or that of your family.1

1 See 8 L.P.R.A. § 621